Fula people
Fulɓe 𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤩𞤫 | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| est. 38.6 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| West Africa, North Africa and 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 | |
| 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 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. The approximate number of Fula people is unknown, due to clashing definitions regarding Fula ethnicity. Various estimates put the figure between 25 and 40 million people worldwide.
A significant proportion of the Fula – a third, or an estimated 7 to 10 million – are pastoralists, and their ethnic group has the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world. The majority of the Fula ethnic group consisted of semi-sedentary people, as well as sedentary settled farmers, scholars, artisans, merchants, and nobility. As an ethnic group, they are bound together by the Fula language, their history and their culture. The Fula are almost completely Muslims with a small minority being Christians and 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 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.