The earliest humans evolved in Africa, with the first anatomically modern humans appearing there several hundred thousand years ago. From Africa, human groups later migrated to populate the rest of the world.
Origin region
Most evidence points to Africa as the continent where the first members of the human lineage (early Homo species) and later Homo sapiens evolved. Fossils of very early modern humans have been found in East and North Africa, supporting this African origin.
Earliest Homo sapiens sites
Some of the oldest fossils classified as early modern humans come from sites such as Jebel Irhoud in Morocco and the Omo Kibish Formation in Ethiopia. These remains are roughly 200,000–300,000 years old, indicating that our species was already present in different parts of Africa by that time.
Spread out of Africa
After originating in Africa, Homo sapiens gradually migrated into the Middle East, then into Eurasia, Asia, Australia, and eventually the Americas over tens of thousands of years. Genetic and archaeological data together show multiple waves of dispersal, with a major successful expansion beginning about 70,000–50,000 years ago.
