"White" generally refers to a racial category, while " Caucasian " technically pertains to people from the Caucasus region but is often misused to describe white people broadly. The term ' Caucasian ' refers to a racial classification that is historically used to describe people of European descent, as well as some populations from parts of North Africa and the Middle East. This classification emerged in the 18th century, primarily influenced by pseudoscientific theories that categorized humans based on physical traits and geographical origins, contributing to the foundations of scientific racism. Nevertheless, for the purpose of understanding cultural and historical differences, five major racial groups are typically recognized: Caucasian , Mongoloid, Negroid, Australoid, and Amerindian USAGE The word Caucasian is used in the US to refer to people of European origin or people who are White, even though the original classification was broader than this
