Language Families
Ethnic groups organized by linguistic descent. Each family hub gathers its member peoples (homelands, branches, and phenotype references) in one place.
Families
- Indo-European283 groups
The most widely spoken family on earth: Germanic, Romance, Slavic, Indo-Aryan and Iranian branches across Europe and South and West Asia.
Including Aba Khel, Aeolians, Afridi…
- Austronesian248 groups
The great maritime family: peoples from Madagascar through island Southeast Asia to Polynesia, linked by seafaring migrations.
Including Acehnese, Aeta, Akit…
- Niger-Congo234 groups
The largest language family of sub-Saharan Africa: Bantu, Kwa, Mande, Gur and more, spanning West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.
Including Abbé, Abidji, Adara…
- Sino-Tibetan101 groups
Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman peoples across East and Southeast Asia, from the Chinese lowlands to the Himalayan highlands.
Including Adi, Aimol, Akha…
- Afroasiatic90 groups
Semitic, Cushitic, Berber and Chadic peoples across North Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
Including Abgaal, Afar, Agaw…
- Turkic76 groups
Steppe-descended peoples from Anatolia through Central Asia to Siberia, linked by the Turkic language continuum.
Including Alasha, Altai, Argyn…
- Austroasiatic54 groups
Mon-Khmer and Munda peoples: the oldest language stratum of mainland Southeast Asia, with outliers across eastern India.
Including Asur, Bahnar, Bhumij…
- Uralic36 groups
Finno-Ugric and Samoyedic peoples of northern Eurasia, from the Baltic and Carpathians to the Siberian tundra.
Including Äyrämöiset, Besermyan, Black Magyars…
- Nilo-Saharan30 groups
Peoples of the Nile Valley, the Sahel and the East African lakes region, including the Nilotic pastoralist cultures.
Including Acholi, Akiek, Alur…
- Kra-Dai26 groups
Tai and related peoples of mainland Southeast Asia and southern China, from the Mekong basin to the Yunnan highlands.
Including Ahom, Bouyei, Buyang…
- Dravidian24 groups
The indigenous language family of southern India and parts of wider South Asia, predating Indo-Aryan arrival.
Including Aranadan, Badagas, Bearys…
Major branches
Branches with enough member peoples to stand as hubs of their own.