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Ethnic Groups and Peoples

There are probably at least a 1,500 ethnic groups in Africa. They vary in size, in ways of making a living, in their forms of government, in their kinds of family life, and in their religions. Yet all are African and as such are different from other peoples of the world.

The following list contains the usually accepted names of 100 ethnic groups of the continent. Almost all shown here number over a million people; a few others are included because of their historical importance and interest. All are units of the modern nations of Africa, which are discussed in separate articles in this encyclopedia.

A few groups in the following list have their own entries in the encyclopedia, which provide additional details.

The first column gives the common name (there are many variants); the second gives the countries in which most of these people live; the third gives the language family and subgroup (see entry on LANGUAGES) and approximate population figures; the last column gives a few of the main features of the people concerned. If the encyclopedia has an entry on the group, it is indicated here as "See Asante."

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
AFAR (Dankali, Danakil)	Djibouti	Afroasiatic/Cushitic 1 million	Camel herders; famous warriors; Muslims
AKAN	Ghana and Ivory Coast	Niger-Congo/Kwa 10 million	Farmers and traders; made up of about 12 kingdoms; economy based on gold, cocoa, bauxite, timber; Asante is the largest group
AMHARA	Ethiopia	Afro-Asiatic/Semitic Over 20 million	See AMHARA
ARABS	North and Northeast Africa	Afro-Asiatic/Semitic Many millions	See ARABS IN AFRICA

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
ASANTE (Ashanti)	Ghana	Niger-Congo/Kwa 3 million	See ASANTE
AZANDE (Niam-Niam)	Sudan and Central African Republic	Niger-Congo/Adamawa-Ubangi 1 million	Village farmers; several kingdoms based on 1800s conquest of neighbors; famed for use of witchcraft
BAGGARA	Sudan	Afro-Asiatic/Semitic 1 million	Herders and cotton farmers; main Arab cluster of Sudan; at war with southern Sudan peoples
BAMBARA (Bamana)	Mali	Niger-Congo/Mande 5 million	See BAMBARA
BASOTHO	Lesotho and S. Africa	Niger-Congo/S. Bantu 8 million	See SOTHO
BAULE	Ivory Coast	Niger-Congo/Kwa 2 million	Cocoa farmers; main group of Ivory Coast; known for art
BEDOUIN	Countries of the Sahara desert	Afro-asiatic/Semitic Several million	Arabs in Sahara; includes most inhabitants of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt; general name for many camel herding groups who conquered northern Africa in 600s;
BEMBA	Zambia	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 3 million	Village farmers and mine workers; once a powerful kingdom, weakened today
BERBERS	Northwest Africa & Sahara	Afro-Asiatic/Berber 20 million	See BERBERS
CAPE COLOURED PEOPLE	South Africa	Afrikaans (dialect of Dutch)	See CAPE COLOURED PEOPLE
CHAGA (Chagga)	Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Northeastern Bantu 2 million	Irrigation coffee farmers on Mt. Kilimanjaro; many chiefdoms
CHEWA (Cewa, Maravi)	Malawi and Zambia	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 3 million	Main group of Malawi mixed farmers; Christian since 1800s
CHOKWE (Cokwe)	Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 1 million	Farmers, traders, and miners
COMORIANS (Ngazija)	Comoro Islands	Niger-Congo/Northeastern Bantu; 0.5 million	Fishermen, farmers, and traders; one of clusters of Swahili peoples COPTS Egypt See COPTS

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
CREOLES	Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Réunion Krio, Crioulu (dialects of Portuguese French)		See CREOLES
DINKA	Sudan	Nilo-Saharan/Eastern Sudanic formerly 2 million	Cattle herders of southern Sudan; at war with Baggara Arabs of northern Sudan
DOGON	Mali	Niger-Congo/Voltaic .5 million	Mountain farmers; famed for their traditional religion and art
DYULA (Diula)	Mali, Senegal, and Guinea	Niger-Congo/Mande 3 million	Long-distance traders in western Africa; Muslims
EDO (Bini)	Nigeria	Niger-Congo/Kwa Over 1 million	People of ancient and powerful kingdom of Bénin, 1400s-1600s; defeated by British in 1897; famed for art
EWE	Togo, Bénin, and Ghana	Niger-Congo/Kwa 3 million	Farmers and fishermen; many kingdoms; migrated from Nigeria in 1200s
FANG (Pahouin)	Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon	Niger-Congo/Bantu 2 million	Cluster of farming groups along Atlantic coast; famed for art
FANTI (Fante)	Ghana	Niger-Congo/Kwa Over 1 million	Cluster of farming, fishing, and trading groups along coastal Ghana
FON (Dahomeans)	Bénin and Togo	Niger-Congo/Kwa 3 million	Main group of former kingdom of Dahomey, former slave and palm oil traders
FULANI (Peul, Fulbe)	Nigeria, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso	Niger-Congo/Western Atlantic Over 25 million	See FULANI
GANDA (also BaGanda, MaGanda)	Uganda	Niger-Congo/Interlacustrine Bantu 5 million	Plantain and coffee farmers; 1300s kingdom of Buganda; today main group of Uganda and most powerful of Great Lakes region
GIKUYU (Kikuyu)	Kenya	Niger-Congo/Northeastern Bantu 6 million	See GIKUYU
GURAGE	Ethiopia	Afro-Asiatic/Semitic 3 million	Mixed farmers; once-powerful kingdoms west of Lake Victoria

