1. The North and the North-Eastern Zone: This zone comprises the Sub-Himalayan Region and the Mountain Ranges of the North-Eastern Frontier of India, the Tista valley and the Jamuna-Padma portion of the Brahmaputra. It includes Himachal Pradesh, Northern UP, Sikkim and the seven states of the Northeast consisting of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, and Tripura.

They belong to the Mongoloid race and their language resembles the languages of Austric family. This zone is inhabited by the Tribes such as Gurung, Limbu, Lepcha, Aka, Mishmi, Mikir, Rabha, Kachari, Garo, Khasi, Chakmas, Naga, Angami, Serna, Pham, Chang and so on.

2. The Central Zone: The Central zone comprises the plateau and mountains between the Indo-Gangetic plains in the North and the Krishna River in the South. It includes WestBengal, Orissa, Bihar, Southern UP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The important Tribes among these are the Gonds of Madhya Pradesh, Bhi Is of Rajasthan, Santhalas of Chotanagpur, Ho of Singhbhum, Manbhumi, Khond and Kharia of Orissa, Sawara of Ganjam and the Mundas.

Madhya Pradesh has the largest concentration of tribal population (23.27%). Santhalas of this zone are more advanced. Some of the tribes are engaged in small-scale cottage industries and settled forms of cultivation. Some of them live in very dense forests and difficult terrains.

3. The Southern Zone: These are the Tribes of South India (Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and two Union territories Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep). The Tribes of this zone are the original inhabitants of India and these people speak Dravidian languages. This zone consists of the Tribes like Chenchu, Kota, Kurumba, Badaga, Toda, Kadar, Malaya, Muthuran, Koya, Soliga, Kannikar, Paniya, Yeravas, Irula, Kadu Kuruba, Jenu Kuruba, Akki Pikki, etc.

In the Andaman and Nicobar islands, there are six Tribes namely the great Andamanees, the Onges, the Sentinelese, the Jarawas represent the Negritos race and the Nicobares and Shompens belong to the Mongoloids race. The Nicobares numbering about 22000 are comparatively an advanced Tribe and are settled in the Nicobar Islands. The remaining five Tribes are numerically very small and have been declared as the primitive Tribes.