Sierra Leone

=== Ethnic groups ===

{{Further|Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone}}

[[File: Sierra Leone ethnic groups.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|The distribution of [[Ethnic groups in Sierra Leone|major ethnic groups within Sierra Leone]]]]

{|class="wikitable infobox" style="margin-right:0; margin-left:1em;"
|-
|'''Ethnic groups<br />of Sierra Leone'''<ref name =Census2015/>
|-
|[[Temne people|Temne]]
| 35.5%
|-
|[[Mende people|Mende]]
| 33.2%
|-
|[[Limba people (Sierra Leone)|Limba]]
| 8.4%
|-
|[[Fula people of Sierra Leone|Fula]]
| 3.8%
|-
|[[Kono people|kono]]
| 3.4%
|-
|[[Susu people|Susu]]
| 2.9%
|-
|[[Loko people|Loko]]
| 2.9%
|-
|[[Koranko people|Koranko]]
| 2.8%
|-
|[[Sherbro people|Sherbro]]
| 2.6%
|-
|[[Mandingo people of Sierra Leone|Mandingo]]
| 2.4%
|-
|[[Sierra Leone Creole people|Creole/Krio]]
| 1.3%
|-
|}

Sierra Leone is home to about sixteen [[ethnic groups]], each with its own language. The largest and most influential are the Temne at about 35.5% and the Mende at about 33.2%. The Temne predominate in the [[Northern Province, Sierra Leone|Northern Sierra Leone]] and [[Western Area, Sierra Leone|some areas around the capital of Sierra Leone]]. The Mende predominate in [[Southern Province, Sierra Leone|South]]-Eastern Sierra Leone (with the exception of [[Kono District]]).

The vast majority of Temne are Muslims at over 85%, with a significant Christian minority at about 10%. The Mende are also Muslim majority at about 70%, though with a large Christian minority at about 30%. Sierra Leone's national politics centres on the competition between the north-west, dominated by the Temne, and the south-east dominated by the Mende. The vast majority of the Mende support the Sierra Leone People's Party; while the majority of the Temne support the All People's Congress.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewpeople.com/national-news/politics/item/1764-sierra-leone-the-temnes-and-the-politics-of-the-all-peoples%E2%80%99-congress-apc |title=Sierra Leone: The Temnes and the Politics of the All Peoples' Congress (APC) |publisher=The New People |date=29 April 2012 |author=	Mohamed Idriss Kanu |access-date=17 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017061941/http://www.thenewpeople.com/national-news/politics/item/1764-sierra-leone-the-temnes-and-the-politics-of-the-all-peoples%E2%80%99-congress-apc |archive-date=Oct 17, 2014}}</ref>

The Mende, who are believed to be descendants of the [[Mane people|Mane]],{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} originally occupied the Liberian hinterland. They began moving into Sierra Leone slowly and peacefully in the eighteenth century. The Temne are said to have migrated from [[Futa Jallon]], which is in present-day [[Guinea]].

The third-largest ethnic group is the [[Limba people (Sierra Leone)|Limba]] at about 8.4% of the population. The Limba are [[indigenous peoples|native]] people of Sierra Leone. They have no tradition of origin, and it is believed that they have lived in Sierra Leone since before the European encounter. The Limba are primarily found in Northern Sierra Leone, particularly in [[Bombali District|Bombali]], [[Kambia District|Kambia]] and [[Koinadugu District]]. The Limba are about 60% Christian and 40% Muslim. The Limba are close political allies of the neighbouring Temne.

Since independence, the Limba have traditionally been influential in Sierra Leone's politics, along with the Mende. The vast majority of Limba support the All People's Congress (APC) political party. Sierra Leone's first and second presidents, [[Siaka Stevens]] and [[Joseph Saidu Momoh]], respectively, were both ethnic Limba. Sierra Leone's former [[defense minister]] [[Paolo Conteh|Alfred Paolo Conteh]] is an ethnic Limba.

One of the biggest minority ethnic groups are the [[Fula people of Sierra Leone|Fula]] at around 3.8% of the population. Descendants of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Fula migrant settlers from the [[Fouta Djalon]] region of Guinea, they live primarily in the northeast and the western area of Sierra Leone. The Fula are virtually all Muslims at over 99%. The Fula are primarily [[merchant|traders]], and many live in middle-class homes.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}} Because of their trading, the Fulas are found in nearly all parts of the country.

The other ethnic groups are the [[Mandingo people of Sierra Leone|Mandingo]] (also known as [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]]). They are descendants of traders from Guinea who migrated to Sierra Leone during the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. The Mandinka are predominantly found in the east and the northern part of the country. They predominate in the large towns, most notably [[Karina, Sierra Leone|Karina]], in Bombali District in the north; [[Kabala, Sierra Leone|Kabala]] and [[Falaba]] in Koinadugu District in the north; and [[Yengema]], [[Kono District]] in the east of the country. Like the Fula, the Mandinka are virtually all Muslims at over 99%. Sierra Leone's third president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and Sierra Leone's first Vice-President, [[Sorie Ibrahim Koroma]], were both ethnic Mandingo.

