Abstract: Buriats are ethnic groups of cross-border distribution, with those of China living in Inner Mongolia. In August 2007 we investigated the physical characteristics of 310 Buriat adults ( 152 males and 158 females), with the following results. In ethnic groups of the North Asian type of Mongoloid, the percentage of eye-fold of the upper eyelid is 49. 34% in males and 58. 23% in feamles. The percentage of Mongoloid Fold is lower with 52. 63% in males and 48. 10% in females. The colors of eye and skin are lighter. The typical physical characteristics of Buriats include hyperbrachycephaly, hypsicephalic type, mesocephaly, mesoprosopy, mesorrhiny, broad chest circumference, medium shoulder breadth, narrow distance between iliac crests, mesatiskelic type, medium length of trunk and squat-type. Euryprosopy is of the highest frequency in the Buriats. Typical physical characteristics of males are super-medium stature, while those of female are of medium stature. The physical characteristics of Buriats belong to a branch of the Central Asian type of the South Asian type of Mongoloid, which also includes Eurasian origins. The physical characteristics of the Buriats are close to ethnic groups of Mongols, but there are also some distinct differences between these two groups.

Key words: Buriats; Anthropometry; Somatoscopy; North Asian; Mongoloid