The Maasai are a tribe of which country?

The Maasai (Masai) are a semi-nomadic ethnic group living in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania, in East Africa. They are one of the best-known tribes of Africa because of their distinctive customs and dress, and because they live near famous wildlife parks such as the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania.

Key features of the Maasai:

They are traditionally cattle herders, and cattle are the centre of their life and wealth. A person's wealth is measured by the number of cattle and children they have.

Their traditional diet includes milk, meat and the blood of cattle.

They speak the Maa language, which belongs to the Nilotic language family.

They wear bright red cloths called "shuka" and elaborate beaded jewellery.

Their young warriors are called "moran". They perform a famous jumping dance called "adumu", in which they leap high in the air in turn.

They live in enclosures called "enkang" or "manyatta", with houses built by women from mud, sticks, grass and cow dung.

The Maasai Mara reserve is famous for the "Great Migration", in which over a million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles cross between the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara every year.

Some other well-known tribes of the world:

• Maori: New Zealand.
• Aborigines: Australia.
• Inuit (Eskimos): Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland and Alaska.
• Zulu: South Africa.
• Bedouin: Arabian and Saharan deserts.
• Pygmies (such as the Mbuti): Central African rainforests.
• Ainu: Japan.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Nigeria is home to the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo peoples.
• ✗South Africa is home to the Zulu and Xhosa peoples.
• ✗Ghana is home to the Ashanti (Akan) people.