Next in proportion are the [[Kono people|Kono]], who live primarily in Kono District in Eastern Sierra Leone. The Kono are descendants of migrants from Guinea; today their workers are known primarily as diamond miners. The majority of the Kono ethnic group are Christians, though with an influential Muslim minority. Sierra Leone's former Vice-President [[Samuel Sam-Sumana|Alhaji Samuel Sam-Sumana]] is an ethnic Kono.

The small but significant Creole or [[Krio people]] (descendants of freed African American, [[West Indian]] and Liberated African slaves who settled in Freetown between 1787 and about 1885) make up about 3% of the population. They primarily occupy the capital city of [[Freetown]] and its surrounding [[Western Area]]. Creole or Krio culture reflects the Western culture and ideals within which many of their ancestors originated – they also had close ties with British officials and colonial administration during years of development.

The Creoles or Krio have traditionally dominated Sierra Leone's judiciary and Freetown's elected city council. One of the first ethnic groups to become educated according to Western traditions, they have traditionally been appointed to positions in the civil service, beginning during the colonial years. They continue to be influential in the civil service. The Creoles or Krios are virtually all Christians at about 99%.

The [[Oku people]] are the descendants of liberated Muslim [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]]s from Southwest [[Nigeria]], who were released from slave ships and resettled in Sierra Leone as [[Liberated Africans in Sierra Leone|Liberated Africans]] or came as [[settlers]] in the mid-19th century. The Oku people primarily reside in the communities of Fourah Bay, Fula Town, and Aberdeen in Freetown. The Oku are virtually all Muslims at about 99%.

Other minority ethnic groups are the [[Kuranko people|Kuranko]], who are related to the Mandingo and are largely Muslims. The Kuranko are believed to have begun arriving in Sierra Leone from Guinea in about 1600 and settled in the north, particularly in [[Koinadugu District]]. The Kuranko are primarily farmers; leaders among them have traditionally held several senior positions in the Military. The current Governor of the [[Bank of Sierra Leone]] [[Kaifala Marah]] is an ethnic Kuranko. The Kuranko are largely Muslim majority.

The [[Loko people|Loko]] in the north are native people of Sierra Leone, believed to have lived in Sierra Leone since the time of European encounter. Like the neighbouring Temne, the Loko are Muslim majority. The [[Susu people|Susu]] and their related [[Yalunka people|Yalunka]] are traders; both groups are primarily found in the far north in Kambia and Koinadugu District close to the border with Guinea. The Susu and Yalunka kingdom was established in the early fifth seventh century{{clarify|fifth or seventh, or the entire range?|date=February 2022}} before the Mali empire, which was extended from Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry to the northern part of Sierra Leone. They are the original owners of the Futa Djallon region covered by a vars land area both the Susu and Yalunka people are descendants of the Mande people. They are virtually all Muslims. The Yalunka also spelled Jallonke, Yalonga, Djallonké, Djallonka or Dialonké, are Mande people who have lived in the Djallon, a mountainous region in Sierra Leone, Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, and Guinea Conakry West Africa over 520 years ago. The name Yalunka literally means "inhabitants of the Jallon (mountains)". Manga Sewa was born in Falaba, Solima chiefdom, in the Northern Province of British Sierra Leone to Yalunka parents. His father was a Yalunka paramount chief of Solima, a prosperous chieftaincy. Its capital, Falaba, was on the rich trading routes leading to the coast. Manga Sewa's father had several wives and dozens of children. are traders; both groups are primarily found in the far north in [[Kambia District|Kambia]] and Koinadugu District close to the border with Guinea. The Susu and Yalunka are both descendants of migrants from Guinea; they both are virtually all Muslims at over 99%.

The [[Kissi people|Kissi]] live further inland in South-Eastern Sierra Leone. They predominate in the large town of [[Koindu]] and its surrounding areas in Kailahun District. The vast majority of Kissi are Christians. The much smaller [[Vai people|Vai]] and [[Kru people|Kru]] peoples are primarily found in [[Kailahun District|Kailahun]] and Pujehun Districts near the border with Liberia. The Kru predominate in the Kroubay neighbourhood in the capital of Freetown. The Vai are largely Muslim majority at about 90%, while the Kru are virtually all Christians at over 99%.

On the coast in [[Bonthe District]] in the south are the [[Sherbro people|Sherbro]]. Native to Sierra Leone, they have occupied [[Sherbro Island]] since it was founded. The Sherbro are primarily [[fisherman]] and [[farmers]], and they are predominantly found in Bonthe District. The Sherbro are virtually all Christians, and their paramount chiefs had a history of intermarriage with British colonists and traders.

A small number of Sierra Leoneans are of partial or full [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] ancestry, descendants of traders who first came to the nation in the 19th century. They are locally known as Sierra Leonean-Lebanese. The Sierra Leonean-Lebanese community are primarily traders and they mostly live in middle-class households in the urban areas, primarily in Freetown, [[Bo, Sierra Leone|Bo]], [[Kenema]], [[Koidu|Koidu Town]] and [[Makeni]].