Africa Map

The Africa map is a detailed description of the African continent. The map shows all the 54 sovereign states as well as 10 non-sovereign territories that comprise the continent. The map is a detailed representation of the fully recognized states, states that have limited recognition and dependent territories belong to both African as well as non-African states.

taly, Spain, France, Malta, and Portugal are a few European countries that have some territory located in the African continent. Though these territories are much closer to Africa as compared to the European mainland, they are considered European. Similar is the case with the island of Socotra. The island is a part of Yemen, a country in Asia, but actually lies on the African plate and is much near to Africa as compared to Asia. Egypt, too, is considered a part of Africa; however, it extends into Asia through the Sinai Peninsula.

About Africa

Africa comprises an area of 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles), including the surrounding islands, and is the second largest continent in the world. It is also the second most populous continent in the world and has a population of around 1,2 billion people, as of 2016. Africa comprises around16 percent of the population of the world and covers approximately 6 percent of the surface of the earth. In terms of area and population, Asia is the largest. Among all the continents of the world, Africa has the youngest population. According to statistics, in 2012, the median age in the continent was 19.7.

The Mediterranean Sea is located to the north of Africa, while the Indian Ocean is to the southeast. The Red Sea and the Suez Canal are located to the northeast along the Sinai Peninsula. The Atlantic Ocean is located to the west. The continent includes many archipelagoes, including Madagascar. Apart from these, the continent is made up of 54 fully sovereign countries and nine territories. The continent also includes two de facto independent states, which have either limited or no recognition. Among the countries that comprise the continent, Algeria is the largest in terms of area, while Nigeria is the most populous.

Africa is a huge continent comprising many cultures, languages, ethnicities and traditions. It has also a rich and diverse history. In fact, it is said that Africa is the place where the humankind originated. It is also the place of origin of the Hominidae Clade (great apes). The earliest Homo sapiens that have been found in Ethiopia dated back to approximately 200,000 years ago. Africa, which is home to a diverse landscape and numerous climates, is the only continent in the world that stretches from the northern temperate to the southern temperate zones.

Africa is also home to different environments, and varies from country to country in terms of historical ties, governments, and economies. The Europeans began the process of the colonization of the continent in the late 19th century; however in the 20th century the decolonization process began which led to the emergence of many modern states. The century also witnesses the establishment of the African Union with its headquarters in Addis Abba.

History of Africa

Africa has a rich history, which dates back to many millennia. According to archeologists, the history of Africa starts with Homo sapiens, who originated in the east of the continent. The Kingdom of Kush comprises the first recorded early civilization of Africa. Later civilizations emerged in Maghreb, Ancient Egypt, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa. The Middles Ages witnessed the emergence of Islam, which traveled to Egypt from Arabia. Some of the pre-colonial civilizations, which gained prominence in Africa and also carved a name across the world, are Ancient Carthage, Benin Empire, Kingdom of Zimbabwe, Numidia, Ashanti Empire, and many others.

In 652 AD the second battle of Dongola took place, which witnessed an armistice between the Kingdom of Makuria and the Rashidun Caliphate. Following this, as a part of the Muslim trade, Africans were enslaved by the Muslim Arabs. These slaves were transported across the Sahara Desert, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The late 15th century witnessed the Europeans joining the slave trade. As a part of the Atlantic Slave Trade, the Portuguese began to acquire slaves. They initially acquired slaves through trade; however, later they began to use force. The slaves were transported out of Africa.

The late 19th and early 20th century witnessed various colonial powers setting up their colonies in Africa. This phase came to be known as the Scramble for Africa. According to estimates, prior to the colonization of the continent, it was home to around 10,000 different states and autonomous groups comprising their distinct culture, traditions, languages, and customs.

The middle of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of the freedom movement in many parts of the continent. These freedoms struggles against the European powers weakened by the devastation of the Second World War enabled many countries to attain independence. This culminated in the 1960 Year of Africa.

Geography of Africa

Africa comprises a diverse geography, which includes mountains, rivers, deserts, and other physical features. Covering an area of 30,368,609 km2 (11,725,385 sq mi), Africa comprises 63 political territories. Nile is the largest river in Africa, while Lake Victoria is the longest river. The highest mountain in Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro.

The Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea separate Africa from Europe and a major part of Asia respectively. However, a part of Asia is joined to Africa via the Isthmus of Suez. The Sinai Peninsula, which is located to the east of Suez Canal is often referred to as a part of the African continent.

Sovereign Countries in Africa

Recognised African Countries

The following 54 fully recognised countries are all members of the UN, and as of 2015, all other than Central African Republic and Morocco are members of the African Union.

