Ancestry DNA Results

As per the Ancestry.com diaspora map, the regional footprint for my 56% ethnicity in England, Wales & Northwestern Europe covers present day: Great Britain (England and Wales), Northern France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Austria.

The history of Britain, the heart of our England, Wales & Northwestern Europe region, is often presented as one group of invaders after another displacing the native population. The Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans all left their mark on Britain both politically and culturally. However, the story of Britain is far more complex. In fact, modern studies suggest the earliest populations weren’t wiped out, but adapted and absorbed the new arrivals. [REF: Ancestry.com DNA – England, Wales & Northwestern Europe]

As per the Ancestry.com regional diaspora for Indigenous Americas – Andes, The regional footprint for my 32% ethnicity in the Indigenous Americas – Andes estimate covers present day: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, with primary indicators for Peru and Bolivia.

Indigenous Americas—Andes region surrounds the Andes Mountains that stretch down the western side of the South American continent. With over 10,000 years of human settlement, this area has been home to a wide variety of groups, including the Incas and Aymara. Andean cultures practiced diverse agriculture, developed sophisticated highway systems, and made notable medical advances. The Incan estate of Machu Picchu in particular remains a tourist favorite with its majestic mountain views, striking temples, and impressive man-made rock terraces. [REF: Ancestry.com DNA – Indigenous Americas – Andes]

The regional footprint for my 5% ethnicity in Ireland & Scotland covers both those regions, but, also the Isle of Man and the coast of northern France.

Located among the isles of the eastern North Atlantic Ocean, our Ireland and Scotland region remains linked to Celtic culture. Here, along with a handful of other isolated communities within the British Isles, you can find some of the last holdouts of the ancient Celtic languages that were once spoken throughout much of Western Europe. And though closely tied to Great Britain, both geographically and historically, people in this region have maintained their unique character through the centuries. [REF: Ancestry.com DNA – Ireland & Scotland]

The regional footprint for my 4% ethnicity in Spain seems to cover Spain in its entirety and some parts of present day Portugal.

The heart of our Spain region lies in the Iberian Peninsula, framed by the granite peaks and plunging falls of the Pyrenees on the French border in the north and sunny Mediterranean beaches in the south. This region has seen a long parade of invaders, including Celts, Romans, and Germanic Visigoths. Under Muslim rule it was home to some of the most advanced societies in Europe. Then, during the Age of Discovery, Spaniards founded a world empire that established Spanish as the second-most spoken native language to this day. [REF: Ancestry.com DNA – Spain]

As per the Ancestry.com ethnicity diaspora map of Portugal, my 2% Portuguese ethnicity footprint covers all of Portugal and overlaps a little into parts of northern Spain.

Geography contributed to the separate people, language, and nation-state that lie at the heart of our Portugal region. The country of Portugal shares its northern and eastern borders with Spain on the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula. Mountains in the north give way to rolling plains in the south, while the Atlantic to the west and south led to a seafaring tradition that enabled the Portuguese to establish a trading empire that circled the globe. [REF: Ancestry.com DNA – Portugal]

And finally, my 1% ethnicity footprint for Sardinia, covers Sardinia…the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and part of Italy.

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily. Its craggy mountains pushed up from the ocean in the Paleozoic era more than 250 million years ago. Rome, Spain, and Italy have all left their mark on Sardinian history, but even in the face of outside influences, the island has developed and maintained a culture, language, and cuisine of its own. [REF: Ancestry.com DNA – Sardinia]