| 1 |
|
Algeria |
Algiers |
2,381,741 |
44.7 million |
Largest country in Africa by land area. |
| 2 |
|
Angola |
Luanda |
1,246,700 |
32.9 million |
Rich in oil and diamonds. |
| 3 |
|
Benin |
Porto-Novo (official), Cotonou (de facto) |
112,622 |
12.1 million |
Birthplace of Vodun (Voodoo) religion. |
| 4 |
|
Botswana |
Gaborone |
582,000 |
2.4 million |
Known for its stable democracy and diamonds. |
| 5 |
|
Burkina Faso |
Ouagadougou |
272,967 |
20.9 million |
"Burkina Faso" means "Land of Incorruptible People." |
| 6 |
|
Burundi |
Gitega (political), Bujumbura (economic) |
27,834 |
11.9 million |
One of the most densely populated countries in Africa. |
| 7 |
|
Cape Verde |
Praia |
4,033 |
556,000 |
Known for Creole Portuguese-African culture and morna music. |
| 8 |
|
Cameroon |
Yaoundé |
475,442 |
26.5 million |
Referred to as "Africa in miniature" due to its diversity. |
| 9 |
|
Central African Republic |
Bangui |
622,984 |
4.8 million |
Despite natural resources, remains one of the poorest countries. |
| 10 |
|
Chad |
N'Djamena |
1,284,000 |
16.4 million |
Lake Chad is shrinking dramatically. |
| 11 |
|
Comoros |
Moroni |
1,861 |
869,000 |
Leading producer of ylang-ylang, used in perfumes. |
| 12 |
|
DR Congo |
Kinshasa |
2,344,858 |
108.4 million |
Home to the world's deepest river, the Congo River. |
| 13 |
|
Republic of Congo |
Brazzaville |
342,000 |
5.7 million |
Brazzaville and Kinshasa are the two closest capitals in the world. |
| 14 |
|
Djibouti |
Djibouti |
23,200 |
988,000 |
Home to Lake Assal, one of the saltiest water bodies. |
| 15 |
|
Egypt |
Cairo |
1,010,408 |
102.3 million |
Home to the Great Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders. |
| 16 |
|
Equatorial Guinea |
Malabo (current), Oyala (planned) |
28,051 |
1.4 million |
Only African country with Spanish as an official language. |
| 17 |
|
Eritrea |
Asmara |
117,600 |
5.4 million |
Has no official language; multiple languages are used. |
| 18 |
|
Eswatini |
Mbabane (admin), Lobamba (royal/legislative) |
17,364 |
1.2 million |
One of the last absolute monarchies in the world. |
| 19 |
|
Ethiopia |
Addis Ababa |
1,104,300 |
115 million |
Only African country never colonized. |
| 20 |
|
Gabon |
Libreville |
267,668 |
2.2 million |
Home to extensive rainforests and biodiversity. |
| 21 |
|
Gambia |
Banjul |
10,689 |
2.4 million |
Smallest country on mainland Africa. |
| 22 |
|
Ghana |
Accra |
238,533 |
31.1 million |
First African country to gain independence from colonial rule in 1957. |
| 23 |
|
Guinea |
Conakry |
245,857 |
13.1 million |
Rich in bauxite, the main ore used to produce aluminum. |
| 24 |
|
Guinea-Bissau |
Bissau |
36,125 |
2 million |
Known for its diverse wildlife and national parks. |
| 25 |
|
Ivory Coast |
Yamoussoukro (political), Abidjan (economic) |
322,463 |
26.4 million |
World's largest cocoa bean producer. |
| 26 |
|
Kenya |
Nairobi |
580,367 |
53.8 million |
Famous for its rich wildlife and safaris. |
| 27 |
|
Lesotho |
Maseru |
30,355 |
2.1 million |
Entirely surrounded by South Africa, making it an enclave country. |
| 28 |
|
Liberia |
Monrovia |
111,369 |
5.1 million |
Founded by freed African American slaves. |
| 29 |
|
Libya |
Tripoli |
1,759,541 |
6.9 million |
Has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa. |
| 30 |
|
Madagascar |
Antananarivo |
587,041 |
28.9 million |
Home to unique wildlife, including lemurs. |
| 31 |
|
Malawi |
Lilongwe |
118,484 |
20.4 million |
Known as the "Warm Heart of Africa." |
| 32 |
|
Mali |
Bamako |
1,240,192 |
20.2 million |
Timbuktu was a major center of learning in the Middle Ages. |
| 33 |
|
Mauritania |
Nouakchott |
1,030,700 |
4.6 million |
About 90% of its land is desert. |
| 34 |
|
Mauritius |
Port Louis |
2,040 |
1.3 million |
The only African country where Hinduism is the largest religion. |
| 35 |
|
Morocco |
Rabat |
446,550 |
37.2 million |
Home to the world's largest desert, the Sahara. |
| 36 |
|
Mozambique |
Maputo |
801,590 |
31.3 million |
The only country with an AK-47 on its national flag. |
| 37 |
|
Namibia |
Windhoek |
825,615 |
2.5 million |
Home to the world's oldest desert, the Namib. |
| 38 |
|
Niger |
Niamey |
1,267,000 |
25.1 million |
Over 80% of its land is covered by the Sahara Desert. |
| 39 |
|
Nigeria |
Abuja |
923,768 |
206 million |
The most populous country in Africa. |
| 40 |
|
Rwanda |
Kigali |
26,338 |
13.2 million |
Known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills." |
| 41 |
|
São Tomé and Príncipe |
São Tomé |
964 |
220,000 |
One of Africa’s smallest countries. |
| 42 |
|
Senegal |
Dakar |
196,722 |
16.7 million |
Home to Africa’s westernmost point, Cap Vert. |
| 43 |
|
Seychelles |
Victoria |
459 |
99,000 |
Smallest population of any African country. |
| 44 |
|
Sierra Leone |
Freetown |
71,740 |
8.1 million |
Known for its diamond-rich land. |
| 45 |
|
Somalia |
Mogadishu |
637,657 |
16.8 million |
Has the longest coastline in mainland Africa. |
| 46 |
|
South Africa |
Pretoria (admin), Cape Town (legis.), Bloemfontein (judic.) |
1,221,037 |
59.3 million |
Has three capital cities. |
| 47 |
|
South Sudan |
Juba |
619,745 |
11.1 million |
The youngest country in the world (independent since 2011). |
| 48 |
|
Sudan |
Khartoum |
1,886,068 |
44.9 million |
Home to more pyramids than Egypt. |
| 49 |
|
Tanzania |
Dodoma |
947,303 |
59.7 million |
Home to Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. |
| 50 |
|
Togo |
Lomé |
56,785 |
8.2 million |
One of the smallest countries in mainland Africa. |
| 51 |
|
Tunisia |
Tunis |
163,610 |
11.8 million |
The site of the ancient city of Carthage. |
| 52 |
|
Uganda |
Kampala |
241,038 |
45.7 million |
Source of the Nile River is in Uganda. |
| 53 |
|
Zambia |
Lusaka |
752,612 |
18.9 million |
Home to Victoria Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfalls. |
| 54 |
|
Zimbabwe |
Harare |
390,757 |
14.9 million |
Known for the Great Zimbabwe ruins. |
