The inhabitants of West Africa are mostly non-Bantu speaking peoples unlike central and southern Africa.
Despite the wide variety of cultures in West Africa, from Nigeria through to Senegal, there are similarities in dress, cuisine, music and culture that are not shared with cultures outside West Africa.
Traditional African religion is the oldest religion of the native populations of West Africa, and includes Yoruba religion, Odinani, and Serer religion. It is spiritual but also linked to the historical and cultural heritage of the people. Before the arrival of other religions such as Islam and Christianity, West Africans, had a well-developed system of religious beliefs. The Traditional African religion is still practiced by the native populations. Islam is the predominant religion of the West African interior and the far west coast of the continent. Traditional Muslim areas include parts of Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Guinea, Niger; the inland areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia; the western, northern and far-eastern regions of Burkina Faso; and the northern halves of the coastal nations of Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Christianity, a relative newcomer, has become the predominant religion in the central and southern part of Nigeria, and the coastal regions stretching from southern Ghana to coastal parts of Sierra Leone. Like Islam, elements of Traditional African religion are mixed with Christianity. This religion was no popular in Ancient West Africa as it was brought to the region by European missionaries during the colonial era.