Have you discovered Egypt DNA region on Ancestry results? Read this post to gain more knowledge of this DNA region, as well as how to trace your Egyptian ancestry.
Egyptian immigrants to the US and Canada have made significant contributions to local economies, and are typically highly educated – more than twice as likely as average US citizens to hold at least a Masters degree or other form of educational attainment.
Most Americans are familiar with iconic symbols from Egypt’s ancient culture, including its iconic pyramids. But less is known about its vast history that dates back millennia – or its place at the crossroads between Europe, Africa, and Asia today.
One hundred thousand Americans and Canadians living in North America claim Egyptian heritage, while many more may have distant ancestry from this region. Individuals whose DNA matches that region can feel confident they belong.
Where Can Egypt DNA Ethnicity Region be Found? The Egypt DNA ethnicity region can be found in the northwest corner of Africa. The boundaries are relatively close to those forming the Arab Republic of Egypt – its official name.
The map above depicts Egypt in red. Note the borders with Sudan, Libya and Israel which share immediate access with Egypt.
There is the possibility that one could have ancestry from nearby countries and geographical areas and possess DNA matching the Egypt region.
Where can you find DNA matching the Egypt region on Ancestry?
Egypt itself is where most DNA matches for this area can be found; with Africa’s third-highest population and as one of 12 largest countries by size on this continent.
Notably, roughly 6% of Egypt’s landmass consists of the Sinai Peninsula – technically located in Asia but long considered part of Africa – serving as an integral strategic territory that connects Africa to Asia.
Do I Have Sub-Regions For Egypt DNA Region? While there is not yet a sub-region under Egypt DNA region itself, some sub-regions and DNA Communities under Levant DNA region may correspond to parts of Egypt if your genetic connections include parts such as Cairo or northern parts like Nile Delta area – for instance if your roots run deep enough through Nile Delta area then you could fall under Levant DNA region with Nile Delta subregion.
How did You Acquire Egypt DNA on Ancestry? While most individuals may know the source of their Egypt-specific Ancestry DNA, others might not. One likely way is through direct descent – and in such an instance would include DNA testers living directly within Egypt themselves.
Immigration directly from Egypt to the United States and Canada began rapidly during the 1970s due to various factors. One such incentive was an amendment made to Egypt’s constitution in 1971 that relaxed rules regarding those wanting to permanently leave.
Article 52 of Egypt’s Arab Republic Constitution from 1971 codified citizens’ right to permanent and temporary migration, leading many Egyptians to leave in search of better economic and political conditions elsewhere.
If you don’t have recent Egyptian ancestry, then your DNA could have come from one of two sources.
Your DNA could have come from this region through your ancestors who left Egypt to migrate elsewhere.
While many Egyptians have made North America their home, most migrants from Egypt do not migrate here directly. Instead, most Egyptian diaspora reside outside North America in countries like Saudi Arabia, Libya, United Arab Emirates Jordan Kuwait Sudan Sudan Qatar
At the turn of the 20th century, many Egyptians fled Egypt for other countries on this list, so if your recent ancestor hails from any one of those places it may be wise to investigate whether they might also possess ancestral roots in Egypt.
Alternately, even a very low percentage of DNA matching this region could point to distant Egyptian ancestry. You can learn how to estimate how far back in your family tree you may need to look in order to locate its source further down in this article.
Your Egypt DNA region could come from an ancestor from nearby regions
If one of your recent ancestors hails from a country bordering Egypt such as Jordan or Sudan/Libya/Israel you could consider them more distant ancestors with Egypt DNA roots.
We often believe that our distant ancestors could not move as freely as they have over the past 100-200 years, but this could be misleading. Over the last tens of thousands of years, humans from every continent have successfully undertaken impressive journeys despite great difficulties.
Do You Know the Basics Behind Estimating Ancestry DNA Matches in Egypt (PRDCA)?
In order to use DNA matching percentage as an estimate of how far back we need to look in our family trees in order to locate our Egyptian Ancestors (PRDCA), here are the basics behind doing such estimation:
Every person inherits half of each parent’s DNA through inheritance; however, not all of each parent’s genetic material passes on directly. Through recombination, an unknown percentage is randomly allocated as “passed down.”
Since we inherit 50% from each parent, this information allows us to make some assumptions. For example, if an individual matches Egypt DNA region 5% on average, then we could assume their parent had at least 10% matching that region.
That means the DNA tester had 20%, 20% from each grandparent, 40% from great-grandparent and 80-100% from each great-great grandparent – this estimate being an educated guess as DNA is not always passed along in exact increments.
Consideration should be given to both parents as potential sources of DNA matching the Egypt region, so if more than 50% of your DNA identifies with Egypt DNA region then both parents may have had ancestry from there.
Conclusion I hope that this post has given you the tools necessary to better understand your DNA match with that of Egypt DNA regions, be they recent or distant in origin. Furthermore, I wish you the best of luck in uncovering any ancestry from this region or surrounding countries.
If you have any inquiries or would like to share how Ancestry results have assisted with understanding your Egyptian ancestry, feel free to join the dialogue below.
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