Because people get browner the further southwest in Asia you go, a distinction is made.

Though its most fascinating that in America only recent immigrants would be referred to as European-American, if not their by their specific ethnicity, even though the majority of the country is European-descent; they're called "white" instead. "White" is a racial caste designation, European indicates a person descends from the people in a specific place on Earth; "white" is not a place on Earth.

And yet everyone who is not white gets referred to by where they're ancestors are from