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
HA	Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Interlacustrine Bantu 1 million	Today second most important group in Ethiopia
HAUSA	Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Bénin	Afro-Asiatic/Chadic 40 million	See HAUSA
HAYA	Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Interlacustrine Bantu 2 million	Farmers west of Lake Victoria; several once-powerful kingdoms abolished in 1962
HEHE	Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 1 million	Farmers and cattle keepers; powerful kingdom in 1800s
HERERO	Namibia	Niger-Congo/Southwestern Bantu 100,000	See HERERO
IBIBIO	Nigeria	Niger-Congo/Kwa 5 million	Forest farmers, traders, and oil-workers in Niger Delta
IGBO (Ibo)	Nigeria	Niger-Congo/Kwa 25 million	See IGBO
IJO (Ijaw, Kalabari)	Nigeria	Niger-Congo/Kwa 0.6 million	Fishermen, traders, and oil-workers in Niger Delta
KALENJIN	Kenya	Nilo-Saharan/Eastern Sudanic 3 million	Large cluster of farming and herding groups of Rift Valley, including Maasai
KAMBA (also WaKamba, MKamba)	Kenya	Niger-Congo/Northeastern Bantu 4 million	Mixed farmers; former ivory traders
KANURI	Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon	Nilo-Saharan/Saharan 6 million	Farmers and herders of Lake Chad region; powerful kingdom from 800s until today; Muslims
KHOISAN	Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana	Click	See KHOISAN
KIMBUNDU	Angola	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu Over 3 million	Farmers and traders
KONGO	Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 6 million	See KONGO

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
KPELLE	Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone	Niger-Congo/Mande 2 million	Rice farmers; largest group of Liberia
LOZI (Rotse)	Zambia	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 0.7 million	Herders and farmers; core of powerful Barotse kingdom from 1800s until today
LUBA	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 5 million	Powerful kingdom from 1700s to 1900s; Major group of Congo; known for art
LUHYA (Luhia)	Kenya	Niger-Congo/Interlacustrine Bantu 3 million	Cluster of farming groups of western Kenya
LUNDA (Aluund)	Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and Zambia	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 4 million	Cluster of farming and trading peoples; kingdoms linked under Lunda empire, 1500s to 1700s
LUO (Jaluo)	Kenya	Nilo-Saharan/Eastern Sudanic	Farmers and urban workers of western Kenya
MAASAI (Masai)	Kenya and Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Eastern Sudanic	See MAASAI
MAKUA	Mozambique, Tanzania, and Malawi	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 7 million	Farmers closely related to neighboring Makonde; famed wood carvers
MALAGASY	Madagascar	Malayo-Polynesian/Malagasy	Cluster of some 20 peoples; see MADAGASCAR
MANDE (Mandingo)	Mali, Guinea, and Senegal	Niger-Congo/Mande 20 million	Cluster of peoples in West Africa, originally from upper Niger river
MANGBETU	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Nilo-Saharan/Central Sudanic 1 million	Cluster of farming kingdoms and chiefdoms; renowned wood and metal artists
MBUNDU (Ovimbundu)	Angola	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 4 million	Mixed farmers; largest group of southern Angola
MENDE	Sierra Leone	Niger-Congo/Mande 3 million	Rice farmers; many chiefdoms; today engaged in civil war
MERINA (Hova)	Madagascar	Malayo-Polynesian/Malagasy 4 million	Central group of Madagascar; powerful kingdom that ruled over most of island, 1817-1895
MOSSI (Moose)	Burkina Faso	Niger-Congo/Voltaic 7 million	See MOSSI

