After Asia, Africa is the next most populous and largest continent in the world. With a very strategic location at the equator, the climate in Africa helps in the availability of many resources both mineral and food thereby aiding in the large population of people in the continent. Today we’ll be looking at the 54 countries that make up the continent of Africa.
The continent is divided into 5:
- North Africa
- West Africa
- Central Africa
- East Africa
- South Africa.
Each of these sections has various countries and we’ll visit them below.
54 Countries in Africa and their Capital
A. North Africa
- Egypt
- Sudan
- Algeria
- Morocco
- Tunisia
- Libya
Capitals
Egypt: The Arab Republic of Egypt lies in the Northeastern corner of Africa. Its Capital city is Cairo. The famous Landmark ‘The Pyramids of Giza’ is located in this country.
Sudan: The Republic of Sudan also lies in the northeastern part of Africa. Its capital city is Khartoum
Algeria: positioned in Northern Africa, its capital city is Algiers.
Morocco: The capital city of Morocco is Rabat while its largest city is Casablanca.
Tunisia: lies in the northernmost region of Africa. Its capital city is Tunis.
Libya: The capital city of the state of Libya is Tripoli.
B. West Africa
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Niger
- Mali
- Burkina Faso
- Senegal
- Guinea
- Benin
- Togo
- Liberia
- Mauritania
- Gambia
- Sierra Leone
- Guinea-Bissau
- Cabo Verde
Capitals
Nigeria: The Federal Republic of Nigeria has its capital city in Abuja while its most populated city is Lagos. Notably, Lagos is the largest metropolitan city in Africa.
Ghana: the second most populous country in West Africa has its capital city in Accra which is also its largest city.
Côte d’Ivoire: also known as Ivory Coast its capital city is Yamoussoukro.
Niger: A high area of Niger’s land area lies in the Sahara. Its capital city Niamey sits in southwestern Africa.
Mali: Its capital city is Bamako and it is the eighth largest city in the entirety of Africa.
Burkina Faso: previously known as the Republic of Upper Volta, it was later renamed by President Thomas Sankara. Its capital city is Ouagadougou.
Senegal: is a country in West Africa. Its capital city is Dakar.
Guinea: is a country on the coast of Africa, often called Guinea-Conakry. Its capital city is Conakry.
Benin: The Republic of Benin has its capital at Porto-Novi and its largest city is Cotonou.
Togo: is a small country known for its palm trees, its capital city is Lome.
Liberia: the official language of the country is English but there are other native languages. Its capital city is Monrovia
Mauritania: found in North Western Africa, Mauritania has a population of about 4 million. It’s capital Nouakchott.
Gambia: borders the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital city is Banjul.
Sierra-Leone: The capital city is Freetown. It’s known for its tropical regions.
Guinea-Bissau: has a population of about 2 million. Its capital city is Bissau.
Cabo Verde: also called Cape Verde. It is a city founded on an island. Its capital city is Praia.
C. Central Africa
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Chad
- Congo
- Gabon
- Equatorial Guinea
- Sao Tome & Principe
Capitals
Democratic Republic of Congo: also called Congo-Kinshasa. Its capital city is Kinshasa and its official language is French.
Angola: The official language is Portuguese and its capital city is Luanda
Cameroon: The capital city is
Yaoundé. They speak both English and French along with other native languages.
Chad: Total population is about 15 million and its capital and largest city is N’Djamena.
Congo: also called Congo-Brazzaville. Its capital is Brazzaville.
Gabon: Capital city is Libreville. Gabon has about 2 million people. Libreville is also its largest city.
Equatorial Guinea: it was once called the Colony of Spanish Guinea. The largest city is Bata and the capital is Malabo. Sao Tome & Principe: it is also an Island country just like Cape Verde. Its Capital is Sao Tome.
D. East Africa
- Ethiopia
- Tanzania
- Kenya
- Uganda
- Mozambique
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Zambia
- Somalia
- Rwanda
- Zimbabwe
- Burundi
- South Sudan
- Central African Republic
- Eritrea
- Mauritius
- Djibouti
- Comoros
- Seychelles
Capitals
Ethiopia: has a population of about 120 million people. Its capital city is Addis Ababa
Tanzania: The capital city is Dodoma. The Selous game reserve which is the largest in the world is found in this country.
Kenya: The capital city is Nairobi. The official languages are English and Swahili.
Uganda: Uganda has a population of about 40 million people. Its capital and largest city is Kampala.
Mozambique: The Capital of Mozambique is Maputo. The official language is Portuguese.
Madagascar: It is the second largest country built on an island in the world. The capital city is Antananarivo.
Malawi: Malawi was previously called Nyasaland. Its capital city is Lilongwe
Zambia: The capital city is Lusaka and the official language of Zambia is English.
Somalia: Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa (Easternmost part). Its capital city is Mogadishu.
Rwanda: The capital city is Kigali. Official languages include Kinyarwanda, French, English, and Swahili.
Zimbabwe: This country is known for its national parks. There are 16 official languages with English being one of many. The capital city is Harare.
Burundi: Burundi has two capital cities. Gitega represents the political capital city and Bujumbura represents the economic capital city.
South Sudan: Has a population of around 11 million people. Its capital city is Juba.
Central African Republic: previously called Ubangi-Shari. Its capital city is Bangui and its official languages are French and Sango.
Eritrea: Its capital city is Asmara and there is no official language.
Mauritius: is a small island country with its capital city at Port Louis.
Djibouti: its capital city is also Djibouti. Official languages are Arabic and French.
Comoros: The official languages in this country are Shikomori, French, and Arabic. Its capital city is Moroni.
Seychelles: the smallest and least populated country in Africa. It has its capital city Victoria.
E. Southern Africa
- South Africa
- Botswana
- Namibia
- Lesotho
- Eswatini
Capitals
South Africa: The largest city in this country is Johannesburg. It has 3 capital cities including Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein.
Botswana: The official language is English and the capital city which is also the largest city is Gaborone.
Namibia: Its capital city is Windhoek. Christianity is the prevailing religion in this country.
Lesotho: previously called the kingdom of Lesotho has its capital city at Maseru.
Eswatini: previously called Swaziland has its capital city at Mbabane and Lobamba.
Conclusion
These are all of Africa’s 54 countries, each having their own different culture, native language, and tradition. Comment below about your experiences when you visited any one of these countries.
Also, check the Top Strongest African Military.
