The Bantu migration/expansion (view interactive map)Â
Bantu is a label given to around 600 African ethnic groups who speak Bantu languages and whose ancestors migrated from West Africa about 3,000 years ago. The Bantu migration displaced many of the earlier inhabitants such as the Mbuti, Twa, Baka and Khoisan people (!kung, Juâ|hoan, Kwadi, Khoekhoe, Kâwa).Â
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bantu ethnic groups make up over 80% of the population with the Luba (Baluba), Mongo and Kongo (Bakongo), Songye people making up the largest percentage and the Nilotic people (the Bari, Alur and Kakwa people) Sudanic people (such as Mangbetu, Azande, Ngbandi people) the indigenous Mbuti/Bambuti, (which is used to refer to the Sua, Efe and Asua as a collective), the Mongo Twa, Kasai Twa/Cwa, Great Lakes Twa and Baka people making up the rest of the ethnic Congolese population. (see a list of Congolese ethnic groups)
Map showing the languages of D.R.Congo (source) the map also shows the ethnic population but doesnât include the indigenous people
Blue = people who identify as Sudanic (Adamawa-Ubangi), Green = Bantu, Pink = Nilo-Saharan, Grey - Unclassified
Other Bantu ethnic groups also include, Swahili/ Waswahili (or Muswahili = singular and Baswahili = plural as theyâre called in D.R.Congo), Zulu, Kikuyu, Mbole. Lokele, Suku, Herero, Shona, Xhosa people and hundreds of others
Pre-colonial Bantu kingdoms and states include the Kongo Kingdom, Zulu kingdom, the Swahili City States (which includes Comoros, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Kilwa Kisiwani, Lamu, Pate, Malindi) Kingdom of Zimbabwe/Great Zimbabwe, Luba kingdom, Mutapa kingdom, Rozwi kingdom, Kuba kingdom, Butua kingdom, Ndongo kingdom and many others
(this isnât meant to be a detailed post, if you want to add relevant commentary then do so)

















