Minisatellite loci are a part of the human genome, playing an important role in various genomic and population studies. The review describes characteristics of this group of hypervariable tandem repeats and models that explain the reasons for their high diversity. The use of this kind of markers in population genetics studies is demonstrated by an example of the D1S80 minisatellite locus. Particular emphasis was placed on the D1S80 diversity in different populations of Eastern Europe. The capabilities of D1S80 for population analyses that allow the resolution of both main human groups and small differences to be resolved in population structures.