Map of Africa with Ethnic Boundaries

In 1959, the renowned American anthropologist, George Murdock, published “Africa: Its peoples and their culture history.” Despite having little experience in Africa, Murdock used available resources to create a comprehensive picture of the distribution of ethnic groups throughout Africa. When you look at this map (click to enlarge), you cannot help think whether leaving those boundaries where they were and not redrawing them to the pleasure of world powers would have ended in more or less conflict, less war, less dead people…

Here’s another version with todays country borders: