List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Africa explained

This is a list of sovereign states and dependent territories in Africa. It includes fully recognised states, states with limited or zero recognition, and dependent territories of both African and non-African states. It lists 56 sovereign states (54 of which are member states of the United Nations), two non-sovereign (dependent) territories of non-African sovereign states, and nine sub-national regions of non-African sovereign states. Malta and parts of France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain are located on the African continental plate, some considerably closer to the African mainland than the European mainland but, politically, are generally considered to be European by convention. Egypt, although extending into Asia through the Sinai Peninsula, is considered an African state.

Sovereign states

Recognised sovereign states

The following 54 fully recognised states are all members of the United Nations^[1] and the African Union.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO ^[6] ^[7] ^[8] ^[9]	Domestic short and formal name(s)	Capital ^[10] ^[11]	Population	Area ^[12]	Currency
		Algeria People's Democratic Republic of Algeria DZA	Arabic: الجزائر—الجمهورية الجزائرية الديمقراطية الشعبية (Al Jazāʼir — Al Jumhūriyyah al Jazāʾiriyyah ad Dimuqrāṭiyyah ash Shaʾbiyyah)	Algiers Arabic: الجزائر (Al Jazā’ir)			Algerian dinar
		Angola Republic of Angola AGO	Portuguese Angola—República de Angola	Luanda Portuguese Luanda			kwanza
		Benin Republic of Benin BEN	French Bénin—République du Bénin	Porto-Novo French Porto-Novo			CFA franc
		Botswana Republic of Botswana BWA	English Botswana—Republic of Botswana Tswana: Botswana—Lefatshe la Botswana	Gaborone English Gaborone Tswana: Gaborone			pula
		Burkina Faso People's Republic of Burkina Faso BFA	French Burkina Faso	Ouagadougou French Ouagadougou			CFA franc
		Burundi Republic of Burundi BDI	French Burundi—République du Burundi Kirundi: Burundi—Republika y'u Burundi	Gitega French Gitega Kirundi: Gitega			Burundi franc
		Cameroon Republic of Cameroon CMR	English Cameroon—Republic of Cameroon French: Cameroun—République du Cameroun	Yaoundé English Yaoundé French: Yaoundé		includes the Cameroonian-administered parts of Southern Cameroons, which is claimed by the Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation as the Republic of Ambazonia	CFA franc
		Cape Verde Republic of Cabo Verde CPV	Portuguese Cabo Verde—República de Cabo Verde	Praia Portuguese Praia			Cape Verdean escudo
		Central African Republic CAF	Sango Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka French: République centrafricaine	Bangui Sango Bangî French: Bangui			CFA franc
		Chad Republic of Chad TCD	Arabic: تشاد—جمهورية تشاد (Tshād—Jumhūriyyat Tshād) French: Tchad—République du Tchad	N'Djamena Arabic: نجامينا (Nijāmīnā) French: N'Djaména			CFA franc
		Comoros Union of the Comoros COM	Arabic: جزرالقمر—جمهورية القمرالمتحدة (Juzur al Qamar—Jumhūriyyat al Qamar al Muttaḥidah) Comorian: Komori—Udzima waKomori French: Comores—Union des Comores	Moroni Arabic: موروني (Mūrūnī) French: Moroni			Comorian franc
		Democratic Republic of the Congo^[13] COD	French République démocratique du Congo	Kinshasa French Kinshasa			Congolese franc
		Republic of the Congo^[14] COG	French République du Congo	Brazzaville French Brazzaville			CFA franc
