Looking for a comprehensive list of countries in Africa and their capitals, population, and presidents? Well, look no further because in this article you will find an up to date list of African countries in alphabetical order and the estimated population of each country.
Additionally, you will find informative facts about the African continent, countries herein, and about the people living in these African countries.
First and foremost let us some answers to questions about the African continent.
How Many Countries Are in Africa?
Currently, there are 54 countries in Africa, this is in accord with the report given by the United Nations. However, there are three dependent territories and one autonomous territory not included in the list of “countries” in Africa.
These territories are sometimes called dependencies or areas of special sovereignty.
Although more than 90 percent of the countries in Africa were initially colonized by European countries, they are now independent sovereign states.
The African Union
The African Union is made up of 55 Member States which includes the 54 countries in Africa who are also members of the United Nations (UN). In addition, the African Union recognises the membership of the Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (also known as the Sahwari Republic or Western Sahara).
However, the United Nations does not recognise Western Sahara as a country, thus its status is in dispute. In fact, Morocco withdrew its membership from the African Union (formerly known as Organisation of African Union) in 1984 after the AU approved the membership of Western Sahara.
Thirty-two years later, Morocco rejoined the African Union in January 2017. To date, Morocco does not recognise Western Sahara as an independent country.
List of Countries in Africa and Their Capitals
Below is a comprehensive list of countries in Africa and their capital cities in alphabetical order:
| S/N | African country | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Algeria | Algiers |
| 2. | Angola | Luanda |
| 3. | Benin | Porto-Novo |
| 4. | Botswana | Gaborone |
| 5. | Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou |
| 6. | Burundi | Bujumbura |
| 7. | Cameroon | Yaounde |
| 8. | Cape Verde | Praia |
| 9. | Central African Republic | Bangui |
| 10. | Chad | N’Djamena |
| 11. | Comoros | Moroni |
| 12. | Democratic Republic of Congo | Kinshasa |
| 13. | Republic of Congo | Brazzaville |
| 14. | Cote d’Ivoire | Yamoussoukro |
| 15. | Djibouti | Djibouti |
| 16. | Egypt | Cairo |
| 17. | Equatorial Guinea | Malabo |
| 18. | Eritrea | Asmara |
| 19. | Ethiopia | Addis Ababa |
| 20. | Gabon | Libreville |
| 21. | Gambia | Banjul |
| 22. | Ghana | Accra |
| 23. | Guinea | Conakry |
| 24. | Guinea-Bissau | Bissau |
| 25. | Kenya | Nairobi |
| 26. | Lesotho | Maseru |
| 27. | Liberia | Monrovia |
| 28. | Libya | Tripoli |
| 29. | Madagascar | Antananarivo |
| 30. | Malawi | Lilongwe |
| 31. | Mali | Bamako |
| 32. | Mauritania | Nouakchott |
| 33. | Mauritius | Port Louis |
| 34. | Morocco | Rabat |
| 35. | Mozambique | Maputo |
| 36. | Namibia | Windhoek |
| 37. | Niger | Niamey |
| 38. | Nigeria | Abuja |
| 39. | Rwanda | Kigali |
| 40. | Sao Tome and Principe | Sao Tome |
| 41. | Senegal | Dakar |
| 42. | Seychelles | Victoria |
| 43. | Sierra Leone | Freetown |
| 44. | Somalia | Mogadishu |
| 45. | South Africa | • Pretoria (executive), • Bloemfontein (judicial), • Cape Town (legislative). |
| 46. | South Sudan | Juba |
| 47. | Sudan | Khartoum |
| 48. | Swaziland | • Mbabane (executive), • Lobamba (legislative) |
| 49. | Tanzania | • Dar es Salaam (executive), • Dodoma (legislative) |
| 50. | Togo | Lomé |
| 51. | Tunisia | Tunis |
| 52. | Uganda | Kampala |
| 53. | Zambia | Lusaka |
| 54. | Zimbabwe | Harare |
Dependencies and Partially Recognised Territories
| S/N | African territory | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| 55. | Mayotte | Mamoudzou |
| 56. | Réunion | Saint-Denis |
| 57. | Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) | Aauin |
| 58. | Saint Helena | Jamestown |
How Large Is Africa in Terms of Size?
Africa is 30.2 million square kilometres large in territorial space, which is equivalent to 11.68 million square miles. This makes Africa the second largest continent in terms of size, with Asia being the largest continent in the world.
Africa is 1.25 times larger than North America, 1.7 times larger than South America, two times larger than Antarctica, three times larger than Europe, and almost four times larger than Australia (the continent is formerly known as Oceania).
This vast continent is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea to the northeast, and the Indian Ocean to the southeast.
List of Water Bodies Surrounding Africa
The seas, ocean and other water bodies around Africa are;
- The Atlantic Ocean
- The Indian Ocean
- The Mediterranean Sea
- The Red Sea
- The Suez Canal
What Is the Population of Africa?
In 2016, the total population of Africa was estimated at 1.216 billion, which accounts for more than sixteen percent of the world’s population.
