List of Ethnic Units


The list and map of the ethnic units and sub-units presented further below have been produced by Muller-Kosack (1999) on the basis of field research and the study of ethnographic literature. The list is alphabetically ordered according to the three main geographical regions of the northern Mandara mountains:


  • Eastern and Western Ranges (Cameroon and Nigeria)
  • Centre and Plateau (mainly Cameroon)
  • Foothills and Plains (Cameroon and Nigeria)


Each ethnic unit or sub-unit is hyperlinked to a brief description of the ethnic group that unit is associated with using the following six criteria:


  • Name (first historical mentioning and local/regional meaning)
  • Location (topographical, administrative, next door neighbour)
  • Population (figures and estimates of number and density)
  • Language (linguistic affiliations as part of Central Chadic A)
  • Ethnicity (ethnic identity, and grouping of units and sub-units)
  • Literature (main literature results and many open questions)