S.N.Recognised States in AfricaCapitalPopulationCurrencyDialing CodeGDP (PPP) in MillionsNominal GDP - $ MillionsGDP (PPP) per CapitaArea (km2)Area (sq mi)
1AlgeriaAlgiers333,33,267Dinar+213$5,70,600$1,75,100$14,400 23,81,7409,19,595
2AngolaLuanda169,41,000Kwanza+244$1,85,200$1,02,000$7,600 12,46,7004,81,354
3BeninPorto-Novo84,39,000CFA franc+229$21,160$7,701$2,000 1,12,62243,484
4BotswanaGaborone18,39,833Pula+267$37,160$13,090$17,700 5,81,7262,24,606
5Burkina FasoOuagadougou132,28,000CFA franc+226$31,180$11,320$1,800 2,74,0001,05,792
6BurundiBujumbura75,48,000Burundian franc+257$7,883$2,970$900 27,83010,745
7CameroonYaoundé177,95,000CFA franc+237$72,110$28,520$3,200 4,75,4421,83,569
8Cape VerdePraia4,20,979Cape Verdean escudo+238$3,479$1,641$6,700 4,0331,557
9Central African RepublicBangui42,16,666CFA franc+236$3,052$1,624$600 6,22,9842,40,535
10ChadN'Djamena101,46,000CFA franc+235$32,000$11,690$2,800 12,84,0004,95,755
11ComorosMoroni7,98,000Comorian franc+269$1,214$589$1,600 2,235863
12Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasa755,07,308Congolese franc+243$63,270$39,060$800 23,44,8589,05,355
13DjiboutiDjibouti City9,06,000Djiboutian franc+253$3,093$1,743$3,300 23,2008,958
14EgyptCairo845,50,000Egyptian pound+20$9,96,000$2,86,400$11,500 10,01,4493,86,662
15Equatoria`l GuineaMalabo5,04,000CFA Franc+240$25,940$10,030$33,300 28,05110,831
16EritreaAsmara58,80,000Nakfa+291$7,938$4,256$1,200 1,17,60045,406
17EthiopiaAddis Ababa852,37,338Birr+251$1,59,200$57,560$1,700 11,04,3004,26,373
18GabonLibreville13,84,000CFA franc+241$34,410$13,800$21,700 2,67,6681,03,347
19GambiaBanjul15,17,000Gambian dalasi+220$3,269$761$1,700 10,3804,008
20GhanaAccra230,00,000Ghana cedi+233$1,13,300$37,680$4,300 2,38,53492,098
21GuineaConakry100,57,975CFA Franc+240$15,280$6,733$1,300 2,45,85794,926
22Guinea-BissauBissau15,86,000CFA franc+245$2,677$1,035$1,500 36,12513,948
23Ivory CoastYamoussoukro176,54,843CFA franc+225$78,330$31,270$3,400 3,22,4601,24,503
24KenyaNairobi347,07,817Kenyan shilling+254$1,43,100$63,120$3,300 5,80,3672,24,081
25LesothoMaseru20,67,000Lesotho loti+266$5,777$2,035$3,000 30,35511,720
26LiberiaMonrovia41,28,572Liberian dollar+231$3,780$2,015$900 1,11,36943,000
27LibyaTripoli60,36,914Dinar+218$92,870$29,720$15,100 17,59,5406,79,362
28MadagascarAntananarivo186,06,000Malagasy ariary+261$35,560$9,514$1,500 5,87,0412,26,658
29MalawiLilongwe128,84,000Kwacha+265$20,560$6,388$1,200 1,18,48445,747
30MaliBamako135,18,000CFA franc+223$29,150$10,950$1,800 12,40,1924,78,841
31MauritaniaNouakchott30,69,000Ouguiya+222$16,430$4,677$4,500 10,30,7003,97,955
32MauritiusPort Louis12,19,220Mauritian rupee+230$24,510$11,570$19,500 2,040788
33MoroccoRabat357,57,175Moroccan dirham+212$2,74,500$1,03,100$8,300 4,46,5501,72,414
34MozambiqueMaputo203,66,795Mozambican metical+258$33,730$16,990$1,300 8,01,5903,09,496
35NamibiaWindhoek20,31,000Namibian dollar+264$24,840$12,860$11,300 8,25,4183,18,696
36NigerNiamey139,57,000CFA franc+227$18,960$7,119$1,100 12,67,0004,89,191
37NigeriaAbuja1745,07,539Naira+234$11,05,000$4,93,000$6,400 9,23,7683,56,669
38Republic of the CongoBrazzaville40,12,809CFA franc+242$28,920$8,871$6,800 3,42,0001,32,047
39RwandaKigali76,00,000Rwandan franc+250$20,320$8,468$1,800 26,79810,347
40São Tomé and PríncipeSão Tomé1,83,176Dobra+239$663.7$326$3,400 964372
41SenegalDakar116,58,000CFA franc+221$36,300$13,990$2,500 1,96,72375,955
42SeychellesVictoria80,654Seychellois rupee+248$2,533$1,375$27,000 451174
43Sierra LeoneFreetown61,44,562Leone+232$9,833$4,266$1,600 71,74027,699
44SomaliaMogadishu98,32,017Somali shilling+252$4,431$5,800$400 6,37,6572,46,201
45South AfricaBloemfontein(judicial) Cape Town(legislative) and Pretoria(executive)529,81,991South African rand+27$7,24,000$3,17,300$13,400 12,21,0374,71,445
46South SudanJuba82,60,490South Sudanese pound+211$22,460$12,880$2,000 6,44,3292,48,777
47SudanKhartoum367,87,012Sudanese pound+249$1,67,400$84,330$4,500 18,61,4847,18,723
48SwazilandLobamba (royal and legislative) Mbabane(administrative)10,32,000Lilangeni+268$10,870$4,305$9,800 17,3646,704
49TanzaniaDodoma449,29,002Tanzanian shilling+255$1,38,300$46,190$3,000 9,45,2033,64,945
50TogoLomé71,54,237CFA franc+228$10,820$4,152$1,500 56,78521,925
51TunisiaTunis101,02,000Tunisian dinar+216$1,27,200$44,270$11,600 1,63,61063,170
52UgandaKampala276,16,000Ugandan shilling+256$79,750$24,940$2,100 2,36,04091,136
53ZambiaLusaka146,68,000Zambian kwacha+260$64,650$24,470$4,300 7,52,6142,90,586
54ZimbabweHarare130,10,000US dollar+263$27,920$13,910$2,100 3,90,7571,50,872

