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I'm about six foot five (195 cm in the new measure). When I've visited Japan and Taiwan, it's fairly obvious that I'm taller than the average person there, and residents sometimes mention how tall I am.

Being rather tall hasn't been anything more than a minor inconvenience, but I'd be curious to know where I can meet tall peoples.

Criteria:

  1. If a country has a couple of ethnic groups, and one of them is particularly tall while the others are rather short, I'd be interested in it, because I'm more interested in a high proportion of tall people, rather than what the average overall is. So, looking at averages by country doesn't particularly answer the question.
  2. I'm interested in both peoples that are tall because of their nutrition, and groups that are tall because of their genetics.
  3. "Cheating" is allowed, so long as it isn't harmful to the individuals. So tall getas are ok, but neck rings isn't.
  4. Expat caucasians don't count.
  5. Specific professions count only if they're part of the local culture. If oirans still existed, they'd count, but netball teams wouldn't.
  6. Football aside, Australia (or at least non-indigenous Australians) does not count as Asia.

In particular, is Mongolia a good place to find tall peoples? One answer here suggests it is, but Wikipedia says that the national average is rather low. Does it have ethnic groups that are relatively tall?

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  • 1
    I'm really tempted to say New Zealand... just to see if you'll take the bait and say "I counted them under Australia"... but more seriously, I remember south pacific islanders as being pretty big on average
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Jul 18, 2015 at 0:12
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    Basketball court maybe...
    – Karlson
    Jul 18, 2015 at 3:29
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    @Karlson that'd fall foul of criteria 5.
    – Andrew Grimm
    Jul 18, 2015 at 3:33
  • @AndrewGrimm People don't play basketball for fun in Asia?
    – Karlson
    Jul 18, 2015 at 3:45
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    "Neck rings" such as those worn by the Kayan people in SE Asia (aka padaung, long neck karen), do not make them taller, rather they depress the clavicles making them only appear taller.
    – user13044
    Jul 18, 2015 at 4:27

1 Answer 1

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+100

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Kamchatsky Peninsula was settled by Cossack tribes and established a lasting presence there. Not Mongolia, but qualifies as an Asian locale.

enter image description here

Source: Google Maps, fair use

Their descendants are found there today and constitute a unique ethnic group.

enter image description here

Source: Yuri Kozyrev, Far East Russia | Noor, fair use.

The Peninsula is accessible by land, air, and sea routes and if you do not carry a Russian passport you will need a visa. I haven't been there in a long time, but recall the people to be friendly and curious. You will be able to meet lots of people in Asia whose height is in the same area as yours.

A working knowledge of Russian is essential. Try to get there soon because Putin's government is considering closing some of it in the same way that Seversk, along with other sensitive cities, are going to be closed again. Getting in to a closed region is a real hassle and not something I would advise in the first instance (IMHO).

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