		Djibouti Republic of Djibouti DJI	Arabic: جيبوتي—جمهورية جيبوتي (Jibūti—Jumhūrīyat Jibūti) French: Djibouti—République de Djibouti	Djibouti Arabic مدينة جيبوتي (Jibūti Madīna) French: Ville de Djibouti			Djibouti franc
		Egypt Arab Republic of Egypt^[15] EGY	Arabic: مصر—جمهورية مصر العربية(Miṣr—Jumhūrīyat Miṣr al ʿArabiyyah)	Cairo Arabic القاهرة (al Qāhirah)			Egyptian pound
		Equatorial Guinea Republic of Equatorial Guinea GNQ	Spanish Guinea Ecuatorial—República de Guinea Ecuatorial French: Guinée équatoriale—République de Guinée équatoriale Portuguese: Guiné Equatorial—República da Guiné Equatorial	Malabo^[16] Spanish Malabo French: Malabo Portuguese: Malabo			CFA franc
		Eritrea State of Eritrea ERI	Arabic: إرتريا—دولة إرتريا (ʾIritriyā—Dawlat ʾIritriyā) English: Eritrea—State of Eritrea Tigrinya: ኤርትራ — ሃገረ ኤርትራ (ʾErtra—Hagere ʾErtra)	Asmara Arabic أسمرة (ʾAsmara) English: Asmara Tigrinya: ኣስመራ (Asmera)			nakfa
		Eswatini Kingdom of Eswatini SWZ	English Eswatini—Kingdom of Eswatini Swazi: eSwatini—Umbuso weSwatini	Lobamba (royal and legislative) Mbabane (administrative) English: Lobamba, Mbabane Swazi: Lobamba, ÉMbábáne			lilangeni
		Ethiopia Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia ETH	Amharic Iትዮጵያ — የIትዮጵያ ፈደራላዊ ዲሞክራሲያዊ ሪፐብሊክ (Ītyōṗṗyā—Ītyōṗṗyā Fēdēralāwī Dēmōkrāsīyāwī Rīpeblīk)	Addis Ababa Amharic አዲስ አበባ (Addis Abäba)			Ethiopian birr
		Gabon Gabonese Republic GAB	French Gabon—République gabonaise	Libreville French Libreville			CFA franc
		The Gambia Republic of the Gambia GMB	English The Gambia—Republic of the Gambia	Banjul English Banjul			dalasi
		Ghana Republic of Ghana GHA	English Ghana—Republic of Ghana	Accra English Accra			Ghana cedi
		Guinea^[17] Republic of Guinea GIN	French Guinée—République de Guinée	Conakry French Conakry			Guinean franc
		Guinea-Bissau Republic of Guinea-Bissau GNB	Portuguese Guiné-Bissau—República da Guiné-Bissau	Bissau Portuguese Bissau			CFA franc
		Ivory Coast Republic of Côte d'Ivoire CIV	French Côte d'Ivoire—République de Côte d'Ivoire	Yamoussoukro French Yamoussoukro			CFA franc
		Kenya Republic of Kenya KEN	English Kenya—Republic of Kenya Swahili: Kenya—Jamhuri ya Kenya	Nairobi English Nairobi Swahili: Nairobi			Kenyan shilling
		Lesotho Kingdom of Lesotho LSO	English Lesotho—Kingdom of Lesotho Sotho: Lesotho—Muso oa Lesotho	Maseru English Maseru Sotho: Maseru			loti
		Liberia Republic of Liberia LBR	English Liberia—Republic of Liberia	Monrovia English Monrovia			Liberian dollar
		Libya State of Libya LBY	Arabic: ليبيا—دولة ليبيا(Lībīyā) Berber: ⵍⵉⴱⵢⴰ (Libya)	Tripoli Arabic طرابلس (Ṭarābulus) Berber: ⵟⵔⴰⴱⵍⴻⵙ (Ṭrables)			Libyan dinar
		Madagascar Republic of Madagascar MDG	French Madagascar—République de Madagascar Malagasy: Madagasikara—Repoblikan'i Madagasikara	Antananarivo French Antananarivo Malagasy: Antananarivo			ariary
		Malawi Republic of Malawi MWI	Chichewa Malaŵi—Dziko la Malaŵi English: Malawi—Republic of Malawi	Lilongwe Chichewa Lilongwe English: Lilongwe			Malawian kwacha
		Mali Republic of Mali MLI	French Mali—République du Mali	Bamako French Bamako			CFA franc
		Mauritania Islamic Republic of Mauritania MRT	Arabic: موريتانيا—الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية (Mūrītānīyyā—Al Jumhūriyyah alʾIslāmiyyah al Mūrītānīyyah)	Nouakchott Arabic نواكشوط (Nuwākshūṭ)			ouguiya
		Mauritius Republic of Mauritius MUS	English Mauritius—Republic of Mauritius French: Maurice—République de Maurice Mauritian Creole Moris—Repiblik Moris	Port Louis English Port Louis French: Port-Louis Mauritian Creole: Porlwi			Mauritian rupee
