African Tribes

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The following ethnic groups number 10 million people or more:

  • Arabic, speaking groups: ca. 180 million. See also Ethnic groups of the Middle East
    • Arab, up to ca. 145 million, see Demographics of the Arab League
    • Berber ca. 20 million
  • Hausa in Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan (ca. 30 million)
  • Yoruba in Nigeria and Benin (ca. 30 million)
  • Oromo in Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 30 million)
  • Igbo in Nigeria and Cameroon (ca. 30 million)[2]
  • Akan in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire (ca. 20 million)
  • Amhara in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti (ca. 20 million)
  • Somali in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya (ca. 15-17 million)
  • Ijaw in Nigeria (ca. 14 million)
  • Kongo in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Republic of the Congo (ca. 10 million)
  • Fula in Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Chad, Sudan, Togo and Côte d’Ivoire (ca. 10 million)
  • Shona in Zimbabwe and Mozambique (ca. 10 million)
  • Zulu in South Africa (ca. 10 million)

List

[edit] Central Africa

Name↓ Phylum↓ Language↓ Region↓ Country↓ Population (million)↓ Notes↓
Aka Nilo-Saharan, Pygmy Aka Central/Northern Western Central African Republic, Northwest Congo The Aka are one of three groups of pygmies, collectively called BaMbuti, of the Ituri Rainforest
Baka Pygmy Baka Central/Northern Western Equatoria in Southern Sudan 0.25 There is also another ethnic group called Baka living across West Africa.
Chewa Niger-Congo, Bantu Chichewa Central/Southern Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe 9
Chokwe Niger-Congo, Bantu Chokwe Central Angola, Congo (Kinshasa), Zambia 1.1
Efé Nilo-Saharan, Pygmy Efe Central/Northern Ituri Rainforest of Congo The Efe are one of three groups of pygmies, collectively called BaMbuti, of the Ituri Rainforest
Kongo Niger-Congo, Bantu Kongo Central Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Republic of the Congo 10
Lingala Niger-Congo, Bantu Lingala Central Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Angola, Central African Republic
Luba Niger-Congo, Bantu Luba-Kasai, Luba-Katanga Central Democratic Republic of the Congo 2
Mbundu Niger-Congo, Bantu Kimbundu Central Angola 2.4
Zande Niger-Congo, Ubangian Zande Central/Northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Central African Republic 1-4
Ovimbundu Niger-Congo, Bantu Umbundu Central Angola 4.6
Sua Nilo-Saharan, Pygmy Sua Central/Northern Ituri Rainforest of Congo The Sua are one of three groups of pygmies, collectively called BaMbuti, of the Ituri Rainforest

[edit] East Africa

Name↓ Phylum↓ Language↓ Region↓ Country↓ Population (million)↓ Notes↓
Alur Nilotic, Luo Alur East/Central Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Baganda Niger-Congo, Bantu Luganda language East, Great Lakes Uganda 3
Hutu Niger Congo, Bantu Kinyarwanda/Kirundi East, Great Lakes Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo 16
Kamba Niger-Congo, Bantu Kikamba East Kenya
Kalenjin Highland Nilotes Kalenjin East Kenya 3
Kikuyu Niger-Congo, Bantu Gikuyu East Kenya 5.3
Kwama Nilo-Saharan Komuz East/Northern Ethiopia, Sudan
Luo River-Lake Nilotes Luo East Kenya
Luhya Niger-Congo, Bantu Luhya East Kenya 5.4
Maasai Plains Nilotes Maasai East Kenya, Tanzania 0.9
Makonde Niger-Congo, Bantu Makonde East/Southern Tanzania, Mozambique 1.3
Ameru Niger-Congo, Bantu Meru East Kenya
Tutsi Niger-Congo, Bantu Kirundi, Kinyarwanda East Africa, Great Lakes Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, 3
Twa (Batwa) Pygmy Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Rukiga Great Lakes Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Eastern Congo 0.8

[edit] Horn of Africa

Name↓ Phylum↓ Language↓ Region↓ Country↓ Population (million)↓ Notes↓
Afar Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic Afar Horn of Africa Eritrea, Ethiopia 1.5
Agaw Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic Agaw Horn of Africa Ethiopia, Eritrea 1
Amhara Afro-Asiatic, Semitic Amharic Horn of Africa Ethiopia 20
Beja Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic Beja Horn of Africa Eritrea, Sudan, Egypt 2
Gurage Afro-Asiatic, Semitic Gurage Horn of Africa Ethiopia 1.9
Oromo Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic Oromo Horn of Africa Ethiopia, Kenya 30
Saho Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic Saho Horn of Africa Eritrea, Ethiopia 0.2
Sidama Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic Sidamo Horn of Africa Ethiopia 3
Somali Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic Somali Horn of Africa Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya 20
Tigray Afro-Asiatic, Semitic Tigrinya Horn of Africa Eritrea, Ethiopia 6.7
Tigre Afro-Asiatic, Semitic Tigre Horn of Africa Eritrea, Sudan 1.5

