# Why aren't Russians Asian? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020 "2001-11-02T00:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![trenks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@trenks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trenks)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020/1 "2001-11-02T00:23:54Z")
Russia is in Asia, so why aren’t Russians considered Asians? Or are they? Whats the deal? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020/2 "2001-11-02T00:31:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by trenks \* > \*\*Russia is in Asia, so why aren’t Russians considered Asians? Or are they? Whats the deal? \*\* The traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia is the Ural Mountains, therefore Russia is in both Europe and Asia. The Russian heartland is in the European part - they expanded into Asia after 1500. “Russians,” as an ethnic/linguistic group, are considered Europeans. Of course, many citizens of present day Russia are Asian. And the ethnic groups of Siberia and elsewhere are considered in Asiatic Russia are considered Asian. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020/3 "2001-11-02T02:39:56Z")
Yeah, that Russia is just filled with people who are all of the same ethnicity. You couldn’t tell the difference between someone from Moscow and someone from Vladivostok. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020/4 "2001-11-02T02:40:14Z")
In addition, there is a fair argument that the gene pool for the old Russian aristocracy was Scandinavian. The Norwegians went to Iceland and Minnesota. The Swedes went to the East. This was in the 9th and 10th Centuries. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020/5 "2001-11-02T07:05:15Z")
Some are Asians, but true Russians are from just around Moscow. ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020/6 "2001-11-02T07:49:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spavined Gelding \* > \*\*In addition, there is a fair argument that the gene pool for the old Russian aristocracy was Scandinavian. The Norwegians went to Iceland and Minnesota. The Swedes went to the East. This was in the 9th and 10th Centuries. \*\* The Norwegians went to Minnesota in the 9th & 10th centuries? I never new that. **Spavind Gelding** you may wish to make a correction before someone points out your error. Oooops, too late. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Stevens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@Mark\_Stevens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Stevens)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-russians-asian/91020/7 "2001-11-02T09:27:05Z")
The Russian Far East is a fairly new part of the Russian state. Most of the people there are immigrants, although there are some mongoloid tribal people in different areas. All the Russians I’ve met from the Russian Far East are your basic caucasions (as different from those from the Caucasus).