A thematic collection

Peoples & Migration

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged peoples and migration — settlement, movement and displacement. 198 of them, drawn from 107 nations, running from 3,600,000 BCE to 2023. Indexed below by period; each period opens the full text, with the sources every entry was verified against and a link back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
198
Nations
107
Earliest
3,600,000 BCE
Latest
2023
Densest period
The 16th century16 events
Africa
89
North America
26
Asia
24
Europe
22
South America
19
Oceania
18

Each period below opens a page holding those events in full — summary, era and citations. Every entry is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

11 events · 9 nations

Deep prehistory

Every theme in deep prehistory →

  1. c. 3.6 million years ago

    Hominins leave footprints at LaetoliTanzania

  2. c. 3.2 million years ago

    Lucy lives in the Afar regionEthiopia

  3. c. 1.9 million years ago

    Hominins at Koobi ForaKenya

  4. c. 1.6 million years ago

    Turkana Boy lives near Lake TurkanaKenya

  5. c. 65,000+ years ago

    Aboriginal peoples settle the continentAustralia

  6. c. 50,000–45,000 years ago

    Settlement across the whole continentAustralia

  7. c. 50,000 years ago

    First settlement of New GuineaPapua New Guinea

  8. c. 30,000+ years ago

    Papuan settlers reach the islandsSolomon Islands

All 11 events in deep prehistory →3 more not shown here

3 events · 3 nations

The 10th millennium BCE

Every theme in the 10th millennium BCE →

  1. by c. 10,000 BCE

    Ancient peopling of the landArgentina

  2. by c. 10,000 BCE

    Ancient settlement of the landBrazil

  3. by c. 10,000 BCE

    Ancient peopling of the landChile

All 3 events in the 10th millennium BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 9th millennium BCE

Every theme in the 9th millennium BCE →

  1. c. 9000 BCE

    The Kunda cultureEstonia

  2. c. 8800 BCE

    First settlement of FinlandFinland

All 2 events in the 9th millennium BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 8th millennium BCE

Every theme in the 8th millennium BCE →

  1. c. 8000 BCE

    Burials begin at GoberoNiger

  2. by c. 8000 BCE

    Peopling of the river basinsParaguay

All 2 events in the 8th millennium BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 5th millennium BCE

Every theme in the 5th millennium BCE →

  1. c. 5th millennium BCE

    The Tenerean herdersNiger

  2. c. 5000 BCE

    The first settlers reach the islandsTrinidad and Tobago

All 2 events in the 5th millennium BCE →

6 events · 6 nations

The 3rd millennium BCE

Every theme in the 3rd millennium BCE →

  1. deep prehistory

    Forest hunter-gatherers of the OgoouéGabon

  2. c. 3rd millennium BCE

    Cushitic pastoralists enter the northKenya

  3. c. 3000 BCE

    Cattle-herding cultures in the SuddSouth Sudan

  4. by c. 3000 BCE

    Indigenous settlementSuriname

  5. by c. 3000 BCE

    Indigenous peoples of the grasslandsUruguay

  6. c. 2500 BCE

    The Saqqaq settle GreenlandGreenland

All 6 events in the 3rd millennium BCE →

3 events · 3 nations

The 2nd millennium BCE

Every theme in the 2nd millennium BCE →

  1. c. 1st millennium BCE

    San and Khoekhoe of the subcontinentSouth Africa

  2. from c. 1200 BCE

    Greek settlement and the city-kingdomsCyprus

  3. c. 12th century BCE

    Arrival of the PhilistinesPalestine

All 3 events in the 2nd millennium BCE →

10 events · 10 nations

The 10th century BCE

Every theme in the 10th century BCE →

  1. c. 1000 BCE

    The Bantu expansion beginsCameroon

  2. c. 1st millennium BCE

    Ironworking and migrationCentral African Republic

  3. c. 1000 BCE

    Lapita settlement of FijiFiji

  4. 1st millennium BCE

    Amerindian settlement of the GuianasGuyana

  5. c. 1000 BCE

    Bantu expansion reaches western KenyaKenya

  6. c. 1000 BCE

    Lapita settlement of New CaledoniaNew Caledonia

  7. c. 1000 BCE

    Arrival of the LapitaSolomon Islands

  8. c. 11th–8th centuries BCE

    The Aramaeans and Aram-DamascusSyria

All 10 events in the 10th century BCE →2 more not shown here

1 event · 1 nation

The 9th century BCE

Every theme in the 9th century BCE →

  1. trad. 814 BCE

    Tyre founds CarthageLebanon

All 1 events in the 9th century BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 8th century BCE

