200,000 years ago the population of Homo sapiens was in the thousands. Today, there are over seven billion of us living on almost every longitude and latitude of the planet.
How did we spread across the world? Who did we meet along the way? What was the secret to our success?
Click on a year below to see how our species colonized the world. Or, click on each continent to learn about the first people who lived there. As you explore the migration routes, click the icons to learn more about each location.
Video clips from the First Peoples documentary
Details about key fossils
Highlights of the science behind what we know
Quizzes to learn more and test your knowledge
To begin, select any of the dots in Africa to meet the first Homo sapiens. Along the routes, click on the +'s to learn additional quick facts.
ncG1vNJzZmirY2Ourq3ZqKWar6NjsLC5jqmZrGaconqxvs6dZaadlJ6ub7XNoJysrF98sq%2Bx0ZqjXmpgdsKltcSnmp5dYmV%2FcX2UaH2iqqOpcnN8r56mqaSVqHyKutOeqZqbpJ7DpnvFoqmsrKCavLG4xKxkaW5iaX9xfZReaWldYm1%2BZn6YaKCnnJWte6nAzKU%3D