Which countries/ethnicities/nationalities look out of place for their location?

[Tooting Carmen]

My two nominations are:

(1) The UK. Despite the fact that most of the country has a more northerly latitude than the Netherlands and Germany, the British are, as a whole, noticeably darker-haired than the Germans and the Dutch. This goes against the usual pattern that the further north you go, the more blondes there are.

(2) Iran. Despite being so far east, Iranians are, as a whole, considerably lighter-complexioned than Iraqis, Gulf Arabs and South Asians. Thus, their location does seem to be rather anomalous.

Does anyone else have any ideas?

[Sikeliot]

1) Sicilians and Maltese. They look closer to Cypriots than to most of their immediate neighbors (except mainland southern Italians and Aegean islanders), but are not geographically close to Cyprus.

2) Armenia. They look more Levantine than their location suggests.

3) Southern Spaniards. You would not guess they are located right near Morocco even though there is some overlap.

4) Egypt. The difference between Egypt and the Levant is quite noticeable despite proximity.

5) Crete. Despite being the southernmost Greek island, they're the lightest.

[Sikeliot]

I meant Sicilians/Maltese not GEOGRAPHICALLY close to Cyprus. Genetically they're the equivalent of 3/4 Cypriot, 1/4 North Italian on Oracle.

[Tooting Carmen]

Any other suggestions?

[Faklon]

5) Crete. Despite being the southernmost Greek island, they're the lightest.

Sounds like an urban legend to me but I have come across 1 or 2 Cretans with light eyes.

[Sikeliot]

Sounds like an urban legend to me but I have come across 1 or 2 Cretans with light eyes.

I've been told by several Greeks on this forum that the people in western Crete can be very light, on par with the northern mainland Greece.

Another reason Crete looks out of place geographically is, many of them are an Atlanto-Med type that looks rather "western" as well.

[Tooting Carmen]

No one so far has debated my suggestions about either Brits or Iranians being out of place for their locations.

[Sikeliot]

No one so far has debated my suggestions about either Brits or Iranians being out of place for their locations.

Well I think in Northern Europe, the cline is interrupted by the fact that in general, Western Europeans are darker than Eastern Europeans, so Brits being more western in location to me will cancel out some of the northern-ness.

[Tooting Carmen]

Well I think in Northern Europe, the cline is interrupted by the fact that in general, Western Europeans are darker than Eastern Europeans.

Again, not always true - most studies show Germans to be blonder than Poles, for example. But if you were solely referring to Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states, then yes.

[Sikeliot]

Again, not always true - most studies show Germans to be blonder than Poles, for example. But if you were solely referring to Sweden, Finland and the Baltic states, then yes.

I mean that as you go from Britain eastward -- Norway, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia -- the people get lighter and blonder, which to me shows that at least at such a northernly latitude, people get lighter as you go east.