		Morocco Kingdom of Morocco MAR	Arabic: المغرب—المملكة المغربية (Al Maḡrib—Al Mamlakah al Maḡribiyyah) Berber: ⵍⵎⵖⵔⵉⴱ—ⵜⴰⴳⵍⴷⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵎⴰⵖⵔⵉⴱ (Elmaġrib—Tageldit n-Elmaġrib)	Rabat Arabic الرباط (ar-Ribaaṭ) Berber: ⴰⵕⴱⴰⵟ (Aṛbaṭ)		excludes all disputed territories 7108500NaN0 includes the Moroccan-administered parts of Western Sahara, which is claimed by the Polisario Front as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	Moroccan dirham
		Mozambique Republic of Mozambique MOZ	Portuguese Moçambique—República de Moçambique	Maputo Portuguese Maputo			metical
		Namibia Republic of Namibia NAM	English Namibia—Republic of Namibia	Windhoek English Windhoek			Namibian dollar
		Niger Republic of the Niger NER	French Niger—République du Niger	Niamey French Niamey			CFA franc
		Nigeria Federal Republic of Nigeria NGA	English Nigeria—Federal Republic of Nigeria	Abuja English Abuja			naira
		Rwanda Republic of Rwanda RWA	English Rwanda—Republic of Rwanda French: Rwanda—République du Rwanda Kinyarwanda Rwanda—Repubulika y'u Rwanda	Kigali English Kigali French: Kigali Kinyarwanda Kigali			Rwandese franc
		São Tomé and Príncipe Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe STP	Portuguese São Tomé e Príncipe—República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe	São Tomé Portuguese São Tomé			Dobra
		Senegal Republic of Senegal SEN	French Sénégal—République du Sénégal	Dakar French Dakar			CFA franc
		Seychelles Republic of Seychelles SYC	English Seychelles—Republic of Seychelles French: Seychelles—République des Seychelles Seychellois Creole: Sesel— Repiblik Sesel	Victoria English Victoria French: Victoria Seychellois Creole: Victoria			Seychelles rupee
		Sierra Leone Republic of Sierra Leone SLE	English Sierra Leone—Republic of Sierra Leone	Freetown English Freetown			leone
		Somalia Federal Republic of Somalia SOM	Arabic: الصومال—جمهورية الصومال الفيدرالية (Aṣ Ṣūmāl—Jumhūriyyah aṣ Ṣūmāl al Fīdrāliyyah) Somali: Soomaaliya—Jamhuuriyadda Federaalka Soomaaliya	Mogadishu Arabic مقديشو (Maqadīshū) Somali: Muqdisho			Somali shilling
		South Africa Republic of South Africa ZAF	Afrikaans Suid-Afrika—Republiek van Suid-Afrika	Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative), and Pretoria (executive)			rand
		South Sudan Republic of South Sudan SSD	English South Sudan—Republic of South Sudan	Juba English Juba			South Sudanese pound
		Sudan Republic of the Sudan SDN	Arabic: السودان—جمهورية السودان (As Sūdān—Jumhūriyyah as Sūdān) English: Sudan—Republic of the Sudan	Khartoum Arabic الخرطوم (Al Khurṭūm) English: Khartoum			Sudanese pound
		Tanzania United Republic of Tanzania TZA	English Tanzania—United Republic of Tanzania Swahili: Tanzania—Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania	Dodoma (official) Dar es Salaam (seat of government) English: Dodoma Swahili: Dodoma			Tanzanian shilling
		Togo Togolese Republic TGO	French Togo—République Togolaise	Lomé French Lomé			CFA franc
		Tunisia Republic of Tunisia TUN	Arabic: تونس—الجمهورية التونسية (Tūnis—Al Jumhūriyyah at Tūnisīyyah)	Tunis Arabic تونس (Tūnis)			Tunisian dinar
		Uganda Republic of Uganda UGA	English Uganda—Republic of Uganda Swahili: Uganda—Jamhuri ya Uganda	Kampala English Kampala Swahili: Kampala			Ugandan shilling
		Zambia Republic of Zambia ZMB	English Zambia—Republic of Zambia	Lusaka English Lusaka			Zambian kwacha
		Zimbabwe Republic of Zimbabwe ZWE	English Zimbabwe—Republic of Zimbabwe	Harare English Harare			Zimbabwe dollar

