Who is the tallest/shortest? And no, your nation isn't.

[fuzzybuddy]

Who are generally the tallest people on the planet, and who are the shortest? And nope, the tallest probably isn't yours.
( Scroll down to get the stature list of all the nations)
Countries with the Shortest Average Heights

 

[That Lady in PA]

My son is often asked if he is of Dutch heritage. (He is not)

Our entire family is off the charts.

 

[Murrmurr]

My son is often asked if he is of Dutch heritage. (He is not)

Our entire family is off the charts.

Yeah, I guessed Nordic countries would be in the top 3, and that the Netherlands was probably #1.

 

[Della]

The Dutch drink the most milk of any group so that might account for the longer bones. I did just read that their youngest generation is slightly shorter than their parents, so maybe they've maxed out. There can be problems along with being very tall, back and knees may be more vulnerable.

 

[hollydolly]

Our kids are giants these days.. 10 year olds are 5 feet tall... 15 yearold males are over 6 feet..I kid you not.

I don't know what's causing this massive leap in height.. in just one or 2 generations.. I can't help thinking it's got something to do with hormones in the food, or microwave cooking.. or something.. but it;s huge difference...from even when my 40 something daughter was a teen.. wich was pre hormones, and microwave cooking,, so she's an average height

I'll often be in the supermarket when school break up for the day.. and the children all migrate to the store on their way home.. and honestly it's like being in the land of the giants...

 

[Pepper]

It's funny to see migrants from Central America with their American raised kids. The parents look like they are in Kindergarten in height comparison to their very young children.

 

[stretch5881]

I had once asked a Hmong mother, how is it that her children are so much taller than she or her husband. She replied, "nutrition". She and her husband came from Laos. Only enough food to survive.

 

[Rakaia]

The Dutch drink the most milk of any group so that might account for the longer bones. I did just read that their youngest generation is slightly shorter than their parents, so maybe they've maxed out. There can be problems along with being very tall, back and knees may be more vulnerable.

My understanding is that epigenetics are a factor in the generation after world war 2 being generally shorter than earlier generations.
In short epigenetics means that environmental factors can affect the way genes work, without changing the actual genetics.