According to the United Nations estimates, the current population of Africa is 1.35 billion as of August 2020. This population represents 16.72% of the world’s population. Even more, the population of Africa is estimated to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 and nearly 4.5 billion by 2100.
The African continent has well-outlined borders and its map is a beauty to behold and this has contributed to people putting on a pendant.
List of Countries in Africa and Their Population
Here is a comprehensive list of countries in Africa and their population in 2021:
| S/N | Country | Population (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Nigeria | 206,139,589 |
| 2. | Ethiopia | 114,963,588 |
| 3. | Egypt | 102,334,404 |
| 4. | DR Congo | 89,561,403 |
| 5. | Tanzania | 59,734,218 |
| 6. | South Africa | 59,308,690 |
| 7. | Kenya | 53,771,296 |
| 8. | Uganda | 45,741,007 |
| 9. | Algeria | 43,851,044 |
| 10. | Sudan | 43,849,260 |
| 11. | Morocco | 36,910,560 |
| 12. | Angola | 32,866,272 |
| 13. | Mozambique | 31,255,435 |
| 14. | Ghana | 31,072,940 |
| 15. | Madagascar | 27,691,018 |
| 16. | Cameroon | 26,545,863 |
| 17. | Côte d’Ivoire | 26,378,274 |
| 18. | Niger | 24,206,644 |
| 19. | Burkina Faso | 20,903,273 |
| 20. | Mali | 20,250,833 |
| 21. | Malawi | 19,129,952 |
| 22. | Zambia | 18,383,955 |
| 23. | Senegal | 16,743,927 |
| 24. | Chad | 16,425,864 |
| 25. | Somalia | 15,893,222 |
| 26. | Zimbabwe | 14,862,924 |
| 27. | Guinea | 13,132,795 |
| 28. | Rwanda | 12,952,218 |
| 29. | Benin | 12,123,200 |
| 30. | Burundi | 11,890,784 |
| 31. | Tunisia | 11,818,619 |
| 32. | South Sudan | 11,193,725 |
| 33. | Togo | 8,278,724 |
| 34. | Sierra Leone | 7,976,983 |
| 35. | Libya | 6,871,292 |
| 36. | Congo | 5,518,087 |
| 37. | Liberia | 5,057,681 |
| 38. | Central African Republic | 4,829,767 |
| 39. | Mauritania | 4,649,658 |
| 40. | Eritrea | 3,546,421 |
| 41. | Namibia | 2,540,905 |
| 42. | Gambia | 2,416,668 |
| 43. | Botswana | 2,351,627 |
| 44. | Gabon | 2,225,734 |
| 45. | Lesotho | 2,142,249 |
| 46. | Guinea-Bissau | 1,968,001 |
| 47. | Equatorial Guinea | 1,402,985 |
| 48. | Mauritius | 1,271,768 |
| 49. | Eswatini | 1,160,164 |
| 50. | Djibouti | 988,000 |
| 51. | Comoros | 869,601 |
| 52. | Cape Verde | 555,987 |
| 53. | Sao Tome and Principe | 219,159 |
| 54. | Seychelles | 98,347 |
Dependencies and Partially Recognised Territories
| S/N | Territory | Population (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| 55. | Réunion | 895,312 |
| 56. | Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) | 597,339 |
| 57. | Mayotte | 272,815 |
| 58. | Saint Helena | 6,077 |
List of Countries in Africa and Their Presidents (2021)
Below is a list of African countries and their current Presidents and Prime Ministers as of 2020:
| African country | President |
|---|---|
| Algeria | • Abdelmadjid Tebboune (President) [2019–present] • Abdelaziz Djerrad (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Angola | João Lourenço (President) [2017–present] |
| Benin | Patrice Talon (President) [2016–present] |
| Botswana | Mokgweetsi Masisi (President) [2018–present] |
| Burkina Faso | • Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (President) [2015–present] • Christophe Joseph Marie Dabiré (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Burundi | Evariste Ndayishimiye (President) [2020–present] |
| Cameroon | • Paul Biya (President) [1986–present] • Joseph Ngute (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Cape Verde | • Jorge Carlos Fonseca (President) [2011–present] • Ulisses Correia e Silva (Prime Minister) [2016–present] |
| Central African Republic | • Faustin-Archange Touadéra (President) [2016–present] • Firmin Ngrébada (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Chad | Idriss Déby (President) [1990–present] |
| Comoros | • Azali Assoumani (President) [2016–present] |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | • Félix Tshisekedi (President) [2019–present] • Sylvestre Ilunga (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Republic of Congo | • Denis Sassou Nguesso (President) [1997–present] • Clément Mouamba (Prime Minister) [2016–present] |
| Cote d’Ivoire | • Alassane Ouattara (President) [2010–present] • Hamed Bakayoko (Prime Minister) [2020–present] |
| Djibouti | • Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (President) [1999–present] • Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed (Prime Minister) [2013–present] |
| Egypt | • Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (President) [2014–present] • Moustafa Madbouly (Prime Minister) [2018–present] |
| Equatorial Guinea | • Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (President) [1979–present] • Francisco Pascual Obama Asue (Prime Minister) [2016–present] |
| Eritrea | Isaias Afwerki (President) [1991–present] |
| Ethiopia | • Sahle-Work Zewde (President) [2018–present] • Abiy Ahmed (Prime Minister) [2018–present] |
| Gabon | • Ali Bongo Ondimba (President) [2009–present] • Ossouka Raponda (Prime Minister) [2020–present] |
| Gambia | Adama Barrow (President) [2017–present] |
| Ghana | Nana Akufo-Addo (President) [2017–present] |
| Guinea | • Alpha Condé (President) [2010–present] • Ibrahima Kassory Fofana (Prime Minister) [2018–present] |
| Guinea-Bissau | • Umaro Sissoco Embaló (President) [2020–present] • Nuno Gomes Nabiam (Prime Minister) [2020–present] |
| Kenya | Uhuru Kenyatta (President) [2013–present] |
| Lesotho | • Letsie III (Monarch) [1996–present] • Moeketsi Majoro (Prime Minister) [2020–present] |
| Liberia | George Weah (President) [2018–present] |
| Libya | Fayez al-Sarraj (President) [2016–present] |
| Madagascar | • Andry Rajoelina (President) [2019–present] • Christian Ntsay (Prime Minister) [2018–present] |
| Malawi | Lazarus Chakwera (President) [2020–present] |
| Mali | • Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (President) [2013–present] • Boubou Cisse (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Mauritania | • Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (President) [2009–present] • Ismail Ould Bedde Ould Cheikh Sidiya (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Mauritius | • Pritvirajsing Roopun (President) [2019–present] • Pravind Jugnauth (Prime Minister) [2017–present] |
| Morocco | • Mohammed VI (Monarch) [1999–present] • Saadeddine Othmani (Head of Government) [2017–present] |
| Mozambique | • Filipe Nyusi (President) [2015–present] • Carlos Agostinho do Rosário (Prime Minister) [2015–present] |
| Namibia | • Hage Geingob (President) [2015–present] • Saara Kuugongelwa (Prime Minister) [2015–present] |
| Niger | • Mahamadou Issoufou (President) [2011–present] • Brigi Rafini (Prime Minister) [2011–present] |
| Nigeria | Muhammadu Buhari (President) [2015–present] |
| Rwanda | • Paul Kagame (President) [2000–present] • Édouard Ngirente (Prime Minister) [2017–present] |
| Sao Tome and Principe | • Evaristo Carvalho (President) [2016–present] • Jorge Bom Jesus (Prime Minister) [2018–present] |
| Senegal | • Macky Sall (President) [2012–present] |
| Seychelles | Danny Faure (President) [2016–present] |
| Sierra Leone | • Julius Maada Bio (President) [2018–present] • David J. Francis (Chief Minister) [2018–present] |
| Somalia | • Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (President) [2017–present] • Hassan Ali Khayre (Prime Minister) [2017–2020] |
| South Africa | Cyril Ramaphosa (President) [2018–present] |
| South Sudan | Salva Kiir Mayardit (President) [2005–present] |
| Sudan | • Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (Leader of the Sovereignty Council) [2019–present] • Abdalla Hamdok (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Swaziland | • Mswati III (Monarch) [1986–present] • Mandvulo Ambrose Dlamini (Prime Minister) [2018–present] |
| Tanzania | • John Magufuli (President) [2015–present] • Kassim Majaliwa (Prime Minister) [2015–present] |
| Togo | • Faure Gnassingbé (President) [2005–present] • Komi Sélom Klassou (Prime Minister) [2015–present] |
| Tunisia | • Kais Saied (President) [2019–present] • Hichem Mechichi (Prime Minister) [2019–present] |
| Uganda | • Yoweri Museveni (President) [1986–present] • Ruhakana Rugunda (Prime Minister) [2014–present] |
| Zambia | Edgar Lungu (President) [2015–present] |
| Zimbabwe | Emmerson Mnangagwa (President) [2017–present] |
Dependencies and Partially Recognised Territories
| African territory | Leader |
|---|---|
| Mayotte | Soibahadine Ibrahim Ramadani (President of Regional Councillors) |
| Réunion | Nassimah Dindar (President of the General Council) |
| Saharan Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) | • Brahim Ghali (President) [2016–present] • Bucharaya Hamudi Beyun (Prime Minister) [2020–present] |
| Saint Helena | Philip Rushbrook (Governor of Saint Helena) [2019–present] |
Interesting Facts About Africa That Will Amaze You
- In terms of population, the largest city in Africa is Lagos, Nigeria.
- The most populous black nation in Africa is Nigeria. This country is located in the western region of Africa.
- Egypt is known as the earliest civilization in the world.
- In terms of territory, the largest city in the African continent is either Cairo or Ibadan.
- In terms of territory, the largest country in Africa is Algeria. It represents about 7% of the African continent.
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