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Islam in Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The precise number of Muslims in Africa are unknown because statistics about religious demography in Africa are not conclusive. According to the World Book Encyclopedia, Islam is the largest religion in Africa, with Christianity having the second largest number of adherents and according to Encyclopedia Britannica, Islam is the largest religion in Africa with about 45 % of the population being Muslims, in contrast to 35 % being Christians and less than 20 % being non-religious or adherents to African religions. Despite all of the above religions having a long and rich history in the continent, they have provided sources of numerous conflicts, especially in countries where there is no clear majority, for example Ethiopia and Guinea-Bissau.
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The history of Islam in Africa goes back to the earliest days of Islam, when Muslims, fleeing persecution in Mecca, arrived in Ethiopia. Islam can be seen as spreading to Africa via passages through the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt and well as through Arab and Persian traders and sailors, since the arrival of Islam. Islam in Africa probably doubled, between 1869 and 1914.[1] Today, Islam is growing rapidly in the continent. Despite its large contribution to the make up of the continent, Islam is predominantly concentrated in North Africa, West Africa & East Africa. This has provided an increasing difference between the culture and laws of different parts of Africa.
| Region | Total Population | Muslims | % Muslim | % of Muslim total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Africa | 83,121,055 | 12,582,592 | 15.138% | 0.852% |
| East Africa | 193,741,900 | 66,381,242 | 34.263% | 4.497% |
| North Africa | 202,151,323 | 180,082,076 | 89.083% | 12.199% |
| Southern Africa | 137,092,019 | 8,935,043 | 6.518% | 0.605% |
| West Africa | 268,997,245 | 133,994,675 | 49.813% | 9.077% |
| Total | 885,103,542 | 401,975,628 | 45.41% | 27.23% |
| Country | Population |
| Somalia | 99.9% |
| Mauritania | 99.9% |
| Western Sahara | 99.8% |
| Algeria | 99% |
| Djibouti | 99% |
| Tunisia | 99% |
| Morocco | 98.7% |
| Libya | 97% |
| Senegal | 94% |
| Egypt | 90% |
| The Gambia | 90% |
| Mali | 90% |
| Niger | 90% |
| Guinea | 85% |
| Sudan | 65% |
| Sierra Leone | 60% |
| Burkina Faso | 55% |
| Chad | 50% |
| Eritrea | 50% |
| Nigeria | 50% |
| Ethiopia | 50% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 45% |
| Cote D'Ivoire | 38.6% |
| Tanzania | 35% |
| Benin | 20% |
| Cameroon | 20% |
| Liberia | 20% |
| Malawi | 20% |
| Mozambique | 20% |
| Kenya | 18% |
| Rwanda | 16% |
| Ghana | 16% |
| Central African Republic | 15% |
| Uganda | 15% |
| Togo | 13.7% |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 10% |
| Namibia | 3% |
| Lesotho | 2% |
| Republic of the Congo | 2% |
| South Africa | 2% |
| Zambia | 1.1% |
| Angola | 1% |
| Botswana | 1% |
| Gabon | 1% |
| Swaziland | 1% |
| Zimbabwe | 1% |
- ^ Bulliet, Richard, Pamela Crossley, Daniel Headrick, Steven Hirsch, Lyman Johnson, and David Northrup. The Earth and Its Peoples. 3. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. ISBN 0-618-42770-8
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Dependencies and other territories
Ceuta · Mayotte · Melilla · Puntland · Réunion · St. Helena · Somaliland · Western Sahara (SADR)