The first people on earth were early hominids, who are part of the Homo genus within the hominid family. The genus Homo includes our own species, Homo sapiens, and various extinct species of our ancestors and relatives. The exact identities, origins, and migration patterns of these early hominids are subject to ongoing research and debate among anthropologists and scientists. One of the oldest known hominid species is Homo habilis, which is thought to have lived approximately 2.1 to 1.5 million years ago in Africa. The first anatomically modern humans, Homo sapiens, are believed to have originated in Africa around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago.