The 54 Countries in Africa in Alphabetical Order

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 over 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.

Countries of the World Map
Where is Africa? A detailed map showcasing the six continents (Shutterstock)

Geographically, the Atlantic Ocean borders Africa to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. 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 is projected to witness one of the fastest economic growths in 2024, with nine of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies located on the continent.

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.

CountryCountry CapitalCountry CodeRegionContinent
AlgeriaAlgiersDZNorthern AfricaAfrica
AngolaLuandaAOSouthwest AfricaAfrica
Benin (Dahomey)Porto-NovoBJWestern AfricaAfrica
BotswanaGaboroneBWSouthern AfricaAfrica
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta)OuagadougouBFWestern AfricaAfrica
BurundiGitega (political capital), Bujumbura (commercial capital)BIEastern AfricaAfrica
Cabo VerdePraiaCVWestern AfricaAfrica
CameroonYaoundéCMWestern AfricaAfrica
Central African RepublicBanguiCFCentral AfricaAfrica
ChadN'DjamenaTDCentral AfricaAfrica
ComorosMoroniKMEastern African CoastAfrica
Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative capital)CIWestern AfricaAfrica
Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasaCDCentral AfricaAfrica
DjiboutiDjibouti cityDJEastern AfricaAfrica
EgyptCairoEGNortheastern Africa, Southwestern AsiaAfrica, Asia
Equatorial GuineaMalaboGQWestern Central AfricaAfrica
EritreaAsmaraERNortheastern AfricaAfrica
Eswatini (Swaziland)Mbabane (administrative capital), Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)SZSouthern AfricaAfrica
EthiopiaAddis AbabaETEastern AfricaAfrica
GabonLibrevilleGACentral AfricaAfrica
Gambia, TheBanjulGMWestern AfricaAfrica
GhanaAccraGHWestern AfricaAfrica
GuineaConakryGNWestern AfricaAfrica
Guinea-BissauBissauGWWestern AfricaAfrica
KenyaNairobiKEEastern AfricaAfrica
LesothoMaseruLSSouthern AfricaAfrica
LiberiaMonroviaLRWestern AfricaAfrica
LibyaTripoliLYNorthern AfricaAfrica
MadagascarAntananarivoMGSoutheastern Africa CoastAfrica
MalawiLilongweMWSoutheastern AfricaAfrica
MaliBamakoMLWestern AfricaAfrica
MauritaniaNouakchottMRWestern AfricaAfrica
MauritiusPort LouisMUSouthern AfricaAfrica
MoroccoRabatMANorthern AfricaAfrica
MozambiqueMaputoMZSoutheastern AfricaAfrica
NamibiaWindhoekNASouthern AfricaAfrica
NigerNiameyNEWestern AfricaAfrica
NigeriaAbujaNGWestern AfricaAfrica
Republic of the CongoBrazzavilleCGCentral AfricaAfrica
RwandaKigaliRWCentral AfricaAfrica
São Tomé and PríncipeSão ToméSTCentral Africa Africa
SenegalDakarSNWestern AfricaAfrica
SeychellesVictoriaSCEastern African CoastAfrica
Sierra LeoneFreetownSLWestern AfricaAfrica
SomaliaMogadishuSOEastern AfricaAfrica
South AfricaPretoria (administrative capital), Bloemfontein (judicial capital), Cape Town (legislative capital)ZASouthern AfricaAfrica
South SudanJubaSSEast-Central AfricaAfrica
SudanKhartoumSDNortheastern AfricaAfrica
TanzaniaDodomaTZEastern AfricaAfrica
TogoLoméTGWestern AfricaAfrica
TunisiaTunisTNNorthern AfricaAfrica
UgandaKampalaUGEast-Central AfricaAfrica
ZambiaLusakaZMSouth-Central AfricaAfrica
ZimbabweHarareZWSouthern AfricaAfrica

View all country names list.

countries in africa map
Countries in Africa Map (Shutterstock)

How many countries are in Africa?

There are 54 countries in Africa today: 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.

United Nations members in Africa

The United Nations (UN) recognizes 54 African states:

  1. Algeria
  2. Angola
  3. Benin
  4. Botswana
  5. Burkina Faso
  6. Burundi
  7. Cabo Verde
  8. Cameroon
  9. Central African Republic
  10. Chad
  11. Comoros
  12. Congo
  13. Côte d’Ivoire
  14. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  15. Djibouti
  16. Egypt
  17. Equatorial Guinea 
  18. Eritrea
  19. Eswatini
  20. Ethiopia
  21. Gabon
  22. Gambia
  23. Ghana
  24. Guinea
  25. Guinea-Bissau
  26. Kenya
  27. Lesotho
  28. Liberia
  29. Libya
  30. Madagascar
  31. Malawi
  32. Mali
  33. Mauritania
  34. Mauritius
  35. Morocco
  36. Mozambique 
  37. Namibia
  38. Niger
  39. Nigeria
  40. Rwanda
  41. Sao Tome and Principe
  42. Senegal
  43. Seychelles
  44. Sierra Leone
  45. Somalia
  46. South Africa
  47. South Sudan
  48. Sudan
  49. Togo
  50. Tunisia
  51. Uganda
  52. United Republic of Tanzania
  53. Zambia
  54. 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 the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a self-declared state claiming authority over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which is mostly under Moroccan control.

In comparison, the UN lists it as a non-self-governing territory. If you also recognize SADR, then there are 55 countries in Africa.

Learn about the other six continents here.

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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.

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