Why do northern asians have bigger eyes than the southerners?

Question

Southerners (Hong Kong, Taiwan) have smoother faces looking characteristically asian. They also have thinner hair and lighter skin.

Answer 1

Shan, u got it wrong.. the Malays in phillipines, Malaysia and indonesia have bigger eyes than northern chinese..

Answer 2

The central East Asians are Mongoloid people, they have an epicanthic eye fold that makes the eyes look smaller. To the North they change into a more Caucasian population, and one group in Japan has 'open' Caucasian eyes (the Ainu).

The Mongoloid people seem to have a fairly recent appearance, but they've had a population explosion sometime in the past few thousand years. The oldest Mongoloid skull yet found is less than 11,000 years old. Although, they'd have to pre-date that a bit to manange colonising America.

Answer 3

It is because of our ancestors who scattered from one another in the Pangea era. Some had to adapt to their surroundings, so they became small. Some had genetically changed overtime. Many examples stood as evidence.

Answer 4

My parents are from HK and guonzhao...I currently hold the world  record for the thickest hair.

Answer 5

My friend is from Vietnam/hong kong and h**l her eyes are huge.

Answer 6

some people in hong kong have bigger eyes

i don't know why

Answer 7

Northern Asians have bigger eyes? Really?????

Just what is characteristically Asian? Sounds like a fancy word for stereotype. Makes me wonder if I'm characteristically Caucasian. (Technically speaking, I am not; I have some Asian and Gallic ancestry. But I am a character, no question there.)

I would say that an Asian is an Asian... otherwise we could end up in the pure race discussion. And that could lead to calls for purification of the race ... which leads to...

btw... Russians are northern Asians, too. Are they included in your question? Just curious...

Answer 8

not always..

Answer 9

Because we're created in our own uniqueness.

Answer 10

There is considerably more light available, nearer the Equator, so not as big a lens is required to collect and focus it onto the retina. That's the only logical reason, apart from natural variation which I can think of. Look at the large eyes of the mostly nocturnal "bush baby" of Africa, compared with a similar sized diurnal animal.