Africa Countries Map: All 54 Nations With Capitals

Africa is the world's second-largest continent at 30.4 million km², home to 54 recognized nations across six distinct regions. From the Sahara in the north to the Cape of Good Hope in the south, explore every country and major geographic feature.

Geography Worlds

March 15, 2025

7 min read

Overview

Africa is the second-largest continent on Earth, covering approximately 30.4 million square kilometers — roughly 20% of the world's total land area. It is home to 54 internationally recognized nations, over 1.4 billion people, and more than 2,000 distinct languages. The continent straddles the equator and extends from 37°N to 34°S latitude, encompassing nearly every climate zone on the planet.

Africa's geography is staggeringly diverse: the world's largest hot desert (Sahara), the longest river (Nile), the second-largest tropical rainforest (Congo Basin), the Great Rift Valley tearing the continent apart, and snow-capped volcanic peaks rising from equatorial plains. It is also the oldest continental landmass, with some rock formations dating back 3.8 billion years.

Countries & Territories

North Africa (6 countries)

Algeria — Capital: Algiers. Largest country in Africa (2.38M km²).
Egypt — Capital: Cairo. Most populous Arab nation.
Libya — Capital: Tripoli. Mediterranean coast, mostly Saharan.
Morocco — Capital: Rabat. Northwestern tip, Atlas Mountains.
Tunisia — Capital: Tunis. Smallest North African country.
Sudan — Capital: Khartoum. Confluence of Blue and White Nile.

West Africa (16 countries)

Nigeria — Capital: Abuja. Most populous country in Africa (~220M).
Ghana — Capital: Accra. Gold Coast, Gulf of Guinea.
Senegal — Capital: Dakar. Westernmost point of mainland Africa.
Mali — Capital: Bamako. Landlocked, historic Timbuktu.
Burkina Faso — Capital: Ouagadougou. Landlocked Sahel nation.
Niger — Capital: Niamey. Saharan north, Sahel south.
Côte d'Ivoire — Capital: Yamoussoukro. World's largest cocoa producer.
Guinea — Capital: Conakry. Source of the Niger River.
Benin — Capital: Porto-Novo. Narrow south-facing coast.
Togo — Capital: Lomé. One of Africa's smallest nations.
Sierra Leone — Capital: Freetown. Founded for freed slaves.
Liberia — Capital: Monrovia. Founded by freed American slaves.
Mauritania — Capital: Nouakchott. Saharan, bridges North and West Africa.
The Gambia — Capital: Banjul. Smallest mainland African country.
Guinea-Bissau — Capital: Bissau. Bijagós Archipelago coast.
Cabo Verde — Capital: Praia. Atlantic island nation off Senegal.

East Africa (8 countries)

Ethiopia — Capital: Addis Ababa. Horn of Africa, never colonized.
Kenya — Capital: Nairobi. Great Rift Valley, Indian Ocean coast.
Tanzania — Capital: Dodoma. Home to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar.
Uganda — Capital: Kampala. Source of the White Nile.
Rwanda — Capital: Kigali. "Land of a Thousand Hills."
Burundi — Capital: Gitega. One of the smallest African nations.
South Sudan — Capital: Juba. World's newest country (2011).
Somalia — Capital: Mogadishu. Horn of Africa, longest coastline in mainland Africa.

Central Africa (8 countries)

DR Congo — Capital: Kinshasa. Second-largest country in Africa, Congo Basin.
Cameroon — Capital: Yaoundé. "Africa in miniature" for its diversity.
Central African Republic — Capital: Bangui. Landlocked, dense rainforest.
Republic of Congo — Capital: Brazzaville. Congo River bank, opposite Kinshasa.
Gabon — Capital: Libreville. 80% rainforest cover.
Equatorial Guinea — Capital: Malabo (on Bioko Island). Only Spanish-speaking African nation.
Chad — Capital: N'Djamena. Sahara in north, Sahel in south.
São Tomé and Príncipe — Capital: São Tomé. Smallest African country by area in this region.

Southern Africa (10 countries)

South Africa — Capital: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial). Three capitals.
Mozambique — Capital: Maputo. Indian Ocean coast, 2,500 km coastline.
Zambia — Capital: Lusaka. Victoria Falls on Zambezi River.
Zimbabwe — Capital: Harare. Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe ruins.
Malawi — Capital: Lilongwe. Lake Malawi (third-largest in Africa).
Angola — Capital: Luanda. Atlantic coast, oil-rich.
Botswana — Capital: Gaborone. Okavango Delta, Kalahari Desert.
Namibia — Capital: Windhoek. Namib Desert, Skeleton Coast.
Eswatini — Capital: Mbabane. Formerly Swaziland, one of Africa's smallest.
Lesotho — Capital: Maseru. Entirely surrounded by South Africa.

Island Nations (6 countries)

Madagascar — Capital: Antananarivo. Fourth-largest island in the world.
Mauritius — Capital: Port Louis. Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.
Seychelles — Capital: Victoria. 115-island archipelago, smallest African country by population.
Comoros — Capital: Moroni. Volcanic islands between Madagascar and Mozambique.
Cabo Verde — Capital: Praia. Atlantic archipelago (also listed with West Africa).
São Tomé and Príncipe — Capital: São Tomé. Gulf of Guinea (also listed with Central Africa).

Geographic Features

Deserts

The Sahara Desert dominates North Africa, covering roughly 9.2 million km² — larger than the contiguous United States. It stretches from the Atlantic to the Red Sea across 11 countries. South of the Sahara, the semi-arid Sahel belt transitions into savanna and tropical zones.

Rivers & Lakes

The Nile River flows 6,650 km from Burundi to the Mediterranean, making it the longest river in the world (or second-longest, competing with the Amazon depending on measurement). The Congo River is the deepest river on Earth (over 220 meters) and drains the second-largest rainforest. Lake Victoria, shared by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, is Africa's largest lake and the world's second-largest freshwater lake by area (68,800 km²).

Mountains & Valleys

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania stands at 5,895 meters — the highest point in Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. The Atlas Mountains run across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The Great Rift Valley stretches over 6,000 km from Lebanon to Mozambique, a tectonic boundary slowly splitting the African Plate apart and expected to create a new ocean in 5-10 million years.

Rainforests & Ecosystems

The Congo Basin rainforest is the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world, covering 2 million km² and often called the "second lung of the Earth." Madagascar separated from the African mainland about 88 million years ago and is home to species found nowhere else — about 90% of its wildlife is endemic.

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Fun Facts

Africa is the only continent that stretches across all four hemispheres — north, south, east, and west.
The Congo River is so deep (over 220 meters) that sunlight cannot reach the bottom, and unique species of blind fish have evolved in its depths.
Lesotho is the only country in the world that lies entirely above 1,000 meters in elevation.
Lake Malawi contains more species of fish than any other lake on Earth — over 1,000, most found nowhere else.
South Africa has three capital cities: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).

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