Every theme in the 8th century BCE →

  1. c. 800 BCE

    The Dorset (Tuniit) cultureGreenland

  2. c. 8th century BCE

    Greek colonies of Magna GraeciaItaly

All 2 events in the 8th century BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 6th century BCE

Every theme in the 6th century BCE →

  1. from c. 6th century BCE

    Rise of the Sao cultureChad

  2. from c. 6th century BCE

    Carthaginian MaltaMalta

All 2 events in the 6th century BCE →

4 events · 4 nations

The 5th century BCE

Every theme in the 5th century BCE →

  1. 1st millennium BCE

    Khoekhoe and Damara herdersNamibia

  2. 1st millennium BCE onward

    Emergence of the KanakNew Caledonia

  3. late 1st millennium BCE

    Bantu farmers reach the coastTanzania

  4. c. 1st millennium BCE

    Bantu farmers settle the lakes regionUganda

All 4 events in the 5th century BCE →

1 event · 1 nation

The 4th century BCE

Every theme in the 4th century BCE →

  1. late 4th century BCE

    Alexander's fleet names the island IkarosKuwait

All 1 events in the 4th century BCE →

1 event · 1 nation

The 3rd century BCE

Every theme in the 3rd century BCE →

  1. c. 1st millennium BCE

    Bantu farmers and ironworkers arriveGabon

All 1 events in the 3rd century BCE →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1st century

