The Fula people are widely distributed, across the Sahel from the Atlantic coast to the Red Sea, particularly in West Africa. The countries where they are present include:

• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea Bissau
• Ivory Coast
• Liberia
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Togo

The language of Fulanis is Pulaar or Fulfulde, depending on the region of the speaker and spoken variations. The Fulani share a language with the Tukulor, leading to the title of Halpulaar, or Haalpulaar'en, for all Senegalese who speak the language ("hal" is the root of the Pulaar verb haalugol, meaning "to speak"). Fula is classified within the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family.

There are at least five major dialects: Futa Toro, Futa Jallon, and Masina in the west and Central Nigeria; and Sokoto and Adamawa in the east. Although they have similarities in grammar and vocabulary, communication among Fulani from different regions is difficult. As Muslims, many Fulani can read and write Arabic.

With the exception of Guinea, Fulas are minorities in every country in which they live. Because of this, many Fulanis also speak the language of their home country.

The Fula, Fulani, or Fulbe people are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa but also in South Sudan, Sudan, and regions near the Red Sea coast. The approximate number of Fula people is unknown due to clashing definitions regarding Fula ethnicity; various estimates put the figure between 35 and 45 million 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.

The original Fulani people were of North African or Middle Eastern origin. As such, they had lighter skin, thinner lips, and straighter hair, and are referred to by many Africans as "white people." Current Fulani peoples contain a large number of people from diverse backgrounds who became a part of the Fulani through conquest and religious conversion.

The Fulani were the first group of West Africans to convert to Islam through jihads, or holy wars. In continuing religious conquest, they took over much of West Africa and became a political and economic force in addition to a religious force.

The largest nomadic group of people in the world, they've played an influential role in politics, economics, and religion throughout Western Africa for over a thousand years. The introduction of Islam throughout West Africa is due in large part to the Fulani. Following Islamic conquest in the 1800s, non-Islamic Fulani eventually joined ranks with their fellows to form an extensive and powerful empire.

There are many names (and spellings of the names) used in other languages to refer to the Fulɓe:

• Fulani, Fula, is borrowed from the Hausa term Fula, from Manding languages commonly used in English, including within Africa.
• Peul, Peulh, and even Peuh are the names borrowed by the French from the Wolof term Pël
• Fulbe is an Anglicised term from then Fulfulde / Pulaar term Fulɓe.
• Fallata, Fallatah, or Fellata are of Kanuri origins, and are often the ethnonyms by which Fulani people are identified by in parts of Chad and in Sudan.

Dress codes and styles vary greatly. In general, however, married men and women follow the Islamic dress code, which prescribes modesty. The men wear large gowns, trousers, and caps. Women wear wraps and blouses. Married Muslim women wear veils when they leave their household.

Their mode of dressing depends on the region they come from. The Fulbe Wodabaabe wear long flowing embroidered or decorated robes which are always very colorful.

In central Guinea, the men wear hats with colorful embroidery, whereas in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Niger, both men and women wear a typical white or black cotton material gown, embellished with blue, red and green thread embroidery work.

The men wear a hat that tappers at 3 angular tips and it is called 'noppiire'. Fulani men wear solid colored shirts and trousers which go down to their lower calves, they carry walking sticks across their shoulders with their arms resting on them.

Women decorate their hair with beads and cowrie shells, they also decorate their hands, arms, and feet with henna (Lali).

A typical Fulani can be easily identified by markings on his/her face; around their eyes, mouth, and foreheads for men.

Nomadic Fulani also wear Islamic dress, but it is not as elaborate. The women do not wear veils. Younger men and women adorn themselves with jewelry and headdresses, and they braid

their hair.

The Fulani were traditionally a nomadic, pastoral people, herding cattle, goats, and sheep across the vast, dry hinterlands of their domain, remaining somewhat distant from the local agricultural populations. Today, having interacted with other groups, they have developed a broader variety of social and economic patterns. However, those who continue in the pastoral tradition today enjoy greater prestige than those who do not, as they are considered the truest representatives of Fulani culture.

