THIS MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
The answer
Israel in the north (capital Samaria) and Judah in the south (capital Jerusalem). The split came under Solomon's son Rehoboam (1 Kings 12). The "ten tribes" figure follows the biblical account's own tribal scheme rather than describing population groups literally — the tribal lists themselves vary.
Why it’s interesting
"Israel" and "Judah" aren't just two names for one people — for centuries they were two separate kingdoms, sometimes at war. The word "Jew" traces back to Judah, the survivor of the two.
Scholarly consensus
You can know the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.