Haplogroup L1 arose approximately 97,000 years ago in south-central Africa. Today, haplogroup L1 is found throughout Africa and among African-descendant groups in the Americas. Future research will further document the historical distribution of this haplogroup and closely related haplogroups of the L macrohaplogroup cluster. Haplogroup L1b is approximately 21,000 years old and is found primarily in Central Africa. Today it occurs in the highest frequency among groups living in Cameroon, Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also occurs among African-descendant groups in the Americas, primarily those who were captured and enslaved from one of the ports near the Congo river. Haplogroup L1c is approximately 57,000 years old, making it one of the oldest haplogroups in the world. Like its younger sister L1b, L1c is mostly found in Central Africa, and it occurs at its highest frequency among some of the groups in the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sub-haplogroups L1c1a and L1c4 are in very high frequency amongst the Mbenga and Biaka hunter-gatherer groups. A few African-descendant populations in the Americas also carry this ancient haplogroup.