As the second largest continent, Africa has an area of 30.3 million square kilometers, which represents 20.4 percent of the Earth’s land area. The name Africa derives from Roman times. In Roman times, “Africa” was the name of the Carthage area of present-day northeast Tunisia. Later, Africa became the name of the south coast of the Mediterranean and has been the name of the African continent since the Middle Ages.
Regions in Africa
Geographically, the Mediterranean and the Strait of Gibraltar separate Africa from Europe to the north. Africa has land connection with Asia to the northeast; The Suez Canal is considered the distinction between the two continents. By the way, Africa is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Indian Ocean to the southeast and east, and the Red Sea to the northeast.
The highest mountain is Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, 5895 meters above sea level. The longest river is the Nile, which has a length of 6671 kilometers, and the largest lake is Lake Victoria in East Africa with a surface area of 68,800 square kilometers.
How Many Countries in Africa
Africa is often divided into the regions of North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, South Africa and East Africa. The continent consists of 54 independent states and 8 territories. In addition, 2 states come with limited or lack of international recognition: Somaliland and Western Sahara. Three states are monarchies, and the rest are republics.
Africa’s largest country is Algeria; the least is the Seychelles. The Gambia is the smallest country on the African mainland.
Map of African Countries
Surrounded by the East Indian and West Atlantic Oceans, Africa means “place where the sun is hot” in Latin. See below for map of Africa and all state flags.
Although most countries are undeveloped, Africa is one of the best travel destinations in the world. Top destinations include Maasai Mara National Reserve (Kenya), Victoria Falls (Zambia), Pyramids of Giza (Egypt), Cape Town (South Africa) and Marrakech (Morocco).
Alphabetical List of All Countries in Africa
As of 2020, there are a total of 54 countries in Africa. Among all African countries, Nigeria is the largest one by population and Seychelles is the smallest. See the following for full list of African countries and dependencies in alphabetical order:
| # | Flag | Country | Official Name | Population |
| 1 |  |
Algeria | People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria | 43,851,055 |
| 2 |  |
Angola | Republic of Angola | 32,866,283 |
| 3 |  |
Benin | Republic of Benin | 12,123,211 |
| 4 |  |
Botswana | Republic of Botswana | 2,351,638 |
| 5 |  |
Burkina Faso | Burkina Faso | 20,903,284 |
| 6 |  |
Burundi | Republic of Burundi | 11,890,795 |
| 7 |  |
Cameroon | Republic of Cameroon | 26,545,874 |
| 8 |  |
Cabo Verde | Republic of Cabo Verde (formerly Cape Verde) | 555,998 |
| 9 |  |
Central African Republic | Central African Republic | 4,829,778 |
| 10 |  |
Chad | Republic of Chad | 16,425,875 |
| 11 |  |
Comoros | Union of the Comoros | 869,612 |
| 12 |  |
Côte d’Ivoire | Republic of Côte d’Ivoire | 26,378,285 |
| 13 |  |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 89,561,414 |
| 14 |  |
Djibouti | Republic of Djibouti | 988,011 |
| 15 |  |
Egypt | Arab Republic of Egypt | 102,334,415 |
| 16 |  |
Equatorial Guinea | Republic of Equatorial Guinea | 1,402,996 |
| 17 |  |
Eritrea | State of Eritrea | 3,546,432 |
| 18 |  |
Eswatini | Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) | 1,163,491 |
| 19 |  |
Ethiopia | Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | 114,963,599 |
| 20 |  |
Gabon | Gabonese Republic | 2,225,745 |
| 21 |  |
Gambia | Republic of the Gambia | 2,416,679 |
| 22 |  |
Ghana | Republic of Ghana | 31,072,951 |
| 23 |  |
Guinea | Republic of Guinea | 13,132,806 |
| 24 |  |
Guinea-Bissau | Republic of Guinea-Bissau | 1,968,012 |
| 25 |  |
Kenya | Republic of Kenya | 53,771,307 |
| 26 |  |
Lesotho | Kingdom of Lesotho | 2,142,260 |
| 27 |  |
Liberia | Republic of Liberia | 5,057,692 |
| 28 |  |
Libya | State of Libya | 6,871,303 |
| 29 |  |
Madagascar | Republic of Madagascar | 27,691,029 |
| 30 |  |
Malawi | Republic of Malawi | 19,129,963 |
| 31 |  |
Mali | Republic of Mali | 20,250,844 |
| 32 |  |
Mauritania | Islamic Republic of Mauritania | 4,649,669 |
| 33 |  |
Mauritius | Republic of Mauritius | 1,271,779 |
| 34 |  |
Morocco | Kingdom of Morocco | 36,910,571 |
| 35 |  |
Mozambique | Republic of Mozambique | 31,255,446 |
| 36 |  |
Namibia | Republic of Namibia | 2,540,916 |
| 37 |  |
Niger | Republic of the Niger | 24,206,655 |
| 38 |  |
Nigeria | Federal Republic of Nigeria | 206,139,600 |
| 39 |  |
Republic of the Congo | Republic of the Congo | 5,240,011 |
| 40 |  |
Rwanda | Republic of Rwanda | 12,952,229 |
| 41 |  |
Sao Tome and Principe | Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe | 219,170 |
| 42 |  |
Senegal | Republic of Senegal | 16,743,938 |
| 43 |  |
Seychelles | Republic of Seychelles | 98,358 |
| 44 |  |
Sierra Leone | Republic of Sierra Leone | 7,976,994 |
| 45 |  |
Somalia | Federal Republic of Somalia | 15,893,233 |
| 46 |  |
South Africa | Republic of South Africa | 59,308,701 |
| 47 |  |
South Sudan | Republic of South Sudan | 11,193,736 |
| 48 |  |
Sudan | Republic of the Sudan | 43,849,271 |
| 49 |  |
Tanzania | United Republic of Tanzania | 59,734,229 |
| 50 |  |
Togo | Togolese Republic | 8,278,735 |
| 51 |  |
Tunisia | Republic of Tunisia | 11,818,630 |
| 52 |  |
Uganda | Republic of Uganda | 45,741,018 |
| 53 |  |
Zambia | Republic of Zambia | 18,383,966 |
| 54 |  |
Zimbabwe | Republic of Zimbabwe | 14,862,935 |
Dependencies in Africa
Besides 54 independent nations, there are also two dependencies in Africa.
Facts about Africa
- The Nile River can be seen from space.
- Hunger strikes thirty African countries with extreme force, especially those in the contiguous areas of the Sahara.
- Africa’s current political division took shape in the 1960’s and 1970’s, forming 54 independent countries.
- Africa is the only continent in the world cut by three parallels: the Equator Line, as well as the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.