Haplogroup R1b

Haplogroup R1b, also known as haplogroup R-M343, is the most frequently occurring Y-chromosome haplogroup in Western Europe, as well as some parts of Russia (the Bashkir minority), Central Asia (e.g. Turkmenistan) and Central Africa (e.g. Chad and Cameroon).R1b also reaches high frequencies in The Americas and Australasia, due largely to immigration from Western Europe. There is an ongoing debate regarding the origins of R1b subclades found at significant levels among some Native Americans (such as speakers of Algic languages in Central Canada).It is also present at lower frequencies throughout Eastern Europe, South West Asia, as well as parts of North Africa and South Asia.While Western Europe is dominated by the R1b1a2 (R-M269) branch of R1b, the mostly Chadic-speaking area in Africa is dominated by the branch known as R1b1c (R-V88). These represent two very successful twigs on a much bigger family tree.