Africa, the second-largest continent after Asia, covers approximately 30.3 million square kilometers (11.7 million square miles), representing about 20% of the Earth’s land area.
As of 2024, it is home to around 1.5 billion people, making it the second-most populous continent after Asia.
The African continent has clearly defined borders and consists of 54 recognized sovereign countries. The linguistic diversity, with over 3,000 languages spoken, is a testament to the distinct cultures of each country. Among the widely spoken languages are Arabic, Swahili, French, and English.
Geographically, the Atlantic Ocean borders Africa to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Africa is separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea.
The largest African country by area is Algeria, with the Sahara taking up 80% of the country. Madagascar is one of the many significant islands associated with the continent.
Africa consistently ranks as one of the fastest-growing economic regions, with several African countries regularly appearing among the world’s top performers.
Countries in Africa in alphabetical order
Here is the alphabetical list of the African country names with their capitals. We have also included the countries’ regions, the international standard for country codes (ISO 3166) and continents, as they may extend more than one continent.
🗺️ Looking for a map of all African countries with their names and borders? You’ll find it further down the page, or you can jump straight to the map here.
Download: list of African countries
Africa map
Africa is divided into five regions: Northern Africa, Eastern and Western Africa, Middle (Central) Africa and Southern Africa.
Our printable African maps show the exact locations of each country.
How many countries are in Africa?
There are 54 countries in Africa today. This is more than any other continent. The countries are as follows: Algeria, Angola, Benin (Dahomey), Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Republic of the Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Depending on the source, some may claim there are 55 countries in Africa, as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) seeks international recognition as an independent nation.
Related: How many countries are there in the world?
United Nations members in Africa
The United Nations (UN) recognizes 54 African states:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia, The
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- United Republic of Tanzania
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
The African Union member states
The African Union was launched in 2002 to support the economic, political, and social integration of Africa. It recognizes 55 union member states, which consist of the countries of the African continent.
The difference lies in the partially recognized state of SADR, a self-declared state claiming sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which is largely under Moroccan control.
The African Union recognizes the SADR as a full member state. In contrast, the United Nations does not recognize it as a sovereign country and instead lists Western Sahara as a non-self-governing territory. View all country names list.
Up next: Do you know the African flags?
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.
Naa-Atswei Mawufemor Lomo is a content writer who contributes educational articles to The Facts Institute. With a background in communication and digital publishing, she specialises in presenting complex information in an accessible and reader-friendly way.