Petifu lies about 32 km (20 miles) from Lungi.
[1] The town population is predominantly from the Susu, Temne and Fula ethnic group.
Petifu was founded by Susu and Fula migrants from present-day Guinea.
The Fula and Susu met the Temne people who were already living in the town.
These three groups lived together and gave the town the name Petifu, made up from two of the three languages Susu and Temne: "Pet", which means a place outside the bush in the Temne language and "Fu", which means new in the Susu language.