Every theme in the 1st century →

  1. Herders and farmers arriveBotswana

  2. Tupi-Guarani expansionBrazil

  3. Bantu-speaking farmers settle the plateauMalawi

All 3 events in the 1st century →

1 event · 1 nation

The 2nd century

Every theme in the 2nd century →

  1. Cushitic pastoralists spread across the HornSomalia

All 1 events in the 2nd century →

2 events · 2 nations

The 3rd century

Every theme in the 3rd century →

  1. Early Bantu settlementBotswana

  2. Aurelian abandons DaciaRomania

All 2 events in the 3rd century →

2 events · 2 nations

The 4th century

Every theme in the 4th century →

  1. Bantu-speaking farmers spread southSouth Africa

  2. Bantu farmers settle the plateauZambia

All 2 events in the 4th century →

1 event · 1 nation

The 5th century

Every theme in the 5th century →

  1. Germanic peoples enter IberiaSpain

All 1 events in the 5th century →

5 events · 5 nations

The 6th century

Every theme in the 6th century →

  1. Bantu peoples settle the regionCongo

  2. Austronesian settlement of MadagascarMadagascar

  3. Bantu-speaking peoples settle the northNamibia

  4. Turkic khaganates dominate the steppeKazakhstan

  5. Lombard invasion of ItalyItaly

All 5 events in the 6th century →

5 events · 5 nations

The 7th century

Every theme in the 7th century →

  1. Taino settlement of XaymacaJamaica

  2. Slavic settlement of the interiorKosovo

  3. Slavic settlement of the regionNorth Macedonia

  4. Slavic settlement of the eastern AlpsSlovenia

  5. Slavic settlement and the coming of the CroatsCroatia

All 5 events in the 7th century →

5 events · 5 nations

The 8th century

Every theme in the 8th century →

  1. Lucayan settlement of the islandsBahamas

  2. Earliest settlement of the islandsComoros

  3. Tai-Lao settlement of the MekongLaos

  4. Bantu African arrivalsMadagascar

  5. Beja ascendancy on the coastEritrea

All 5 events in the 8th century →

6 events · 5 nations

The 9th century

Every theme in the 9th century →

  1. Nicarao and Chorotega settle the Pacific lowlandsNicaragua

  2. Decline of the PyuMyanmar

  3. The Rus and the eastern river routesSweden

  4. The Landnám (Age of Settlement)Iceland

  5. Ingólfr Arnarson settles ReykjavíkIceland

  6. The Magyar conquest (Honfoglalás)Hungary

All 6 events in the 9th century →

12 events · 12 nations

The 11th century

Every theme in the 11th century →

  1. Norse arrival at L'Anse aux MeadowsCanada

  2. Settlement of the Mandinka, Wolof, Fula and SererGambia

  3. Leif Erikson sails to VinlandGreenland

  4. Sotho-Tswana settlementLesotho

  5. Break-up of the Sanhaja confederationMauritania

  6. Known to Arab and Malay sailorsMauritius

  7. Taíno settle BorikénPuerto Rico

  8. Arawak and Carib peoples establishedTrinidad and Tobago

All 12 events in the 11th century →4 more not shown here

2 events · 2 nations

The 12th century

Every theme in the 12th century →

  1. Aja migrations from TadoBenin

  2. Myènè peoples settle the coastGabon

All 2 events in the 12th century →

6 events · 6 nations

The 13th century

Every theme in the 13th century →

  1. Bubi settle BiokoEquatorial Guinea

  2. Copán abandonedHonduras

  3. Beni Hassan Arab migrationMauritania

  4. Decline and the drift southwardSri Lanka

  5. Ewe ancestors present in the regionTogo

  6. Arrival of the ThuleGreenland

All 6 events in the 13th century →

3 events · 3 nations

The 14th century

Every theme in the 14th century →

  1. Fang and Ndowe of Río MuniEquatorial Guinea

  2. Dyula merchants found northern trading townsIvory Coast

  3. Polynesian voyagers settle AotearoaNew Zealand

All 3 events in the 14th century →

7 events · 7 nations

The 15th century

Every theme in the 15th century →

  1. Settlement by Mande, Kwa, and Mel peoplesLiberia

  2. Nilotic expansion across the upper NileSouth Sudan

  3. Annobón peopled from AngolaEquatorial Guinea

  4. The coastal and island peoplesGuinea-Bissau

  5. Southern Luo migrate into western KenyaKenya

  6. Portuguese reach the Kingdom of KongoAngola

  7. Deportation of Jewish children and convictsSão Tomé and Príncipe

All 7 events in the 15th century →

16 events · 15 nations

The 16th century

Every theme in the 16th century →

  1. Nguni peoples move southEswatini

  2. Kyrgyz consolidate in the Tian ShanKyrgyzstan

  3. Settlement of the Chatham IslandsNew Zealand

  4. The Atlantic slave tradeNigeria

  5. The Rice Coast chiefdomsSierra Leone

  6. The Ewe exodus from NotséTogo

  7. Rise of the CossacksUkraine

  8. Shaybanid Uzbeks conquer TransoxianaUzbekistan

All 16 events in the 16th century →8 more not shown here

9 events · 9 nations

The 17th century

Every theme in the 17th century →

  1. The Atlantic slave tradeGhana

  2. The Atlantic slave trade via Cape VerdeGuinea-Bissau

  3. First Africans landed in VirginiaUnited States

  4. Atlantic slave trade at its heightAngola

  5. Slavery at the CapeSouth Africa

  6. Founding of Aného (Petit-Popo)Togo

  7. Ouidah and the Atlantic slave tradeBenin

  8. Akan states form on the eastern frontierIvory Coast

All 9 events in the 17th century →1 more not shown here

11 events · 11 nations

The 18th century

Every theme in the 18th century →

  1. Atlantic slave trade at its heightDR Congo

  2. The Atlantic slave trade on the riverGambia

  3. The Bani Utub settle the bayKuwait

  4. Enslaved Africans imported for the timber tradeBelize

  5. The Baoulé migrate under Queen Abla PokouIvory Coast

  6. Maroons of Le Morne BrabantMauritius

  7. First permanent settlementSeychelles

  8. Cook names New CaledoniaNew Caledonia

All 11 events in the 18th century →3 more not shown here

3 events · 2 nations

The 1800s

Every theme in the 1800s →

  1. Jamaican Maroons arriveSierra Leone

  2. The Garifuna reach the southern coastBelize

  3. The West Africa Squadron frees the recaptivesSierra Leone

All 3 events in the 1800s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1810s

