Sri Lanka's population consists of 4 main ethnic groups; the Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher, while the Vedda tribes belong to the indigenous population of the island. Sinhalese make up over 74% (as of a 2012 census) of the population and are spread across the island, mainly the south-west and central parts of the country. The Tamils are the largest minority group, making up over 11% (as of 2012) of the population, and occupying mainly the north and eastern provinces of the island. Smaller minorities include the Burghers, descendants of the Portuguese and European colonists and the Malays, who are descendants of Austronesian settlers.