Fula people
Fulɓe 𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤩𞤫 | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| est. 38.6 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| West Africa, North Africa, Central Africa | |
| Nigeria | 15,300,000 (6.6%) |
| Senegal | 5,055,782 (27.5%) |
| Guinea | 4,544,000 (33.4%) |
| Cameroon | 3,000,000 (13.4%) |
| Mali | 2,840,850 (13.3%) |
| Burkina Faso | 1,800,000 (8.4%) |
| Niger | 1,650,000 (6.5%) |
| Benin | 1,182,900 (8.6%) |
| Mauritania | 900,000 (18.3%) |
| Guinea-Bissau | 623,646 (30%) |
| Gambia | 449,280 (18.2%) |
| Chad | 334,000 (1.8%) |
| Sierra Leone | 310,000 (5%) |
| CAR | 250,000 (4.5%) |
| Sudan | 204,000 (0.4%) |
| Togo | 110,000 (1.2%) |
| Ghana | 4,240 (0.01%) |
| Algeria | 4,000 (0.01%) |
| Ivory Coast | 3,800 (0.02%) |
| South Sudan | 3,000 (0.02%) |
| Languages | |
| Fula • French • Portuguese • English • Arabic • Hausa | |
| Religion | |
| primarily Islam minority Christianity and Animism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Toucouleur, Hausa, Tebu, Serer, Songhai, Tuareg | |
| Person | Pullo 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞥆𞤮 |
|---|---|
| People | Fulɓe 𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤩𞤫 |
| Language | Pulaar (𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞥄𞤪, West), Fulfulde (𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤬𞤵𞤤𞤣𞤫, East) |
The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people are an ethnic group in the Sahara, Sahel, and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, and regions near the Red Sea coast in Sudan. There are between 25 and 40 million Fulani worldwide.
A third of the Fula — seven to ten million—are pastoralists. They are the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world. Most Fula are semi-nomadic, plus settled farmers, scholars, artisans, merchants, and nobility. Ethnically, they share the Fula language, their history and their culture. The Fula are almost all Muslims, with a Christian minority or animists.
Many West African leaders are of Fulani descent, including the former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari; the first president of Cameroon Ahmadou Ahidjo; the former President of Senegal, Macky Sall; the President of Gambia, Adama Barrow; the former President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló; the prime minister of Guinea, Bah Oury; and the Prime Minister of Mali, Boubou Cissé. They also occupy positions in major international institutions, such as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed; the 74th President of the United Nations General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande; and the Secretary-General of OPEC, Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo.