Nose size acording to geography?

Question

Maybe I'm wrong, and if I am don't be rude about it, but to me it seems that:

Asians have small noses,

Africans have small noses, and

Middle Easterners/Indians have big noses.

So if the Middle East is between Asia and Africa, why do it's people have larger noses?

Or am I over-analyzing?

Answer 1

too much time on your hands for sure  :)

Answer 2

You are sort of right. Nose shape is not related at all to "race" or ethnicity, but to region of origin. In today's world we are such a mixed population that it's easier to go by race than where a population originated.

It is a physical adaption which prevailed because people who had such features survived better.

Extreme cold favors flat faces with fat pads over the sinuses, and narrow noses. These adaptations provide minimum surface area in relation to body mass for minimum heat loss and protect the lungs and base of the brain against cold air in the nasal passages. In conditions of humid heat, where body heat must be dissipated, selection favours a wide nose which prevents warming of the air in the nasal passages.

All noses inbetween are representative of which of these extremes you are closer to. People's from the Middle East, and Africa, will have large wide noses (not all, as there are small variations within populations). Most of these people are African (black), Middle Eastern, ect.. which leads to the racial remark that they have such large noses. African groups and some Middle Eastern groups are considered to portray "*******" characteristics, this nose is even one of the characteristics used by forensic anthropologists to identify that the skull was made by an individual of that population (broad, long nasal cavity, with a higher nasal bone)  

People's in the arctic (Inuit) regions, or high altitude regions, generally have flatter faces, and thus noses, more common of Asian ancestry )because these are the migratory populations which founded such populations). Many American Indian tribes and Central and South American groups also portray these characteristics as their founding populations were most likely Asian (or were at minimum mostly Asian, many native Peruvians (not interbred with the Spainards) look very much like eskimos because of this). Asian populations are known as mongoloid, and a small flat nose is a trait which is even evident on their bony remains (skulls).

Now we come to your more common "white" people, persons of European decent (generally). Who tend to have smaller, narrow noses, which are higher off the face than "mongoloid" noses. But the noses are narrower than ******* populations. This is because it is an adaption between the 2 extremes. Europe experiences both cold winters and warm summers, so an adaption in between ******* and mongoloid is needed. These Euro populations are considered caucasian.

Within these you get variations. For instance Italians have noses more like Africans, but Swedes and Icelandics have noses more like Asians. Italy is more hot and humid than Sweden which is drier and colder. People in India are a mix between ******* and mongoloid features. People in Siberia have a mix of mongoloid and caucasian features.

It has nothing to do with race, but where the population of origin adapted. These are always on a continueum, and this is why no single characteristic can define a population or ethnic group.

Answer 3

Actually, you're probably under-analyzing. Nose sizes between modern human populations falls in the realm of normal human variation, I would imagine. Then again, I've never done or read a large scale study on the matter. I sort of doubt you have, either.

From an evolutionary standpoint, large noses tend to be a better asset in colder environments, but it's not written in stone or anything. Take that as you will.

Answer 4

There seems to be some truth to that. I'm Sicilian (Mediterranian) and have a big nose. Sicily is near the Middle East.

Answer 5

Nose shape and size differs from one ethnic group to another.  In the Middle East, the most notable source of large noses is the Hittite strain.  The Jews are sometimes said to have large noses but this is not true except for the Hittite strain in the heritage of Jews of Middle Eastern origin, and most Jews are not ethnically Middle Easterners but are Kazhars from what is now Russia and Poland.  That is a Caucasian ethnicity, not Semitic, and does not imply a large nose. Armenians too have a strain of the ancient Hittites in them and the characteristic Hittite nose appears among them.

Answer 6

You are right, in a way.  They have to do with climatic regions. Because evolution takes some time to produce changes in populations we might have some problems identifying where a person might be from judging only by their noses. In the future, we might see the same size noses because air conditioning might create a controlled environment everywhere.

Answer 7

Japanese  have big noses.In comparison to other Mongoloids in the region Japanese have a  pointier nose.Japanese are mixed and this may have caused this.Japanese are a south east asian/North Asian hybrid.So explain that!