The country has an area of 21,925 square miles and a population of 6.3 million. The Demographic Research Unit of the University of Lome in 2004 estimated the population to be 33 percent traditional animist, 28 percent Roman Catholic, 14 percent Sunni Muslim, 10 percent Protestant, and 10 percent Christians of other denominations. The remaining 5 percent includes persons not affiliated with any religious group. Many converts to the more widespread religious groups continue to perform rituals that originated in indigenous religious groups.
Most Muslims live in the central and northern regions. Catholics, Protestants, and other Christians live mainly in the south.
Population | Population (2009 est.) 6,019,877 |
Religious Demographics | Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51% |
Ethnic Groups | Ethnic Groups African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1% |
Languages | Languages French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north) |
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