There are 54 countries in Africa . The African continent has the largest number of countries, followed by Asia and Europe with a total of 50 countries each.
Africa is also the poorest continent, the second most populous and the third most extensive worldwide.
African countries are divided into five geographic regions :
- Southern Africa
- Central Africa
- Northern Africa
- Western Africa
- East Africa.
List of Countries
See below the list of countries for each region of the African continent.
Southern Africa
Five countries are part of Southern Africa:
1. South Africa
- Capital: Pretoria (Executive), Bloemfontein (Judiciary), Cape Town (Legislative)
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,219,090 km 2
- Language: Afrikaans and English (plus eleven official languages)
- Currency: Rand
2. Botswana
- Capital: Gaborone
- Approximate territorial extension: 581,730 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Pula
3. Lesotho
- Capital: Maseru
- Approximate territorial extension: 30,360 km 2
- Language: English and Sessoto
- Currency: Loti
4. Namibia
- Capital: Windhoek
- Approximate territorial extension: 824,290 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Namibian Dollar
5. Swaziland
- Capital: Mbabane / Lobamba
- Approximate territorial extension: 17,630 km 2
- Language: English and Sussuáti
- Currency: Lilangeni
Central Africa
Nine countries are part of Central Africa, three of which belong to PALOP – African Portuguese Speaking Countries (Angola, Equatorial Guinea and São Tomé and Príncipe):
1. Angola
- Capital: Luanda
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,246,700 km 2
- Portuguese language
- Currency: Kuanza
2. Cameroon
- Capital: Yaoundé
- Approximate territorial extension: 475,440 km 2
- Language: French and English
- Currency: CFA Franc
3. Chad
- Capital: N’Djamena
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,284,000 km 2
- Language: Arabic and French
- Currency: CFA Franc
4. Gabon
- Capital: Libreville
- Approximate territorial extension: 267,670 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
5. Equatorial Guinea
- Capital: Malabo
- Approximate territorial extension: 28,050 km 2
- Language: Portuguese, Spanish and French
- Currency: CFA Franc
6. Central African Republic
- Capital: Bangui
- Approximate territorial extension: 622,980 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
7. Republic of the Congo
- Capital: Brazzaville
- Approximate territorial extension: 342,000 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
8. Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Capital: Kinshasa
- Approximate territorial extension: 2,344,860 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: Congolese Franc
9. São Tomé and Príncipe
- Capital: Sao Tome
- Approximate territorial extension: 960 km 2
- Portuguese language
- Currency: Dobra
Northern Africa
Seven countries are part of Northern Africa, also called North Africa:
1. Algeria
- Capital: Algiers
- Approximate territorial extension: 2,381,740 km 2
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Algerian Dinar
2. Egypt
- Capital: Cairo
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,001,450 km 2
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Egyptian pound
3. Libya
- Capital: Tripoli
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,759,540 km 2
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Dinar
4. Morocco
- Capital: Rabat
- Approximate territorial extension: 446,550 km 2
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Dirham
5. Sudan
- Capital: Khartoum
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,861,484 km 2
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Sudanese pound
6. South Sudan
- Capital: Juba
- Approximate territorial extension: 644,329 km 2
- Language: English and Arabic
- Currency: South Sudanese pound
7. Tunisia
- Capital: Tunis
- Approximate territorial extension: 163,610 km 2
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Tunisian Dinar
Western Africa
Sixteen countries are part of West Africa, two of which belong to the PALOP (Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau):
1. Benin
- Capital: Porto Novo
- Approximate territorial extension: 112,620 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
2. Burkina Faso
- Capital: Ouagadougou
- Approximate territorial extension: 274,220 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
3. Cape Verde
- Capital: Praia
- Approximate territorial extension: 4,030 km 2
- Portuguese language
- Currency: Cape Verdean Escudo
4. Ivory Coast
- Capital: Yamoussoukro
- Approximate territorial extension: 322,460 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
5. Gambia
- Capital: Banjul
- Approximate territorial extension: 11,300 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Dalasi
6. Ghana
- Capital: Accra
- Approximate territorial extension: 238,540 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Cedi
7. Guinea
- Capital: Conakry
- Approximate territorial extension: 245,860 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: Guinea Franc
8. Guinea-Bissau
- Capital: Bissau
- Approximate territorial extension: 36,130 km 2
- Portuguese language
- Currency: CFA Franc
9. Liberia
- Capital: Monrovia
- Approximate territorial extension: 111,370 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Liberian dollar
10. Mali
- Capital: Bamako
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,240,190 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
11. Mauritania
- Capital: Nouakchott
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,030,700 km 2
- Language: Arabic
- Currency: Uguia
12. Niger
- Capital: Niamei
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,267,000 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
13. Nigeria
- Capital: Abuja
- Approximate territorial extension: 923,770 km²
- English language
- Currency: Naira
14. Senegal
- Capital: Dakar
- Approximate territorial extension: 196,720 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
15. Sierra Leone
- Capital: Freetown
- Approximate territorial extension: 71,740 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Leone
16. Togo
- Capital: Lomé
- Approximate territorial extension: 56,790 km 2
- French Language
- Currency: CFA Franc
East Africa
Seventeen countries are part of Southern Africa, one of which belongs to the PALOP (Mozambique).
1. Burundi
- Capital: Bujumbura
- Approximate territorial extension: 27,830 km 2
- Language: French and Quirundi
- Currency: Burundi Franc
2. Comoros
- Capital: Moroni
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,861 km 2
- Language: Arabic, French and Comoros
- Currency: Comorian Franc
3. Djibouti
- Capital: Djibouti
- Approximate territorial extension: 23,200 km 2
- Language: Arabic and French
- Currency: Djibouti Franc
4. Eritrea
- Capital: Asmara
- Approximate territorial extension: 117,600 km 2
- Language: Arabic and Tigrina
- Currency: Nakfa
5. Ethiopia
- Capital: Addis Ababa
- Approximate territorial extension: 1,104,300 km 2
- Language: Amharic
- Currency: Birr
6. Madagascar
- Capital: Antananarivo
- Approximate territorial extension: 587,040 km 2
- Language: French and Malagasy
- Currency: Ariary
7. Malawi
- Capital: Lilongue
- Approximate territorial extension: 118,480 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Quacha
8. Mauritius
- Capital: Port Louis
- Approximate territorial extension: 2,040 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Mauritian rupee
9. Mozambique
- Capital: Maputo
- Approximate territorial extension: 799,380 km 2
- Portuguese language
- Currency: Metical
10. Kenya
- Capital: Nairobi
- Approximate territorial extension: 580,370 km 2
- Language: Swahili
- Currency: Shilling
11. Rwanda
- Capital: Kigali
- Approximate territorial extension: 26,340 km 2
- Language: French, Quiniaruana and English
- Currency: Rwandan franc
12. Seychelles
- Capital: Vitória
- Approximate territorial extension: 460 km 2
- Language: Creole
- Currency: Seychelles Rupee
13. Somalia
- Capital: Mogadishu
- Approximate territorial extension: 637,660 km 2
- Language: Arabic and Somali
- Currency: Shilling
14. Tanzania
- Capital: Dodoma
- Approximate territorial extension: 947,300 km 2
- Language: Swahili English
- Currency: Tanzanian shilling
15. Uganda
- Capital: Kampala
- Approximate territorial extension: 241,550 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Ugandan shilling
16. Zambia
- Capital: Lusaka
- Approximate territorial extension: 752,610 km 2
- English language
- Currency: Quacha
17. Zimbabwe
- Capital: Harare
- Approximate territorial extension: 390,760 km 2
- English language
- Currency: United States Dollar and Rand