Every theme in the 1810s →

  1. Founding of the American Colonization SocietyLiberia

All 1 events in the 1810s →

4 events · 4 nations

The 1820s

Every theme in the 1820s →

  1. Migration into central EswatiniEswatini

  2. Ngoni and Yao migrations reshape the regionMalawi

  3. Jonker Afrikaner and the OrlamNamibia

  4. Soshangane founds the Gaza EmpireMozambique

All 4 events in the 1820s →

6 events · 6 nations

The 1830s

Every theme in the 1830s →

  1. Indian indenture and the Aapravasi GhatMauritius

  2. Ngoni incursions from the southZambia

  3. The Great TrekSouth Africa

  4. Emancipation and Indian indentureGuyana

  5. Trail of TearsUnited States

  6. The Ndebele settle the south-westZimbabwe

All 6 events in the 1830s →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1840s

Every theme in the 1840s →

  1. Arrival of the Fatel RazackTrinidad and Tobago

  2. The great emigration to AmericaSweden

  3. Caste War refugees swell the populationBelize

All 3 events in the 1840s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1850s

Every theme in the 1850s →

  1. First European contactBurundi

All 1 events in the 1850s →

5 events · 5 nations

The 1860s

Every theme in the 1860s →

  1. Cattle economy and immigrationUruguay

  2. Liberated Africans resettledSeychelles

  3. The blackbirding labour tradeSolomon Islands

  4. The blackbirding labour tradeVanuatu

  5. Tippu Tip's eastern slaving stateDR Congo

All 5 events in the 1860s →

2 events · 2 nations

The 1870s

Every theme in the 1870s →

  1. Hindustani indentured labourSuriname

  2. Arrival of the Leonidas — first girmitiyasFiji

All 2 events in the 1870s →

4 events · 4 nations

The 1880s

Every theme in the 1880s →

  1. Mass European immigrationArgentina

  2. First waves of Zionist immigrationPalestine

  3. A self-supporting wool colonyFalkland Islands

  4. Mass immigrationBrazil

All 4 events in the 1880s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1890s

Every theme in the 1890s →

  1. Javanese indentured labourSuriname

All 1 events in the 1890s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1900s

Every theme in the 1900s →

  1. Immigration Restriction Act and 'White Australia'Australia

All 1 events in the 1900s →

2 events · 2 nations

The 1910s

Every theme in the 1910s →

  1. End of Indian indentureGuyana

  2. End of Indian indentureshipTrinidad and Tobago

All 2 events in the 1910s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1930s

Every theme in the 1930s →

  1. First contact in the highlandsPapua New Guinea

All 1 events in the 1930s →

6 events · 6 nations

The 1940s

Every theme in the 1940s →

  1. Refuge for 100,000 and liberationSan Marino

  2. Post-war mass immigrationAustralia

  3. Expulsion of the Sudeten GermansCzechia

  4. Paris Peace Treaty and the Karelian evacueesFinland

  5. Partition violence and mass migrationIndia

  6. Partition migration and violencePakistan

All 6 events in the 1940s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1950s

Every theme in the 1950s →

  1. Khrushchev's Virgin Lands campaignKazakhstan

All 1 events in the 1950s →

2 events · 2 nations

The 1970s

Every theme in the 1970s →

  1. Official multiculturalism policyCanada

  2. Expulsion of the Asian communityUganda

All 2 events in the 1970s →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1990s

Every theme in the 1990s →

  1. Exodus of the LhotshampaBhutan

  2. Rwandan refugee crisis in the KivusDR Congo

  3. Refugee crisis and the Congo warsRwanda

All 3 events in the 1990s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 2000s

Every theme in the 2000s →

  1. Resettlement of Bhutanese refugeesBhutan

All 1 events in the 2000s →

4 events · 4 nations

The 2010s

Every theme in the 2010s →

  1. The Arab Spring and Syrian refugeesJordan

  2. Citizenship ruling on Haitian descentDominican Republic

  3. Economic collapse and exodusVenezuela

  4. Rohingya crisis in Rakhine StateMyanmar

All 4 events in the 2010s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 2020s

Every theme in the 2020s →

  1. Azerbaijani offensive and the Karabakh exodusArmenia

All 1 events in the 2020s →