China was a unitary multi-ethnic state as early as in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.). With a history of more than 5,000 years, today China has 56 ethnic groups. In addition to the Han people, who form the majority of the population, there are 55 minority ethnic groups. Because they maintain an equal, harmonious and fraternal relationship with the Han people, they are called "fraternal ethnic groups." They are also called "minorities" because their populations are relatively small in comparison to the Han population.