Description

Haplogroup H1 is the most common subclade of mtDNA H in Europe, comprising roughly 6–9% of all European women. It is especially dominant in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal), Sardinia, and along the Atlantic façade of Europe. H1 was a major component of Western European Mesolithic hunter-gatherer populations and expanded dramatically with the post-glacial recolonisation of Europe from an Iberian refugium after the Last Glacial Maximum. It is also found in North Africa and the Near East.

Interesting Fact

H1 is the single most common mitochondrial haplogroup subclade in Europe. Studies on ancient DNA from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic show H1 was present among hunter-gatherers in the Iberian Peninsula before farming arrived — making it one of the oldest continuous female lineages in Western Europe.

Distribution by Ethnicity

Ethnic distributionRegionFrequencySample
BasquesWestern Europe
27%
n=300
SardiniansSouthern Europe
22%
n=500
Iberians (Spain/Portugal)Western Europe
20%
n=1000
Berbers (North Africa)North Africa
18%
n=300
IrishWestern Europe
15%
n=400

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References

  1. Pereira et al. (2005) — The diversity present in 5140 human mitochondrial genomes. American Journal of Human Genetics 76(3), 516–524.
  2. Rootsi et al. (2012) — Distinguishing the co-ancestries of haplogroup G Y-chromosomes in the populations of Europe and the Caucasus. European Journal of Human Genetics.