The Hausa are the most populous people group in all of sub-Saharan Africa, and their Afro-Asian language, Hausa, is the second most spoken in the region after Swahili.

The Hausa are the most populous people group in all of sub-Saharan Africa, and their Afro-Asian language, Hausa, is the second most spoken in the region after Swahili.

While the majority of the Hausa people live in the Sahelian and sparse savannah regions of southern Niger and northern Nigeria, you'll also find a sizeable diaspora in the countries of Gabon, Senegal, Gambia, Equitorial Guinea, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Algeria, Chad, Sudan, Cameron, the Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic.

In the second half of the 1st millennium, the Hausa established Islamic empires that became some of the world's most prosperous and culturally advanced, ultimately helping to pull Europe out of the Middle Ages. Katsina, Sokoto, and Timbuktu are three of their most important cultural centers.

For generations, the Hausa ruled trade over the Sahara with North Africa; therefore, trading is in their blood. Though they currently work largely as merchants, herders, and farmers, the culture of riding horses has become synonymous with their identity.

Since ancient times, horses have been an important part of their culture. During celebrations, they are sometimes dressed up in fancy clothes and metal jewelry.Their famous horsewomen and men ride horses from the Dongola-Barb breed. This breed came about when Arab horses were brought to the area of Dongola in Northern Sudan.