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Countries of Africa

54 countries5 regions6 territories

Africa has 54 countries. Don't try to learn them all at once: follow the route below through 9 small groups of neighbours, with capitals, flags and a memory hook for the trickiest shapes, then test yourself.

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Your route through Africa

1
Southern Africa
5 countries

5 countries, a good size for one sitting. Start with South Africa, which touches 4 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Lesotho
  A small round hole in the middle of South Africa, with no other neighbours at all.
- South Africa
  The country that forms the southern tip of the continent, wrapping around little Lesotho like a ring around a hole.
2
Northern Africa
6 countries

6 countries, a good size for one sitting. Start with Libya, which touches 4 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Libya
  A large rectangle on the Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Tunisia, with the Sahara filling the space behind it.
- Algeria
  The huge country on the Mediterranean, taking up most of the north-west, with Morocco on one side and Tunisia and Libya on the other.
3
Middle Africa, northern part
5 countries

Middle Africa has 10 countries, too many for one sitting, so it is split into 2 parts from north to south. This is the northern part. Start with Cameroon, which touches 3 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Chad
  A huge landlocked block in the north-centre of the continent, with Lake Chad in its south-western corner.
- Central African Republic
  Right in the middle of the continent, a landlocked block with Chad above it and DR Congo and the Republic of the Congo below.
4
Middle Africa, southern part
5 countries

Middle Africa has 10 countries, too many for one sitting, so it is split into 2 parts from north to south. This is the southern part. Start with Republic of the Congo, which touches 3 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- São Tomé and Príncipe
  Two small islands floating in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
- DR Congo
  A vast central chunk of Africa, centred on the great Congo River, with only a tiny sliver of Atlantic coast.
5
Western Africa, northern part
8 countries

Western Africa has 16 countries, too many for one sitting, so it is split into 2 parts from north to south. This is the northern part. Start with Mali, which touches 4 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Cape Verde
  A little crescent of volcanic islands in the Atlantic, west of Senegal.
- Senegal
  Sits on the westernmost bulge of the continent and wraps around Gambia like a mouth around a tongue.
6
Western Africa, southern part
8 countries

Western Africa has 16 countries, too many for one sitting, so it is split into 2 parts from north to south. This is the southern part. Start with Guinea, which touches 3 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Benin
  A tall, narrow upright strip running inland from the coast, squeezed between Togo and Nigeria.
- Ivory Coast
  A squarish block on the south coast of west Africa, with Ghana to the east and Liberia and Guinea to the west.
7
Eastern Africa, northern part
6 countries

Eastern Africa has 17 countries, too many for one sitting, so it is split into 3 parts from north to south. This is the northern part. Start with Ethiopia, which touches 4 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Djibouti
  A tiny notch at the mouth of the Red Sea, with Eritrea above it, Ethiopia behind it and Somalia to the south.
- Kenya
  Straddles the equator on the east coast, with the Indian Ocean on one side and the corner of Lake Victoria in the south-west.
8
Eastern Africa, middle part
6 countries

Eastern Africa has 17 countries, too many for one sitting, so it is split into 3 parts from north to south. This is the middle part. Start with Tanzania, which touches 3 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Seychelles
  A sprinkle of small islands out in the Indian Ocean, north-east of Madagascar.
- Rwanda
  A small landlocked blob in the heart of east Africa, with Uganda above, Tanzania to the east, Burundi below and DR Congo to the west.
9
Eastern Africa, southern part
5 countries

Eastern Africa has 17 countries, too many for one sitting, so it is split into 3 parts from north to south. This is the southern part. Start with Mozambique, which touches 2 of the others, then work outwards.
Memory hooks to start you off
- Mauritius
  A small island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar.
- Mozambique
  A long curved coastline down the south-east edge of Africa, facing Madagascar across a channel, with Malawi and Zambia tucked in above.

Territories and disputed areas

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