Why are peoples skin different colors?
Skin colour is dependent on where the particular race evolved. Those close to the equator had darker skin as an evolved protection against sun damage. This includes Africans, but also Southern Indians and Sri Lankans, who are just as dark. Lighter skin, as found in Caucasians, is an advantage in vitamin D production, since paler skin does not effectively block sunlight, which is not as strong in Europe as it is near the equator. So the closer you get to the equator, the darker your skin. This is why northern Europeans, Scandinavians etc, are paler than southern Europeans, such as Greeks and Italians. This was obviously before travel became so easy between the regions, as migration was very limited. Skin colour adaptation takes many many generations. There is variation within families and tribes etc, and those with darker skin at the equator had a survival advantage, which was passed on to more offspring. Skin colour is multifactorial, that is, it is dependent on many genes, and general