African Countries with Limited Recognition

The following are countries that have settled themselves in Africa as sovereign countries, but remain partial in official acceptance and are not members of the UN. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic however, is a member of African Union.

S.N.CountryStatusCapitalCurremcyDialing CodePopulationGDP (PPP) in MillionsGDP Nominal in MillionsGDP per capitaArea (km2)Area (sq mi)
1Sahrawi Arab Democratic RepublicClaimed as the southernmost provinces of Morocco. Recognized by the African Union and 84 UN members as the representative government of Western Sahara.El Aaiún(proclaimed)Algerian dinar, Sahrawi peseta+2122,66,000   2,67,4051,03,246
2SomalilandState within the Federal regions of Somalia.Recognized by no UN member.HargeisaSomaliland shilling+25240,00,000$3,200  $577 1,37,60053,128

Non-Sovereign Territories in Africa

There are ten non-sovereign territories currently located in Africa.

Dependent Territories in Africa

This list includes territories that are politically administered as external dependencies of other countries.

S.N.Dependent Territories in AfricaStatusCapitalCurremcyDialing CodePopulationGDP (PPP) in MillionsGDP Nominal in MillionsGDP per capitaArea (km2)Area (sq mi)
1French Southern and Antarctic LandsFrench overseas territorySaint-PierreEuro+33, +262140 estimate   38.615
2Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaBritish overseas territoryJamestownSaint Helena pound, Pound sterling+2905661$31.10  $7,800 420162

Other Areas in Africa Continent

This list includes areas that are administered as incorporated parts of a mainly non-African country.

S.N.Other Areas in AfricaStatusCapitalCurremcyDialing CodePopulationGDP (PPP) in MillionsGDP Nominal in MillionsGDP per capitaArea (km2)Area (sq mi)
1Canary IslandsSpanish autonomous communitySanta Cruz and Las PalmasEuro+3422,05,247 $54,737 $25,512 7,4472,875
2CeutaSpanish autonomous cityCeutaEuro+34 95276,861 $2,194 $28,372 2811
3MadeiraPortuguese autonomous regionFunchalEuro(+351) 291 XXX XXX2,67,785 $5,750 $23,226 828320
4MayotteFrench overseas departmentMamoudzouEuro+2621,86,452 $2,400 $10,891 374144
5MelillaSpanish autonomous cityMelillaEuro+34 95272,000 $2,037 $26,915 208
6Plazas de soberaníaSpanish overseas territoryN/AEuro+3474     
7RéunionFrench overseas regionSaint-DenisEuro+2627,93,000 $22,200 $26,369 2,512970
8Pelagie IslandsItalian territoryLampedusa e LinosaEuro+396,304   21.48