| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Nile Valley, African Great Lakes, southwestern Ethiopia | |
| Languages | |
| Nilotic languages | |
| Religion | |
| Traditional faiths (Dinka religion, Kalenjin folklore etc), Christianity, Islam |
The Nilotic peoples are people indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the northern border area of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.[1] Among these are the Burun-speaking peoples, Teso people also known as Iteso or people of Teso,[2] Karo peoples, Luo peoples, Ateker peoples, Kalenjin peoples, Karamojong people also known as the Karamojong or Karimojong,[3] Datooga, Dinka, Nuer, Atwot, Lotuko, and the Maa-speaking peoples.
The Nilotes constitute the majority of the population in South Sudan, an area that is believed to be their original point of dispersal. After the Bantu peoples, they constitute the second-most numerous group of peoples inhabiting the African Great Lakes region around the East African Rift.[4] They make up a notable part of the population of southwestern Ethiopia as well. Nilotic peoples numbered 7 million in the late 20th century.[5]
The Nilotic peoples primarily adhere to Christianity and traditional faiths, including the Dinka religion. Some Nilotic peoples also adhere to Islam.