Sovereign states with limited or no international recognition

The following two entities have declared themselves to be sovereign states and are in control of some territory but have limited or no recognition from other states. Neither entity is a member state of the United Nations, although the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic is a member of the African Union.

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO	Status	Domestic short name(s) and formal name(s)	Capital	Population	Area	Currency
		Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic^[18]	Claimed by Morocco as its southernmost provinces Recognized by the African Union and 46 UN members and South Ossetia as the representative government of Western Sahara	Arabic: الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية (Al Jumhūrīyah al ‘Arabīyah aṣ Ṣaḥrāwīyah ad Dīmuqrāṭīyah) Spanish: República Árabe Saharaui Democrática	El Aaiún (proclaimed)^[19] Arabic: العيون (AlʿUyūn) Spanish: El Aaiún	582,478		Sahrawi peseta
		Somaliland Republic of Somaliland^[20] ^[21]	State not controlled by Somalia^[22] Recognized by no UN member,^[23] ^[24] only by Taiwan	Arabic: أرض الصومال—جمهورية أرض الصومال (Arḍ aṣ Ṣūmāl—Jumhūrīyat Arḍ aṣ Ṣūmāl) Somali: Soomaaliland—Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliland	Hargeisa Arabic هرجيسا (Harjaysā) Somali: Hargeysa	4,000,000		Somaliland shilling

Non-sovereign territories

There are currently 11 non-sovereign territories in Africa. Except two Spanish autonomous cities and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, all the remaining territories are islands off the continent's coast.

Dependent territories

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO	Ruling power	Status^[25]	Domestic short name and formal name	Capital	Population	Area	Currency
		Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha SH		British Overseas Territory	English: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha	Jamestown	5,633	4200NaN0	Saint Helena pound (Saint Helena & Ascension) Pound sterling (Tristan da Cunha)
		French Southern and Antarctic Lands^[26] FR-TF		Overseas territory of France	French	Saint Pierre^[27]	No permanent population^[28]	38.60NaN0	euro

Other territories

This list contains nine territories that are administered as incorporated areas of a primarily non-African country.

Flag	Map	English short, formal names, and ISO	Ruling power	Status	Domestic short name(s) and formal name(s)	Capital	Population	Area	Currency
		Canary Islands Autonomous Region of the Canary Islands ES-CN		Autonomous community of Spain	Spanish Islas Canarias	Santa Cruz and Las Palmas^[29] Spanish: Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	2,207,225	74470NaN0	euro
		Ceuta Autonomous City of Ceuta ES-CE		Autonomous city of Spain	Spanish Ceuta-Ciudad autónoma de Ceuta	Ceuta Spanish: Ceuta	84,843	280NaN0	euro
		Madeira Autonomous Region of Madeira PT-30		Autonomous Region of Portugal	Portuguese Madeira-Região Autónoma da Madeira	Funchal Portuguese Funchal	267,785	8280NaN0	euro
		Mayotte Mayotte Region YT		Overseas region and constituent part of the French Republic	French Mayotte-Région Mayotte	Dzaoudzi (official) Mamoudzou (seat of prefect and departmental council) French: Mamoudzou	266,380	3740NaN0	euro
		Melilla Autonomous City of Melilla ES-ML		Autonomous city of Spain	Spanish Melilla-Ciudad autónoma de Melilla	Melilla Spanish: Melilla	84,714	200NaN0	euro
		Pelagie Islands		Archipelago of Italy	Italian Isole Pelagie Sicilian: Ìsuli Pilaggî	Lampedusa e Linosa^[30] Italian Lampedusa e Linosa Sicilian: Lampidusa e Linusa	6,304	21.40NaN0	euro
		Plazas de soberanía		Overseas territory of Spain	Spanish Plazas de soberanía	N/A	74	0.59 km^2 (0.23 sq mi)	euro
		Reunion Reunion Region RE		Overseas region and constituent part of the French Republic	French Réunion-Région Réunion	Saint-Denis French Saint-Denis	889,918	25120NaN0	euro
		Socotra Archipelago		Governorate of Yemen	Arabic: أرخبيل سقطرى (ʾArḫabīl Suquṭrā)	Hadibu Arabic اديبو (Ḥādībū)	60,550	3974.640NaN0	Yemeni rial

See also

• List of predecessors of sovereign states in Africa
• List of African countries by area
• List of African countries by population
• List of African countries by population density
• List of African countries by GDP
• List of African countries by GDP (PPP)
• List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Eurasia