Among the nomadic Fulani, life can be extremely harsh. They often live in small, temporary camps. These can be quickly dismantled as they move in search of pasture and water for their herds. Because of the settlements' distance from towns, modern health care is not readily available.

Fulani have also settled in towns and cities. In the cities they usually reside in large family houses or compounds.

Among the Fulani, the family includes one's immediate kin and extended family, all of whom are all treated as close kin. In rural areas, these groups tend to live close together and join in work efforts. In the towns and cities, they tend to be more widely dispersed. Each kin group (lenyol) normally recognizes a common male ancestor who lived several generations ago and founded the family.

Male family members usually choose spouses for their children. Matches are generally made between relatives (particularly cousins) and social equals. This practice helps keep wealth (cattle and land) in the family. Polygyny (multiple wives) is not uncommon in Fulani society. A man's wives all help with domestic work and can bear him many children.

Central to the Fulani people's life is a code of behavior known as Pulaaku, which enables them to maintain their identity across boundaries and changes of life style. Sometimes informally called "Fulaniness," Pulaaku consists of four basic tenants, (Laawol Fulve):

Munyal: Patience, self control, discipline, prudence

Gacce/ Semteende: Modesty, respect for others (including foes)

Hakkille: Wisdom, forethought, personal responsibility, hospitality

Sagata /Tiinaade: Courage, hard work

Among the Fulani, music and art are part of daily life. Work music is sung and played on drums and flutes. Court music (drumming, horns, flutes) and praise-singing are popular in towns, especially during festivals. Praisesingers tell about a community's history and its leaders and other prominent individuals. Religious singers may cite Islamic scriptures. The Fula have a rich musical culture and play a variety of traditional instruments, including drums, hoddu (a plucked skin-covered lute similar to a banjo), and riti or riiti (a one-string bowed instrument similar to a violin), in addition to vocal music.

Most commonly, decorative art occurs in the form of architecture, or in the form of personal adornments such as jewelry, hats, and clothing.

As Muslims, the Fulani observe the standard Islamic religious practices. They pray five times a day, learn to recite the holy scriptures (Qur'an, or Koran ) by heart, and give alms to the needy. For one month each year (Ramadan) they fast in the daytime. And at least once in their lifetime, they make a pilgrimage (hajj) to the Islamic holy land in Mecca. The most important duty is to declare one's true faith in Islam and believe that Muhammad was a prophet sent by Allah (God).

Rites of passage

Shortly after a child is born, a naming ceremony is held, following Islamic law and practice. Around the age of seven, boys are circumcised, followed by a small ceremony or gathering in their household. Shortly after this time, they begin performing herding or farming activities, sometimes on their own. At this age, girls help their mothers.

Girls are usually betrothed in marriage during their early to mid-teens. Boys remain sukaa'be (handsome young men) until around the age of twenty. At that time, they start a herd or obtain a farm, and marry. There are ceremonies to prepare the bride and groom for marriage. Afterward, their families sign a marriage contract under Islam. By middle age, a man may be known as a ndottijo (elder, old man) who has acquired wisdom over the years.

All Fulani participate in Islamic holidays (Id). The most important are the feast after the fasting period (Ramadan) and the feast celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. On these days, people pray in thanksgiving to Allah, visit their relatives, prepare special meals, and exchange gifts such as gowns or cloth.

All Fulani have an elaborate code for interacting among themselves and with other people. The code, known as Pulaaku, decrees semteende (modesty), munyal (patience), and hakkiilo (common sense). All of these virtues must be practiced in public, among one's in-laws, and with one's spouse. Islam, which also requires modesty and reserve, has tended to reinforce this code.

Recreation

Fulani children participate in various kinds of dances. Some are performed for their closest friends and kin, and some in the marketplace. Among the settled people, musicians and praise-singers

Education

All Fulani adults and older children help educate the younger children through scoldings, sayings and proverbs, and stories. Children also learn through imitation. In many communities, children from about the age of six attend Islamic (Koranic) school. Here they study, recite the scriptures, and learn about the practices, teachings, and morals of Islam. Nowadays, Fulani children in towns and cities attend primary and secondary schools. Some eventually enroll in universities. It is more difficult for the children of nomadic families to attend school because they are often on the move.

