Mulatto

Mulatto (/mjuːˈlætoʊ/, /məˈlɑːtoʊ/) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive^[1] in several languages, including English and Dutch,^[2] but it does not have the same associations in languages such as Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Among Latin Americans in the US, for instance, the term can be a source of pride.^[3][4][5] A mulatta (Spanish: mulata) is a female mulatto.^[6][7]

Countries with the highest percentages of multi-racials who specifically have equally high European and African ancestry — Mulatto — are the Dominican Republic (74%)^[8][9] and Cape Verde (71%).^{[10][11][12][13][14]} Brazil has the largest Mulatto population, numbering as high as around 90 million — about 45% of the country — as the majority of the people who identify as Pardo (brown or mixed) have equally high amounts of European and African ancestries and due to that can be considered "mulatto" or "triracial", which is also true for some "non-Pardo" Brazilians.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]} Mulattos in many Latin American countries, aside from predominately European and African ancestry, usually also have slight indigenous admixture. "Race-mixing" has been strong in Latin America for centuries, since the start of the colonial period in many cases. Many Latin American multiracial families (including mulatto) have been mixed for several generations. In the 21st century, multiracials now frequently have unions and marriages with other multiracials. Other countries and territories with notable mulatto populations in percentage and/or total number include Cuba,^[29] Puerto Rico,^[30] Venezuela,^[31] Panama,^[32] Colombia,^[33] South Africa,^[34] and the United States.^[35]