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[Genetics] Y-Dna Haplogroups distribution in Sardinians

Introduction

In human genetics, an Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup'  is a haplogroup defined by differences in the non genetic recombining portions of DNA from the Y chromosome (called Y-DNA).

Y-DNA Haplogroups define the most recent patrilineal (male-lineage) ancestors of all living humans and so they can establish from where a single individual or an entire population come from.

Y─ DNA Adam

Haplogroup A0 Haplogroup A1 BT Haplogroup B CT DE Haplogroup D Haplogroup E CF Haplogroup C Haplogroup F Haplogroups F1-F4 Haplogroup G Haplogroup H IJK Haplogroup IJ Haplogroup I Haplogroup J Haplogroup K K* LT Haplogroup L Haplogroup T MNOPS Haplogroups K1-K4 Haplogroup M Haplogroup NO Haplogroup N Haplogroup O Haplogroup P Haplogroup Q Haplogroup R Haplogroup S

Estimation of the distribution of Y-Dna Haplogroups in Sardinian People:

	I	R1b	G2a	J2	J1	E1b1b	T + (L)	Q
Sardinia	45/37%	25/22%	15/11%	10%	2.5/2%	10/5%	1.5/0%	2%

Y-dna haplogroups distribution in Europe

Haplogroup I Y-DNA

Between 37-45% of Sardinians belong to the I Y-dna Haplogroup, it is today spread almost exclusevely in Europe and it is found in 1/5 of the European Population.

The time of origin of this haplogroup is estimated between 25,000 - 30,000 years BP, placing the Haplogroup I founding event approximately contemporaneous with the Last Glacial Maximum (period in the Earth's climate history when ice sheets were at their maximum extension). It is the most ancient Y-dna haplogroup present in Europe today.

Out Sardinia the Haplogroup I shows high prevalence only in Scandinavia, Northern Germany and the Balkans, in particular in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.

Haplogroup I

Haplogroup I has two major subclades, one called I1 that has the highest frequency in the Northern Europe (mainly in Scandinavia) and another one called I2a prevailing in South Europe, in particular in the west balkanic region and in Sardinia.

Subclade I2a

Furthermore, the haplogroup I of the indigenous  Sardinians is the I2a1 subtype, formerly known as I-M26, which is almost unique to the island, though it  has also distribution in other areas of Western Europe, mainly in Iberia, in Particular among the Basques and among people living on the Pyrenees Range, mainly in the Department of Béarn In France. It is found in lower percentages also in Brittany, England, Sweden and Corsica. 
The highest frequency of this subclade is found among Sardinians from the most inaccessible and remotest mountainous regions of Barbagia and Ogliastra, in the Central and East part of the island.

Subclade I2a1 (shown as M26 in the map)

Haplogroup R1b Y-DNA

The Haplogroup R1b is the most frequently occurring Y-Dna haplogroup in Western Europe, and the second most frequent in Sardinians. Its frequency is between 22-25%, it is more spread among Northern Sardinians, in particular in Gallura (North East Sardinia). 

Haplogroup R1b

Main subclade of the Haplogroup R1b found in Sardinia is the R1b1a2 (R-M269) also known as S116, whose highest frequency is found  in Scotland (71%), Spain (70%) and in France (60%).

Haplogroup G2a Y-DNA

Haplogroup G is the 3rd most common Y-DNA haplogroup in Sardinian People, with a distribution estimated between 11% and 15%, mainly in the north part of the island and on the highlands of central regions. It spread on the island with the diffusion of the neolithic farmers from Asia.

It has an overall low frequency in most populations but is widely distributed within many ethnic groups of the Old World in Europe (especially in alpine regions) and West Asia (Caucasus), too. Highest percentage of this Haplogroup is found among the Georgians.

In Europe west of the Black Sea Haplogroup G is found at about 5% of the population on average throughout most of the continent. 

