The
Caucasian race (also
Caucasoid or occasionally
Europid) is a
taxon historically used to describe the physical or biological type of some or all of the populations of
Europe,
North Africa, the
Horn of Africa,
Western Asia,
Central Asia, and certain parts of
South Asia. The term was used in
biological anthropology for many people from these regions, without regard necessarily to
skin tone. First introduced in early
racial science and
anthropometry, the taxon has historically been used to denote one of the three proposed major races (Caucasoid,
Mongoloid,
Negroid) of humankind. Although its validity and utility are disputed by many
anthropologists,
Caucasoid as a biological classification remains in use, particularly within the field of
forensic anthropology.