Social Geography : Demography

Q 10 / 14

UPSC CSE Prelims 1999

A person of mixed European and Indian blood in Latin America is called a:

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

The term 'Mestizo' refers to individuals of mixed European (primarily Spanish or Portuguese) and Indigenous American ancestry. This classification emerged during the Spanish colonial period in Latin America. Mestizos constitute a significant demographic group in many Latin American nations, including Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. It specifically denotes European-Indigenous heritage.

Incorrect Options

Mulatto: This term denotes individuals of mixed European and African descent.

Meiji: This refers to a historical era in Japan (1868–1912), characterized by rapid modernization and industrialization, not an ethnic or racial group.

Mau Mau: This refers to an anti-colonial nationalist movement that originated in Kenya during the 1950s, not a racial classification for people.

SOURCENCERT Class 12 Human Geography, Chapter 3: Population Composition