North Africa or Northern Africa | ||||
![]() Assekrem, a high plateau in the Hoggar Mountains, the region is part of the Cultural park of Ahaggar (mountains) near Tamanrasset in southern Algeria. Image: Mohammed Amri | ||||
North Africa or Northern Africa (as used by the United Nations) refers to the portion of Africa along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (except for Sudan). In the northwest, the Atlas Mountains dominate the area. South of the Mediterranean coastal strip stretches the Sahara from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east. There are six countries in Northern Africa and one disputed territory, Western Sahara. According to the United Nations Population Division, approximately 242 million people live in Northern Africa (in 2019). | ||||
Algeria | 42,679 | Algeria Map | Algiers | |
Egypt | 101,169 | Egypt Map | Cairo | |
Libya | 6,570 | Libya Map | Tripoli | |
Morocco | 36,635 | Morocco Map | Rabat | |
Sudan | 42,514 | Sudan Map | Khartoum | |
Tunisia | 11,783 | Tunisia Map | Tunis | |
Western Sahara | 582 | see: Mauritania Map | (El Aaiún) | |
West Africa or Western Africa | ||||
![]() Aerial view of Bargny, a coastal fishing town in the Rufisque Département of Senegal. The city is located on the south coast of the Cap-Vert peninsula, about 15 km to the east of Senegal's capital, Dakar. Image: Peter A Harrison | ||||
West Africa or Western Africa mostly refers to the countries north of the Gulf of Guinea in the north-western part of the continent. West Africa is located in the southern part of the so-called hump of Africa; it is bounded in the north by the Sahara desert and the Sahel zone. There are sixteen countries in West Africa and one British Overseas Territory, Saint Helena. According to the United Nations Population Division, an estimated 392 million people live in West Africa (in 2019). | ||||
Benin | 11,802 | Benin Map | Porto-Novo, Cotonou | |
Burkina Faso | 20,322 | Burkina Faso Map | Ouagadougou | |
Cape Verde | 560 | Cape Verde Map | Praia | |
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) | 25,531 | Ivory Coast Map | Yamoussoukro, Abidjan | |
Gambia, The | 2,228 | see: Senegal Map | Banjul | |
Ghana | 30,100 | Ghana Map | Accra | |
Guinea | 13,400 | Guinea Map | Conakry | |
Guinea-Bissau | 1,954 | Guinea-Bissau Map | Bissau | |
Liberia | 4,978 | Liberia Map | Monrovia | |
Mali | 19,689 | Mali Map | Bamako | |
Mauritania | 4,661 | Mauritania Map | Nouakchott | |
Niger | 23,177 | Niger Map | Niamey | |
Nigeria | 200,962 | Nigeria Map | Abuja | |
Saint Helena (UK) | 4.5 | Jamestown | ||
Senegal | 16,744 | Senegal Map | Dakar | |
Sierra Leone | 7,883 | Sierra Leone Map | Freetown | |
Togo | 8,186 | Togo Map | Lomé | |
Central Africa (Middle Africa, or also Equatorial Africa) | ||||
![]() Kalandula water fall at the Lucala River in the Malanje Province of Angola. Image: L.Willms | ||||
Central Africa or Middle Africa (as used by the United Nations) refers to the tropical central portion of the African continent. There are nine countries in Central Africa, including the island nation of S?o Tomé and Príncipe. According to the United Nations Population Division, approximately 174 million people live in Central Africa (in 2019). | ||||
Angola | 31,788 | Angola Map | Luanda | |
Cameroon | 25,313 | Cameroon Map | Yaounde | |
Central African Republic | 4,826 | Central African Republic Map | Bangui | |
Chad | 15,814 | Chad Map | N'Djamena | |
Congo, Rep. (Brazzaville) | 5,542 | Congo, Rep. Map | Brazzaville | |
Congo, Dem. Rep. (Kinshasa) | 86,728 | Congo, Dem. Rep. Map | Kinshasa | |
Equatorial Guinea | 1,360 | Equatorial Guinea Map | Malabo | |
Gabon | 2,109 | Gabon Map | Libreville | |
São Tomé & Príncipe | 213 | São Tomé | ||
East Africa | ||||
![]() Rothschild's giraffe at the White Nile out of Lake Albert in the Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda. Image: Bernard DUPONT | ||||
East Africa or Eastern Africa, is the eastern portion of the African continent; it includes Madagascar and other, smaller islands. In a narrower sense, the term East Africa may refer to the former British colonial areas of present-day Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. According to the United Nations Population Division, roughly 445 million people live in East Africa (in 2019). | ||||
Burundi | 11,576 | Map of Burundi | Bujumbura | |
Comoros | 851 | Map of Comoros | Moroni | |
Djibouti | 986 | Map of Djibouti | Djibouti | |
Eritrea | 5,310 | Map of Eritrea | Asmara | |
Ethiopia | 110,136 | Map of Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | |
Kenya | 52,215 | Map of Kenya | Nairobi | |
Madagascar | 26,970 | Map of Madagascar | Antananarivo | |
Malawi | 19,719 | Map of Malawi | Lilongwe | |
Mauritius | 1,271 | Port Louis | ||
Mozambique | 31,409 | Map of Mozambique | Maputo | |
Réunion (France) | 890 | Map of Réunion | Saint Denis | |
Rwanda | 12,794 | Map of Rwanda | Kigali | |
Seychelles | 96 | Victoria | ||
Somalia and Somaliland | 15,636 | Map of Somalia | Mogadishu | |
![]() | South Sudan | 13,263 | see: Sudan Map | Juba |
Tanzania | 60,914 | Map of Tanzania | Dodoma, Dar es Salaam | |
Uganda | 45,712 | Map of Uganda | Kampala | |
Zambia | 18,137 | Map of Zambia | Lusaka | |
Zimbabwe | 17,297 | Map of Zimbabwe | Harare | |
Southern Africa | ||||
![]() Gigantic sand dunes in the Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia. Image: Yathin S Krishnappa | ||||
Southern Africa is the southern portion of the African continent, bounded by the South Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Indian Ocean in the east. The United Nations geoscheme lists five countries in Southern Africa, with a total population of about 67 million people (in 2019). | ||||
Botswana | 2,375 | Botswana Map | Gaborone | |
Lesotho | 2,293 | Maseru | ||
Namibia | 2,642 | Namibia Map | Windhoek | |
South Africa | 58,065 | South Africa Map | Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town | |
Swaziland | 1,415 | Swaziland Map | Mbabane, Lobamba | |