In western Austria, in the Tyrol  the G percentage can reach 8% or more, recently the detection of the genome of Ötzi the Iceman, the well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived about 3,300 BCE, discovered on the Alps in 1991, revealed that he belonged to a rare subclade of the Haplogroup G, called G2a4 present today almost exclusively in Corsica and Sardinia.

Haplogroup J2a Y-DNA

The J2a haplogroup shows a frequency of 9.9% or lower in Sardinians. It probably was originated in the Caucasus region, among 15,000 and 20,000 years ago. Highest frequencies of it are today present among Northern Caucasians such as the Ingush and the Cechens. In Europe it is mainly spread in South East Europe and in Central and South Italy. It appeared in Europe in the Neolithic.

Haplogroup E1b1b Y-DNA

The E1b1b haplogroup shows low frequency in Sardinia between 5% and  10%. Haplogroup E1b1b (formerly E3b) represents the last direct major migration from Africa into Europe. It is believed to have first appeared in the Horn of Africa . In Europe it has the highest distribution in the South East. In mainland Italy it shows frequencies of 11% in the North, 10% in Central Italy, 18,5% in South and 17% in Sicily.

Haplogroup Q Y-DNA

The Haplogroup Q is rare in Sardinia (2%), in Europe it shows the highest frequencies among Norwegians, Swedish, Slovaks and Ukrainians. The place of origin of it is Siberia and Central Asia, and today it shows the highest diffusion among the Native Americans. 

Haplogroup R1a Y-DNA

In Europe R1a is found at highest levels in the North East among peoples of Eastern European descent Sorbs, Poles, Russians and Ukrainians from 50 to 65%. In Sardinia it is rare, but there are pockets of unusual concentrations in some isolated areas of the inland, like in the village of Sorgono (the most central and further sardinian town from the sea coasts) where 5% of population belongs to this haplogroup.

[Society] Emigration & Immigration

Geographical distribution

Most Sardinians are native to the island but a sizable percentage have settled outside Sardinia, it had been estimated that between 1955 and 1971 308,000 Sardinians moved in other Italian regions.

Sizable Sardinian communities are located in Piedmont, in Liguria, Lombardy, Tuscany and Lazio. 

Sardinians and their descendants are also numerous in Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland and mainly in Argentina. Small communities with Sardinians ancestors, about 5000 people, are also found in Brazil (mostly in the cities of Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo)  and Australia.

Unlike the rest of Italians, where the migrants were mainly males, between 1953-1974 from Sardinia to the Italian mainland and abroad migrated an equal number of males and females.

Sardinians residing in European countries (2008)
Germany	27,184
France	23,110
Belgium	12,126
Switzerland	7,274
Netherlands	6,040
Others	17,763
Total	93,497

Immigration

In Sardinia at the end of 2010 there were 37,853 foreign national residents, forming 2,3% of the total Sardinian population, come mainly from Maghreb, Eastern Europe, Sub Saharan Africa and China.

The most represented nationalities are:

•  Romania 9,899
•  Morocco 4,420
•  China 2,872
•  Senegal 2,787
•  Ukraine 1,952
•  Germany 1,479
•  Philippines 1,368
•  Poland 1,174
•  France 756
•  Pakistan 695

   

Male immigrants by nationality in the italian provinces 

Female immigrants by nationality in the italian provinces         

Foreign resident percentage growth by province of residence between 2010 and 2011

[Society] Demographics

With a population density of 69 inhabitants/km2, slightly more than a third of the national average, Sardinia is the fourth least populated region in Italy. 
The population distribution is anomalous compared to that of other Italian regions lying on the sea and the other mediterranean islands. Infact, contrary to the general trend, urban settlement has not taken place primarily along the coast but towards the centre of the island. Historical reasons for this include repeated Saracen raids during the Middle Ages (making the coast unsafe), widespread pastoral activities inland, and the swampy nature of the coastal plains (reclaimed only in the 20th century). 
The situation has been reversed with the expansion of seaside tourism; today all Sardinia's major urban centres are located near the coasts, while the island's interior is very sparsely populated.

