Sakalava people
Sakalava people near Morondava | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,079,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Madagascar | |
| Languages | |
| Southern Sakalava, Northern Sakalava and French | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Catholicism, commoners), Fomba Gasy (traditional religion), Islam (royalty) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Malagasy groups, Bantu peoples, Austronesian peoples |
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar. They are primarily found on the western edge of Madagascar from Toliara in the south to the Sambirano River in the north. The Sakalava constitute about 6.2 percent of the total population, or about 2,079,000 in 2018. Their name means "people of the long valleys."