The ethnic groups of Africa number in the thousands, with each ethnicity generally having their own
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
(or
dialect
A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...
of a language) and
culture
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
. The ethnolinguistic groups include various
Afroasiatic,
Khoisan,
Niger-Congo, and
Nilo-Saharan populations.
The official population count of the various ethnic groups in Africa is highly uncertain due to limited infrastructure to perform censuses, and due to rapid population growth. Some groups have alleged that there is deliberate misreporting in order to give selected ethnicities numerical superiority (as in the case of Nigeria's Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo peoples).
A 2009 genetic clustering study, which genotyped 1327 polymorphic markers in various African populations, identified six ancestral clusters. The clustering corresponded closely with ethnicity, culture, and language. A 2018
whole genome sequencing
Whole genome sequencing (WGS), also known as full genome sequencing or just genome sequencing, is the process of determining the entirety of the DNA sequence of an organism's genome at a single time. This entails sequencing all of an organism's ...
study of the world's populations observed similar clusters among the populations in Africa. At K=9, distinct ancestral components defined the
Afroasiatic-speaking populations inhabiting
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
and
Northeast Africa; the
Nilo-Saharan-speaking populations in Northeast Africa and
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
; the
Ari populations in Northeast Africa; the
Niger-Congo-speaking populations in West-Central Africa,
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
, East Africa, and
Southern Africa; the
Pygmy populations in
Central Africa; and the
Khoisan populations in Southern Africa.
Lists
By linguistic phylum
As a first overview, the following table lists major groups by
ethno-linguistic affiliation, with rough
population estimates (as of 2016):
Major ethnic groups
The following is a table of major ethnic groups (10 million people or more):
See also
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References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:African Ethnic Groups
Ethnic groups
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
Ethnic groups by region
de:Liste afrikanischer Sprachen