Sardinia is the Italian region with the lowest total fertility rate and the region with the second-lowest birth rate.

Average life expectancy is 81 years (85 for women and 78 for men).

Sardinians share with the inhabitants of Japanese island of Okinawa the highest rate of centenarians in the world (22 centenarians/100,000 inhabitants).


Demographic Indicators

• Total Population: 1,675,411                 
• Birth Rate: 8.3 (per 1,000 inhabitants - 2005)
• Fertility Rate: 1.07 (births per woman - 2005)
• Mortality rate: 8.7 (per 1,000 inhabitants - 2005)
• Infant mortality rate males: 4.6 (per 1,000 births- 2000)
• Infant mortality rate females: 3.0 (per 1,000 births - 2000)
• Marriage rate: 4.0 (per 1,000 inhabitants - 2005)
• Suicide rate:11.4 (per 100,000 inhabitants)
• Literacy rate: 98.2% ; Literacy rate under 65 years old: 99.5%

Historical Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1861	609,000	—
1871	636,000	+4.4%
1881	680,000	+6.9%
1901	796,000	+17.1%
1911	868,000	+9.0%
1921	885,000	+2.0%
1931	984,000	+11.2%
1936	1,034,000	+5.1%
1951	1,276,000	+23.4%
1961	1,419,000	+11.2%
1971	1,474,000	+3.9%
1981	1,594,000	+8.1%
1991	1,648,000	+3.4%
2001	1,632,000	−1.0%
2011	1,675,000	+2.6%
Source: ISTAT 2001

Division by Gender and Age                                       Total Population by Age

              

Population in the Sardinian Provinces (2008)

Province	Code	Population	Surface	Density	Municipalities	Chief Towns
Cagliari	CA	560,244	4,569	122.6	71	Cagliari (157,590)
Carbonia-Iglesias	CI	130,581	1,495	87.3	23	Carbonia (30,086), Iglesias (27,599)
Medio Campidano	VS	103,135	1,516	68.1	28	Villacidro (14,544), Sanluri (8,544)
Nuoro	NU	161,118	3,934	41.0	52	Nuoro (36,469)
Ogliastra	OG	58,152	1,516	31.4	23	Tortolì (10,651), Lanusei (5,711)
Olbia-Tempio	OT	154,706	3,399	45.5	26	Olbia (53,923), Tempio Pausania (14,241)
Oristano	OR	167,689	3,040	55.2	88	Oristano (32,461)
Sassari	SS	336,764	4,282	78.6	66	Sassari (130,701)
Sardegna		1,672,422	24,090	69.4	377	Cagliari

Main cities and towns

Rank	Comune	Province	Population	Density	Family Units
1st	Cagliari	Province of Cagliari	157,780 (370,000 metropolitan area)	1,800/km2 (4,700/sq mi)	71,920
2nd	Sassari	Province of Sassari	130,656 (275,000 metropolitan area)	240/km2 (620/sq mi)	55,325
3rd	Quartu Sant'Elena	Province of Cagliari	71,254	740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)	28,534
4th	Olbia	Province of Olbia-Tempio	56,231	150/km2 (390/sq mi)	25,253
5th	Alghero	Province of Sassari	43,831	200/km2 (510/sq mi)	20,339
6th	Nuoro	Province of Nuoro	36,672	190/km2 (490/sq mi)	14,306
7th	Oristano	Province of Oristano	32,453	380/km2 (990/sq mi)	12,812
8th	Carbonia	Province of Carbonia-Iglesias	30,081	200/km2 (530/sq mi)	11,950
9th	Selargius	Province of Cagliari	29,169	1,089/km2	11,243
10th	Iglesias	Province of Carbonia-Iglesias	27,493	132/km2	11,452

Localization of the main urban centers (over 10,000 inabithants) and the two metropolitan areas
of Cagliari and Sassari.