East African Race

(also Ethiopian race), a race occupying an intermediate position between the Europeoids and Negroids. The members of the East African race, who are typically found in Ethiopia, Somalia, and the adjacent countries of Africa, are characterized by wavy hair, dark skin, moderate prognathism, thick lips, a narrow, prominent nose, tall stature (175–179 cm for adult males), a narrow face, and dolichocephaly. According to one hypothesis, the race formed through an intermingling of Europeoids and Negroids that began in the Mesolithic; an alternative hypothesis is that it formed in the process of development of ancient transient Europeoid-Negroid populations.