The earliest known inhabitants of what is now Nigeria were members of the ancient Nok culture. The Nigeria-Cameroon border was home to peoples who spoke the Bantu group of languages, which are spoken in most African countries south of the Sahara Desert.
Over 2,000 years, different kingdoms were established, including the northeastern kingdom of Kanem-Borno, the Hausa kingdoms of Katsina, Kano, Zaria and Gobir in northern-central Nigeria, the Yoruba kingdoms of Ife, Oyo and Ijebu in southwestern Nigeria, the southern kingdom of Benin, and the Ibo communities in the east.