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
NDEBELE (Matabele)	Zimbabwe and South Africa	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 2 million	See NDEBELE
NUBA	Sudan	Kordofanian 0.2 million	People of Nuba mountains of southwest Sudan; victims of warfare by Baggara Arabs
NUBIANS	Sudan	Nilo-Saharan/Eastern Sudanic 1 million	Most northern non-Arab group of Nile Valley
NUER	Sudan	Nilo-Saharan/Eastern Sudanic 1 million	Cattle herders; today in conflict with Baggara Arabs
NYAMWEZI	Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 3 million	Farmers; ivory traders during 1800s
NYANJA (Nyasa)	Malawi and Mozambique	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 4 million	Mixed farmers; largest group of southern Malawi
NYORO	Uganda	Niger-Congo/Interlacustrine Bantu 2 million	Powerful kingdom of central Uganda from 1400s until 1900
OROMO (Galla)	Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia	Afro-Asiatic/South Cushitic 15 million	Cluster of farmers and herders of southern Ethiopia
PYGMIES	Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Cameroon	Various 0.2 million	See PYGMIES
RUNDI	Burundi	Niger-Congo/Interlacustrine Bantu 6 million	Peoples of Burundi, divided into Hutu and Tutsi; see BURUNDI
RWANDA (Ruanda)	Rwanda	Niger-Congo/Interlacustrine Bantu 6 million	Peoples of Ruanda, divided into Hutu and Tutsi; see RWANDA
SARA	Chad	Nilo-Saharan/Central Sudanic 2 million	Farmers and traders; main people of Chad
SENUFO	Mali and Ivory Coast	Niger-Congo/Voltaic 4 million	Farmers, famed for art
SHONA	Zimbabwe	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 8 million	See SHONA

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
SIDAMO	Ethiopia	Afro-Asiatic/Central Cushitic 4 million	Cluster of farming peoples of southwest Ethiopia
SOMALI	Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya	Afro-Asiatic/Eastern Cushitic 15 million	Herders; main peoples of Somalia, divided into many hostile clans and confederations
SONGHAI (Songrai)	Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso	Nilo-Saharan/Songhai 3 million	Farmers of Niger valley; descendants of powerful kingdom of the 1400s-1500s; Muslims
SONINKE (Sarakole)	Mali and Senegal	Niger-Congo/Mande 2 million	Farmers, descendants of medieval empire known as Ghana; Muslims
SOTHO (Basotho)	Lesotho and South Africa	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 8 million	Farmers and mine workers in South Africa; people of Lesotho kingdom
SUKUMA	Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 3 million	Mixed farmers
SUSU	Guinea and Guinea-Bissau	Niger-Congo/Mande 2 million	Farmers; main people of Guinea; Muslims
SWAHILI	Kenya and Tanzania	Niger-Congo/Northeastern Bantu 0.3 million	See SWAHILI
SWAZI	Swaziland and South Africa	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 3 million	Farmers and mine workers in South Africa; powerful kingdom since 1700s
TEMNE	Sierra Leone and Guinea	Niger-Congo/Western Atlantic	Rice farmers Western Atlantic
THONGA (Tsonga)	South Africa and Mozambique	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 5 million	Farmers and herders; living with Shangaan immigrants from Zululand, South Africa
TIGRE	Eritrea and Ethiopia	Afro-Asiatic/Semitic 4 million	Main people of Eritrea; language is Tigrinya
TIV (Munshi)	Nigeria	Niger-Congo/Benue-Congo 4 million	Farmers; main group of east-central Nigeria
TONGA	Zambia	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 1 million	Farmers and workers in copper mines

Name(s)	Country	Language/Population	Notes
TSWANA	Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 7 million	Main people of Botswana; formerly several kingdoms
TUAREG	Mali and Niger	Afro-Asiatic/Berber 1 million	See TUAREG
TUKULOR	Senegal and Mauritania	Niger-Congo/Western Atlantic 2 million	Farmers and herders; Muslims
TUMBUKA	Zambia and Malawi	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 3 million	Mixed farmers
VENDA	South Africa	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 1 million	Farmers of northern Transvaal
WOLOF (Jolof)	Senegal and Gambia	Niger-Congo/Western Atlantic 4 million	See WOLOF
XHOSA (Xosa)	South Africa	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 8 million	See XHOSA
YAO	Tanzania, Mozambique, and Malawi	Niger-Congo/Central Bantu 2 million	Farmers; former traders of slaves and ivory; Muslims
YORUBA (Nago)	Nigeria and Bénin	Niger-Congo/Kwa 25 million	See YORUBA
ZULU	South Africa	Niger-Congo/Southern Bantu 10 million	See ZULU