[edit] North Africa

Name↓ Phylum↓ Language↓ Region↓ Country↓ Population (million)↓ Notes↓
Egyptians, Arabs Afro-Asiatic, Semitic Egyptian Arabic (Masri) North Africa Egypt 83
Berbers, Arabs Afro-Asiatic, Berber Berber, Arabic languages Maghreb Morocco, Algeria , Libya 73
Dinka Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic Dinka language Southern Sudan Sudan 5
Nubians Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic Nobiin Northeast Africa Sudan, Egypt 0.5

[edit] Southern Africa

Name↓ Phylum↓ Language↓ Region↓ Country↓ Population (million)↓ Notes↓
Afrikaner Indo-European Afrikaans South South Africa, Namibia 3.0 descendants of early northwestern European settlers
San (Bushmen) Khoisan Khoisan South South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, Angola 0.09
Ambo (Ovambo, Owambo) Niger-Congo, Bantu Ovambo South Namibia 0.9
Bemba Niger-Congo, Bantu Bemba language South Zambia 0.2
Herero Niger-Congo, Bantu Herero South Namibia, Botswana, Angola 0.2
Himba Niger-Congo, Bantu Otjihimbo (Herero dialect) South Namibia 0.05
Khoikhoi Khoisan Khoekhoegowab South -
Makua Niger-Congo, Bantu Makua South/East Mozambique, Tanzania 1.1
North Ndebele Bantu, Nguni Sindebele South Zimbabwe 1.5
South Ndebele Niger-Congo, Bantu Southern Ndebele South South Africa .7
Shona Niger-Congo, Bantu Shona South/East Mozambique, Zimbabwe 10.6
Swazi Bantu, Nguni Swazi South Swaziland, South Africa, Mozambique 3.5
Venda Niger-Congo, Bantu Venda South South Africa, Zimbabwe 1
Xhosa Bantu, Nguni Xhosa South South Africa 7.9
Zulu Bantu, Nguni Zulu South South Africa 10.6

[edit] West Africa

Name↓ Phylum↓ Language↓ Region↓ Country↓ Population (million)↓ Notes↓
Akan Niger-Congo, Kwa Akan West Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire 20+ a group of eight related sub-ethnicities
Aku (Creole) Aku West Gambia 0.01
Ashanti Niger-Congo, Kwa Twi (Akan dialect) West Ghana 5
Baka Niger-Congo, Adamawa-Ubangi Baka West/Central Southeastern Cameroon, Northern Congo, Northern Gabon 0.3-0.4 The Baka are also known as Bebayaka, Bebayaga, or Bibaya, or (along with the other Mbenga peoples) the derogatory Babinga.
Bambara Niger-Congo, Mande Bambara West Mali 3
Basaa Niger-Congo, Bantu Basaa West Cameroon 0.2
Bassa Niger-Congo, Kru Bassa West Liberia 0.3
Edo (also called Bini or Benin) Niger-Congo, Edo Edo West Nigeria
Efik Niger-Congo, Cross River Ibibio-Efik West Nigeria, Cameroon, Southern Cameroons
Eket Niger-Congo, Cross River Eket (Ibibio dialect) West Africa Nigeria, Cameroon, Southern Cameroons
Ewe Niger-Congo, Gbe Ewe West Ghana, Togo, Benin
Beti-Pahuin Niger-Congo, Bantu Ewondo, Fang, Bulu West Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe 3.3 group of 20 sub-ethnicities
Fante Niger-Congo, Kwa Fante (Akan dialect) West Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire 3
Fulani Niger-Congo, Senegambian Fula West Guinea, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Sierra Leone Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Chad, Mauritania, Sudan, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire 27
Ga Niger-Congo, Kwa Ga, Ga-Adangme West Ghana, Togo 2
Gwari West Nigeria
Hausa Afro-Asiatic, Chadic Hausa West/Northern Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Sudan 30-35
Igbo (Ibo) Niger-Congo, Volta-Niger Igbo West Nigeria, Cameroon, Southern Cameroons 30[2] Includes various subgroups.
Esan Niger-Congo, Kwa Esan West Nigeria
Ijaw Niger-Congo, Ijoid Ijaw West Nigeria 14 [6] Sub-groups include Andoni, Ibani, Kalabari, Nembe, Ogbia and Okrika.
Jola Niger-Congo, Senegambian Jola, Kriol West Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau .5
Mandinka Niger-Congo, Mande Mandingo West/Central The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Niger, Mauritania, Chad 13
Marka Niger-Congo, Mande Marka West/Northern Mali
Meta also Metta Widikum, Bantu, Semi-Bantu, Bantoid Meta West, Central Cameroon, Southern Cameroons
Mende Niger-Congo, Mande Mende West Sierra-Leone 2
Songhai Nilo-Saharan Songhai West Mali 1.5
Tiv Niger-Congo, Bantu Tiv West Nigeria, Cameroon 2
Urhobo Niger-Congo, Volta-Niger Urhobo West Nigeria 1-1.5
Wolof Niger-Congo, Senegambian Wolof West Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania 4
Yoruba Niger-Congo, Volta-Niger Yoruba West Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Togo 30+

[edit] See also