Kabyle people
The Kabyle people (/kəˈbaɪl/, Kabyle: Izwawen or Leqbayel or Iqbayliyen, pronounced [iqβæjlijən], Arabic: القبائل, romanized: al-qabā'il) are a Berber ethnic group indigenous to Kabylia in the north of Algeria, spread across the Atlas Mountains, 160 kilometres (100 mi) east of Algiers. They represent the largest Berber population of Algeria and the second largest in North Africa.
A painting of a Kabyle woman in folk costume | |
| Total population | |
| c. 6 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kabylia | |
| Algeria | c. 5 million |
| France | c. 1 million |
| Canada | 37,415 |
| Languages | |
| Kabyle Algerian Arabic, French | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
Many of the Kabyles have emigrated from Algeria, influenced by factors such as the Algerian Civil War, cultural repression by the central Algerian government, and overall industrial decline. Their diaspora has resulted in Kabyle people living in numerous countries. Large populations of Kabyle people settled in France and, to a lesser extent, Canada (mainly Québec) and United States.
The Kabyle people speak Kabyle, a Berber language. Since the Berber Spring of 1980, they have been at the forefront of the fight for the official recognition of Berber languages in Algeria.