Are there still nomads today?
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Yes. Millions of people still live as nomads or semi-nomads, moving with their herds or with the seasons. They include Mongolian herders, the Nenets of Siberia, Bedouin and Tuareg groups of the deserts, Fulani and Maasai herders in Africa, and pastoral communities of the Himalaya. Estimates of the total vary widely.
Most nomads today are pastoralists, people who live from herds of animals. They move because grass and water are found in different places at different times of year. The routes are known and planned, often used for generations, and usually lie within a recognised territory.
Examples include herders in Mongolia who move their felt tents several times a year, Nenets reindeer herders on the Yamal Peninsula, Tuareg in the Sahara, and the Changpa of Ladakh in India, who herd yaks and pashmina goats on the high plateau.
Some nomads are not herders. A few hunter-gatherer peoples move camp regularly to follow wild foods. The Sama-Bajau of South-East Asia have traditionally lived on boats and from the sea. Other mobile groups travel to offer trades and services, such as metalwork, to settled communities.
Nomadic life is under pressure from borders, fences, farms, mines, parks and policies that push people to settle. Many families now mix the two: some members stay in a village for school and work while others travel with the animals.