ABSTRACT

Taken as a whole, continental West Africa is roughly evenly divided between Muslims and non-Muslims. Religious demography, however, varies significantly across the 15 countries: Mauritania – officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania – is effectively 100 per cent Muslim; five others are overwhelmingly (at least 85 per cent) Muslim; another five might be categorized as religiously divided countries, with Muslim populations ranging from 40 per cent to 60 per cent; and finally, four countries of coastal West Africa include significant (10-25 per cent) Muslim minorities (see Table 11.1).