Collectively, the Khoikhoi and San are called the Khoisan and are often called the world’s first or oldest people. Like the San, the Nama share DNA with some of the oldest groups of humans. Today, very few pure Nama people exist because of intermarriage with other tribes and a smallpox outbreaks in the 18th century.

Uganda has by far the highest ethnic diversity rating, according to the data, followed by Liberia. In fact, the world’s 20 most diverse countries are all African.

China

Hausa Fulani

In recent years, the Ijaw have agitated for more political franchise in Nigeria. Although they are the fifth largest ethnic group in the country, their traditional lands in the Niger River Delta are some of the country’s most oil-rich.

Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups, the most populous and politically influential being Hausa-Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%. It also has over 500 languages, with English being the official language.

As Nigeria preparded for independence, the British worked out an arrangement which divided Nigeria into four regions. The Hausa-Fulani were dominant in the north, the Yoruba in the west and the Igbo in the east.

In Nigeria, the three most populous ethnic groups (based on the 1963 Census) are the Hausa-Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba respectively indigenous to the North, East and West of the country.

250-300 ethnic groups

Key words: Nasal indices, ethnic differences, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw. The Igbos, Yorubas and Ijaws are the indigenous people of South-Eastern, South Western and South-Southern parts of Nigeria, respectively. All the three groups are of African decent and south of the Sahara.