The nation has been described as a racial crossroads because of its more than 200 different ethnic groups. There are three main linguistic groups: the Bantu-speaking people of the south, the Sudanic-speaking people of the north, and those who speak the Semi-Bantu languages of the west. The Bantu settled in the Cameroons from equatorial Africa. The first group that invaded the nation included the Maka, Ndjem and Duala. They were followed at the beginning of the 19th century by the Fang and Beti peoples.