The Gambia is home to nine different tribes

The Mandinka, Fula, and Wolof are The Gambia's most populous tribes. This makes learning any of the local languages more difficult because there are several variations, though English is widely spoken as a former British colony.

The Mandinka, also known as the Mandingo, are a West African ethnic group who are descended from the Mali Empire. The Mandinka arrived in The Gambia during the 14th century, at the height of the Mali Empire. Many people believe that the reasons for emigrating to the west include the need to find a favourable climate for agriculture in the Senegambia region in order to boost crop production. Another reason given was that many Mandinka merchants desired to relocate to areas with less trade competition.

The Fula people are thought to be the world's largest nomadic ethnic group, accounting for nearly one-fifth of The Gambia's population. During the reign of the great Ghana Empire, the Fula people arrived in the Senegambian region. Fula in The Gambia were said to have migrated from Senegal, Guinea, and Mali, but settled there in the 1800s. In Gambia, the Wolof ethnic group (or Jollof, Jolof as they are sometimes known) accounts for 16% of the population and is the third largest ethnic group. They can be found in fairly large numbers in the Gambian areas of Jokadu, Baddibu, Saloum, and Niumi, but the vast majority are found in Senegal.