Ethnologue lists 7,472 known languages. The largest language family group by number of distinct languages is the Niger-Congo group, although what makes a distinct language is very ambiguous. The most widely spoken by first language speakers is Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Shona and isiZulu. The most widely spoken is Swahili. Nigeria has a long history of smaller ethnic states and rising and falling empires. The Kanem Empire (700-1376) covered sections of Chad, Nigeria, & Libya and connected North and West Africa. A long slow history of at least 3000 years of southern migration links 250-535 Bantu languages right down to South Africa. The modern state of Nigeria originated from British Colonial rule with independence coming in 1960. The British practised indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms. With over 500 ethnic groups, Nigeria is a multi-national state, and with 184 million people is Africa's most populous country.
Connecting North, Connecting South
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