People of the World: Cultures and Traditions, Ancestry and Identity

From the heart of National Geographic comes this expansive guide to the clans, tribes, ethnicities, and peoples of the world.

Organized in keeping with our knowledge of the migration of human groups through history, with statistics and a cultural portrait of each ethnic group, People of the World becomes a fascinating round-the-world tour of customs and traditions as well as a go-to source for background information to round out one’s own family history.

From the Tuvans of Siberia to the Samoans and Tahitians of Polynesia, from the Mapuche of Chile to the Sami of Scandinavia, 222 of the world’s 10,000-plus ethnic groups are featured. Some were chosen because of their commonality as ancestors to many; others were chosen because their numbers are dwindling, and soon their cultures may become extinct. Maps, photographs, and traditional sayings enhance the accounts of many of the most important and interesting cultures in the world today.