Notes and References

1. Web site: Member States . United Nations . 28 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110207190946/http://www.un.org/en/members/ . 2011-02-07 . live .
2. Web site: Member States . African Union . 15 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150109054331/http://www.au.int/en/member_states/countryprofiles . 9 January 2015 .
3. Web site: African Union Welcomes South Sudan as the 54th Member State of the Union . StarAfrica.com . 27 July 2011 . 28 July 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111223204621/http://www.starafrica.com/en/news/detail-news/view/african-union-welcomes-south-sudan-as-th-180441.html . 23 December 2011 .
4. Web site: African Union suspends Central African Republic after coup . Los Angeles Times . 25 March 2013 . 14 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141231071827/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/25/world/la-fg-central-african-republic-20130326 . 2014-12-31 . live .
5. Web site: Africa Population (LIVE) . www.worldometers.info . 31 July 2019.
6. Web site: Field Listing :: Names . CIA . 28 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170701201536/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2142.html . 2017-07-01 . dead .
7. Web site: UNGEGN List of Country Names . United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names . 2007 . 28 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110728144159/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/UNGEGN/docs/9th-uncsgn-docs/UNGEGN%20WG%20Country%20Names%20Document%20-%20August%202009.pdf . 2011-07-28 . live .
8. Web site: List of countries, territories and currencies . Europa . 9 August 2011 . 10 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130805170859/http://publications.europa.eu/code/en/en-5000500.htm#fn-tw1 . 2013-08-05 . live .
9. Web site: 1974 . ISO 3166 . 2022-07-24 . International Organization for Standardization.
10. Web site: Field Listing :: Capital . CIA . 3 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629164805/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2057.html . 2011-06-29 . dead .
11. Web site: UNGEGN World Geographical Names . United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names . 29 July 2011 . 3 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110801231428/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/geonames/ . 2011-08-01 . live .
12. Web site: Field Listing :: Area . CIA . 7 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120916073443/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html . 2012-09-16 . dead .
13. Also known as Congo-Kinshasa and formerly as Zaire.
14. Also known as Congo-Brazzaville.
15. Some territory could be argued to be a part of Asia or Africa.
16. [Ciudad de la Paz]
17. Also known as Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from neighboring Guinea-Bissau.
18. Occupies part of the territory of Western Sahara, disputed with Morocco.
19. Currently under Moroccan administration. Tifariti is the factual temporary capital, but Tindouf located in Algeria is the place of some government and military facilities.
20. Name used in The Constitution of the Republic of Somaliland
21. Susan M. Hassig, Zawiah Abdul Latif, Somalia, (Marshall Cavendish: 2007), p.10.
22. Web site: The Transitional Federal Charter of the Somali Republic . . 1 February 2004 . 2 February 2010 . unfit . https://web.archive.org/web/20081218004011/http://www.chr.up.ac.za/hr_docs/countries/docs/charterfeb04.pdf . December 18, 2008 . "The Somali Republic shall have the following boundaries. (a) North; Gulf of Aden. (b) North West; Djibouti. (c) West; Ethiopia. (d) South south-west; Kenya. (e) East; Indian Ocean."
23. Lacey, Marc (5 June 2006). The Signs Say Somaliland, but the World Says Somalia . The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
24. Web site: UN in Action: Reforming Somaliland's Judiciary . 2012-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120121075522/http://www.un.org/webcast/pdfs/unia991.pdf . 2012-01-21 . live .
25. Web site: Field Listing :: Dependency Status . CIA . 8 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629164914/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2006.html . 2011-06-29 . dead .
26. Only the Îles Éparses are considered part of the African continent. The remaining four districts lie outside the continental shelf in the Indian Ocean or Antarctica.
27. The main station on the Îles Éparses is on Tromelin. The headquarters of the district chief, however, is Saint Pierre, in Réunion.
28. Web site: French Southern and Antarctic Lands. 5 October 2014.
29. Web site: Estatuto de Autonomía de Canarias en la Página Web Oficial del Gobierno de Canarias . .gobiernodecanarias.org . 2010-09-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110120074726/http://www2.gobiernodecanarias.org/tuestatuto/principios_generales.html . 2011-01-20 .
30. Geographically part of the archipelago (Lampedusa and Lampione) belongs to the African continent; politically and administratively, the islands fall within the Province of Agrigento in Sicily