Haplogroup N1a (mtDNA)

In Haplogroup N1a is a  (mtDNA).

N1a is a rare haplogroup as it currently appears in only .18%-.2% of regional populations. It is widely distributed throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa and is divided into the European, Central Asian, and African/South Asian branches based on specific genetic markers. Exact origins and migration patterns of this haplogroup are still unknown and a subject of some debate.

Neolithic farmers
N1a became particularly prominent when recent studies on skeletons in revealed that 25% of the  European population might have belonged to this haplogroup. The skeletons were found to be members of the which is credited with being the first farming culture in Europe. The study was a major development in the debate on the origin of European populations.