Three branches of the oldest known languages families can be found in the horn of Africa
Afroasiatic (also known as Afrasian and Hamito-Semiti) is one of the oldest language families we know of. It is estimated to have been spoken around 6,000 to 16,000 years ago in the Eastern Sahara or Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is home to languages from the Omotic, Cushitic, and Semitic branches of the Afroasiatic language family. The other branches are the Chadic, Tamazight, and ancient Egyptian languages.
Map based upon File:Africa location map.svg by Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting)
Data from Blench, Roger (2006) Archaeology, Language, and the African Past, Rowman Altamira, pp. 105−107 Retrieved on 30 June 2013. ISBN: 978-0-7591-0466-2. #local