West Africa

==Religion==
===Islam===
{{Further|Islam in Africa|Religion in Africa#Islam}}
[[File:Djenné Moschee.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.25|The 13th-century [[Great Mosque of Djenné]] is a superb example of the indigenous [[Sahelian architecture|Sahelian architectural]] style prevalent in the Savannah and Sahelian interior of West Africa. It is listed an [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].]]
[[Islam]] is the predominant [[religion]] of the West African interior and the far west coast of the continent (75% of West Africans); and was introduced to the region by traders in the 9th century. Islam is the religion of the region's biggest ethnic groups by population. Islamic rules on livelihood, values, dress and practices had a profound effect on the populations and cultures in their predominant areas, so much so that the concept of tribalism is less observed by Islamized groups like the [[Mandé peoples|Mande]], [[Wolof people|Wolof]], [[Hausa people|Hausa]], [[Fula people|Fula]], [[Songhai people|Songhai]], [[Zarma people|Zarma]] or [[Soninke people|Soninke]], than they are by non-Islamized groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/fractured/westAfrica.html|title=The Islamic World to 1600: The Fractured Caliphate and the Regional Dynasties (West Africa)<!-- Bot generated title -->|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025134820/http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/fractured/westAfrica.html|archive-date=2013-10-25}}</ref> Ethnic intermarriage and shared cultural icons are established through a superseded commonality of belief or community, known as [[ummah]].<ref>''Muslim Societies in African History (New Approaches to African History)'', David Robinson, Chapter 1.</ref> Traditional Muslim areas include [[Senegal]], [[Gambia]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Guinea]], [[Niger]]; the upper coast and inland two-thirds of [[Sierra Leone]] and inland [[Liberia]]; the western, northern and far-eastern regions of [[Burkina Faso]]; and the northern halves of the coastal nations of [[Nigeria]], [[Benin]], [[Togo]], [[Ghana]] and [[Ivory Coast]].<ref>''Spread of Islam in West Africa (part 1 of 3): The Empire of Ghana'', Prof. A. Rahman I. Doi, Spread of Islam in West Africa. http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/304/</ref>

===African traditional===
{{Further|Traditional African religion#West Africa|West African Vodun|Religion in Africa#African Traditional Religion}}
[[File:Voodo-altar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Voodoo altar with several fetishes in [[Abomey]], Benin]]
[[Traditional African religion]]s (noting the many different belief systems) are the oldest belief systems among the populations of this region, and include [[Akan religion]], [[Yoruba religion]], [[Odinani]]-[[Igbo people|Igbo]], and [[Serer religion]]. They are [[Spirituality|spiritual]] [[creed]]s that also perform other functions such as preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the people,<ref>John S. Mbiti. ''Introduction to African Religion'', p. 19. East African Publishers, 1992. {{ISBN|9966-46-928-1}}</ref> and "West African tribal groups" blend social and [[religious ritual]]s together to the point where there is usually not "much distinction" between them.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Salamone |first=Frank A. |title=Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-94180-6 |editor-last=Levinson |editor-first=David |location=New York |pages=9}}</ref> Although traditional beliefs vary from one place to the next, there are more similarities than differences.<ref>William J. Duiker, Jackson J. Spielvogel. ''World History: To 1800'', p. 224. Cengage Learning, 2006. {{ISBN|0-495-05053-9}}</ref>

Most traditional religious organizations "do not have a formal hierarchy of [[priest]]s."<ref name=":02" /> Group rituals are usually overseen by tribal elders who, "within many cultures", "serve as the main religious figures and determine the time, nature, and intricacies of rituals", or [[Shamanism|shaman]] priests who can use magic to heal, control fate, and connect to the spirit world.<ref name=":02" />

===Christianity===
{{Further|Christianity in Africa|Religion in Africa#Christianity}}
[[File:Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha.jpg|thumb|Cathedral [[Basilica]] of the Most [[Trinity|Holy Trinity]], [[Onitsha]], Nigeria]]
In 2010, around 20% of West Africans identified as [[Christians]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Todd M. |last2=Zurlo |first2=Gina A. |last3=Hickman |first3=Albert W. |last4=Crossing |first4=Peter F. |title=Christianity 2018: More African Christians and Counting Martyrs |journal=International Bulletin of Mission Research |date=November 2017 |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=20–28 |doi=10.1177/2396939317739833 |s2cid=165905763 }}</ref> [[Christianity]] was largely introduced from the late 19th century onward, when missionaries from European countries brought the religion to the region.<ref>Robert O. Collins. ''African History: Western African History'', p. 153. Markus Wiener Publishers, 1990. {{ISBN|1-55876-015-6}}</ref> West African Christians are predominantly [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] or [[Anglicanism|Anglican]]; some [[Evangelical Christianity|Evangelical]] churches have also been established. Christianity has become the predominant religion in the [[Middle Belt|central]] and southern part of [[Religion in Nigeria|Nigeria]], southern [[Ivory Coast]], and the coastal regions stretching from southern [[Ghana]] to coastal parts of [[Sierra Leone]]. Like Islam, elements of traditional African religion are mixed with Christianity.<ref>Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong. ''Themes in West Africa's History'', p. 152. James Currey Publishers, 2006. {{ISBN|0-85255-995-X}}</ref>