The multiplicity of language and DIALECTS outline a large number of distinct cultural and ethnic groups. These groups have an artifical boundary in their languages. These groups are often led by chiefs and some are monarchies of kings and queens.
I want to look at where these people 'congregate' in communities. I am going to do it by vegetation types. Five to be exact.
The largest group of people live in forests with medium to high rainfall. Oddly or maybe not so oddly this is where the diversity of ethnicity and language reside in it's greatest number.
The major language divisions are Western Bantoid, Central Bantoid, Eastern Bantoid, Indo-European, Central and Eastern Sudanese, Mande and in smaller degree Bantu. To be more specific we can look at smaller groups of language within these same demographics and those number at least 24 with one million people speaking those languages. Mind you now of all the five vegetation regions in square miles it is the smallest.
Maybe some of the problems here are related to population density stress complicated by language barriers. The countries of this region are Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D'ivooire (The Ivory Coast), Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea including Malabo, Gabon, Congo, with protions of Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The next vegetative area which is the largest in square miles receiving moderate to low rainfall is the Savannah. It ranks second in population density. Here the major languages are a bit less but then this is third in population density. There is Bantu, Nilotic, Semitic-Hemitc, a degree of Kanuri, Lingala, Amhara and Hausa. Oddly the number of minor languages seem to be about 41. This because there is less populous for a larger area, hence creating unique situations for language.
The third vegetation area is desert which exists in large area in Northern Africa and a smaller degree in Southern Africa. In the north rainfall is very low but in the south the rainfall is very low to low. Here is language distribution is far more simple. Majorly Khosian, Bantu, Swahili, Lingala, Amhara and Semitic-Hamitic. The lesser languages of people numbering in populations of greater than 1 million is about 30. Especially in the north a strong history of nomadic tribes existed for a long time and that caused a great deal of language speciality.
The fourth vegetation region is called Intrazonal and it lies at the margins of the Savannah both in the north and south and along the rivers with very small square mileage devoted to this designation yet for as small a region as it still has twice the populous. I won't get into specifics here although there are ethnic differences but most of the languages were included in the list for the Savannah.
The last vegetation region is The Evergreen Forest which is at opposite extremes of the African continent both north and south with low amounts of rainfall. The region in the north is primarily Semitic-Hamitic with about five minor languages. The area is coastal Mediterranian. In the south there is some Bantu, Zulu, Tswanna-Sotho and Indo-Eruopean. There are about three minor languages.
These are all rough estimates of language.
The worrisome issue with language is that a tribe could literally wipe itself out because it has a barrier to information regarding HIV/AIDS or be isolated to have a larger tribe commit genocide.
This may be nothing but I do believe it is a major hurdle to solving Africa's problems and as we proceed in resolve to accomplish the task of 'Righting the Wrongs' of Africa this observation might bring to light an issue that once overcome will allow resolve of simple vaccinations or medication distribution go quicker with a far better resolve.