There are generally three different types of Fulani based on settlement patterns:

The Nomadic / Pastoral - Mbororo or Wodaabe. They move around with their cattle throughout the year. Typically, they do not stay around for long stretches (not more than 2–4 months at a time).

The Semi-Nomadic. Fulani can either be Fulɓe families who happen to settle down temporarily at particular times of the year or Fulɓe families who do not "browse" around past their immediate surroundings, and even though they possess livestock, they do not wander away from a fixed or settled homestead not too far away, they are basically "In-betweeners".

The Settled or "Town Fulani". Settled Fulani live in villages, towns, and cities permanently and have given up nomadic life completely, in favor of an urban one. These processes of settlement, concentration, and military conquest led to the existence of organized and long-established communities of Fulani, varying in size from small villages to towns. Today, some major Fulani towns include: Labé, Pita, Mamou, and Dalaba in Guinea; Kaedi, Matam and Podor in Senegal and Mauritania; Bandiagara, Mopti, Dori, Gorom-Gorom, and Djibo in Mali and Burkina Faso, on the bend of the Niger; and Birnin Kebbi, Gombe, Yola, Digil, Jalingo, Mayo Belwa, Mubi, Maroua, Ngaoundere, Girei, and Garoua in the countries of Cameroon and Nigeria. In most of these communities, the Fulani are usually perceived as a ruling class.

The Fulani diet usually includes milk products such as yogurt, milk, and butter. Each morning they drink milk or gruel (gari) made with sorghum. Their main meals consist of a heavy porridge (nyiiri) made of flour from such grains as millet, sorghum, or corn. They eat it with soup (takai, haako) made from tomatoes, onions, spices, peppers, and other vegetables.

Fresh milk is termed 'Kossam' and yoghurt 'Pendidan'.

Other meals include Nyiri which is heavy grease made of flour and is eaten with soups (Takai, Haako) which is made from tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables.

Another popular meal is fermented milk with corn couscous which is referred to as 'latchiiri' or 'dakkere', it could also be taken as a fluid called 'gari' which is made of flour cereals.

On special and specific occasions they eat meat. Milk, goat cheese and millet with dates are pounded together to produce a thick beverage.

In their spare time, Fulani women make handicrafts including engraved gourds, weavings, knitting, and baskets. Fulani men are less involved in the production of crafts such as pottery, iron-working, and dyeing than some neighboring peoples. They believe these activities may violate their code of conduct ( Pulaaku ) and bring shame upon them.

The Fulani, also known as Fulɓe, are one of the largest and most widely dispersed pastoralist peoples in West and Central Africa. They can be found across countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Chad, and beyond — known for their rich oral history, cattle herding traditions, music, and vibrant cultural identity.

The Fulani have played a significant role in the region’s history, from the great empires of Futa Toro and Futa Jallon to the Sokoto Caliphate. During the transatlantic slave trade, Fulani people — like many other West African communities — were caught up in raids, wars, and forced migrations that fed the massive demand for enslaved labor in the Americas and the Caribbean.

Many Afro-descendants today carry ancestral connections to Fulani ancestors, although colonial records often erased or misidentified ethnic origins. Fulani heritage can be found woven into family lineages, names, cultural practices, and even DNA. Some enslaved people brought Fulani traditions of herding, horsemanship, music, Islamic scholarship, and storytelling to new lands — parts of which blended with local and other African traditions to create new Afro-diasporic identities.

Today, more Afro-descendants are rediscovering their possible Fulani roots through genealogy research, DNA tests, and oral family histories. Some are reconnecting with Fulani communities in West and Central Africa, learning about traditional hairstyles, clothing, music (like the hoddu lute or Fulani flute), and the resilience of nomadic ways of life.

This reconnection is not only about ancestry — it’s about building bridges across continents, healing the wounds of the past, and celebrating the deep ties that unite African and Afro-descendant peoples.

“Wherever the Fulɓe roam, our stories live on — from the Sahel to the Caribbean, the Americas, and beyond.”