Introduction
Below you will find a list of African countries by region followed by a list of interesting facts about African countries. For more information and facts about the regions and countries in the list, including where they are located and when they became a country, see the other pages of this section; all written in a kid-friendly format.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about Africa.
List of African Countries by Region
North Africa Countries List
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Libya
- Morocco
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Western Sahara
East Africa Countries List
- Burundi
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mozambique
- Reunion
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Somalia
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
West Africa Countries List
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cape Verde
- Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Helena
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
Central Africa Countries List
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Congo
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Sao Tome and Principe
South Africa Countries List
- Botswana
- Lesotho
- Namibia
- South Africa
- Swaziland
Interesting Facts about African Countries
- Algeria is the largest African country and the tenth-largest country in the world. This country measures 919,595 square miles (2,381,741 square kilometers).
- The 115-island country of Seychelles, located in the Indian Ocean, is the smallest African country. This country measures 176 square miles (455 square kilometers).
- Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest point in Africa. It is 19,336 feet (5,894 meters) high. The lowest point is Lake Asal in Djibouti it is 502 feet (153 meters) below sea level.
- Egypt is home to the world's first great civilization.
- Ethiopia is Africa's oldest independent country.
- Approximately ninety percent of Algeria is desert.
- The Libyan desert is one of the most arid places in the world. This desert covers most of Libya.
- Sudan was once the largest country in Africa (measured by total area), however when it split into Sudan and South Sudan in 2011 it became the third largest country in Africa. Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are now larger.
- Tunisia is the northern most country on the African continent.
- The African country Western Sahara has a very small population and is mostly desert flatlands.
- The country of Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world.
- In the 1950s African countries began to gain their independence from control by the Major European powers. In 1951 Libya gained independence from Italy; in 1956 both Tunisia and Morocco broke away from France; followed by Ghana in 1957. This became possible due to the weakened state of the major European powers after World War 2.
- South Africa has become the African continents richest economy due to the abundance of mineral deposits found there. Along with such minerals as gold and platinum, diamonds are also mined there.
- For decades a horrible civil war raged in Sudan which, in 2011, resulted in South Sudan gaining its independence. Approximately two and a half million people lost their lives during this conflict.