Wolof

Wolof or Wollof may refer to:

Wolof people

The Wolof people (UK: /ˈwəʊlɒf/) (US: /ˈwoʊlɑːf/) are an ethnic group in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania. In Senegal the Wolof form an ethnic plurality making up about 43.3% of the population. In The Gambia, about 16% of the population are Wolof. In Gambia, they are a minority, where the Mandinka are the plurality with 42% of the population, yet Wolof language and culture have a disproportionate influence because of their prevalence in Banjul, the Gambian capital, where a majority of the population is Wolof. In Mauritania, about 8% of the population are Wolof. They live largely in the southern coastal region of the country. They speak the Wolof language. The Wolof are mostly Sunni muslims.

Orthography

The term Wolof also refers to the Wolof language and to their states, cultures, and traditions. Older French publications frequently employ the spelling "Ouolof"; up to the 19th century, the spellings "Volof" and "Olof" are also encountered. In English, Wollof and Woloff are found, particularly in reference to the Gambian Wolof. (The spelling "Wollof" is closer to the native pronunciation of the name.) The spelling Jolof is often used, but in particular reference to the Wolof empire and kingdom in central Senegal that existed from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Similarly, a West African rice dish is known in English as jollof rice.