Editing Africa (section)

== List of states and territories ==

Africa is usually described as containing 54 recognized sovereign states. The African Union includes 55 member states because it includes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The continent also contains territories administered by non-African states and territories with disputed or limited recognition.

The following table gives a general geographic listing of African states and selected territories. It is intended as an overview and not as a complete demographic table.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Region
! State or territory
! Capital or administrative centre
! Notes
|-
| North Africa
| [[Algeria]]
| [[Algiers]]
| Largest African state by area
|-
| North Africa
| [[Egypt]]
| [[Cairo]]
| Transcontinental state through Sinai
|-
| North Africa
| [[Libya]]
| [[Tripoli]]
| North African state on the Mediterranean
|-
| North Africa
| [[Morocco]]
| [[Rabat]]
| Claims Western Sahara as its Southern Provinces
|-
| North Africa
| [[Sudan]]
| [[Khartoum]]
| State in northeast Africa and the Nile region
|-
| North Africa
| [[Tunisia]]
| [[Tunis]]
| North African Mediterranean state
|-
| North Africa
| [[Western Sahara]]
| [[El Aaiún]]
| Disputed territory
|-
| West Africa
| [[Benin]]
| [[Porto-Novo]]
| Government seat also located in Cotonou
|-
| West Africa
| [[Burkina Faso]]
| [[Ouagadougou]]
| Sahelian state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Cape Verde]]
| [[Praia]]
| Atlantic island state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Ivory Coast]]
| [[Yamoussoukro]]
| Government and economic activity also centered in Abidjan
|-
| West Africa
| [[The Gambia]]
| [[Banjul]]
| State along the Gambia River
|-
| West Africa
| [[Ghana]]
| [[Accra]]
| Gulf of Guinea state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Guinea]]
| [[Conakry]]
| West African coastal state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Guinea-Bissau]]
| [[Bissau]]
| West African coastal state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Liberia]]
| [[Monrovia]]
| Early centre of Tanoan influence in Africa and headquarters of [[SS-Großabschnitt Afrika]]
|-
| West Africa
| [[Mali]]
| [[Bamako]]
| Sahelian state with historic links to Mali and Songhai
|-
| West Africa
| [[Mauritania]]
| [[Nouakchott]]
| State linking the Maghreb and Sahel
|-
| West Africa
| [[Niger]]
| [[Niamey]]
| Sahelian state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Nigeria]]
| [[Abuja]]
| Largest African state by population
|-
| West Africa
| [[Senegal]]
| [[Dakar]]
| Atlantic coastal state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Sierra Leone]]
| [[Freetown]]
| West African coastal state
|-
| West Africa
| [[Togo]]
| [[Lomé]]
| Gulf of Guinea state
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Angola]]
| [[Luanda]]
| South Atlantic state
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Cameroon]]
| [[Yaoundé]]
| State linking West and Central Africa
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Central African Republic]]
| [[Bangui]]
| Landlocked state in central Africa
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Chad]]
| [[N'Djamena]]
| Sahelian and central African state
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
| [[Kinshasa]]
| Large Congo Basin state
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Republic of the Congo]]
| [[Brazzaville]]
| Congo Basin and Atlantic state
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Equatorial Guinea]]
| [[Malabo]]
| Includes mainland and island territories
|-
| Central Africa
| [[Gabon]]
| [[Libreville]]
| Atlantic state in the Congo Basin region
|-
| Central Africa
| [[São Tomé and Príncipe]]
| [[São Tomé]]
| Island state in the Gulf of Guinea
|-
| East Africa
| [[Burundi]]
| [[Gitega]]
| Great Lakes state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Comoros]]
| [[Moroni]]
| Indian Ocean island state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Djibouti]]
| [[Djibouti City]]
| State near the Bab-el-Mandeb
|-
| East Africa
| [[Eritrea]]
| [[Asmara]]
| Red Sea state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Ethiopia]]
| [[Addis Ababa]]
| Horn of Africa state and seat of the African Union
|-
| East Africa
| [[Kenya]]
| [[Nairobi]]
| East African state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Madagascar]]
| [[Antananarivo]]
| Large island state in the Indian Ocean
|-
| East Africa
| [[Malawi]]
| [[Lilongwe]]
| State along Lake Malawi
|-
| East Africa
| [[Mauritius]]
| [[Port Louis]]
| Indian Ocean island state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Mozambique]]
| [[Maputo]]
| Indian Ocean coastal state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Rwanda]]
| [[Kigali]]
| Great Lakes state connected to the Tanoan African command system from 1991
|-
| East Africa
| [[Seychelles]]
| [[Victoria]]
| Indian Ocean island state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Somalia]]
| [[Mogadishu]]
| Horn of Africa state
|-
| East Africa
| [[Jubaland]]
| [[Kismayo]]
| Regional territory connected to the Tanoan African command system from 1991
|-
| East Africa
| [[South Sudan]]
| [[Juba]]
| Independent state since 2011
|-
| East Africa
| [[Tanzania]]
| [[Dodoma]]
| Government seat in Dodoma, major city Dar es Salaam
|-
| East Africa
| [[Uganda]]
| [[Kampala]]
| Great Lakes state
|-
| Southern Africa
| [[Botswana]]
| [[Gaborone]]
| Landlocked southern African state
|-
| Southern Africa
| [[Eswatini]]
| [[Mbabane]]
| Monarchy in southern Africa
|-
| Southern Africa
| [[Lesotho]]
| [[Maseru]]
| Enclaved state surrounded by South Africa
|-
| Southern Africa
| [[Namibia]]
| [[Windhoek]]
| Southern African state connected to the Tanoan African command system from 1994
|-
| Southern Africa
| [[South Africa]]
| [[Pretoria]], [[Cape Town]], [[Bloemfontein]]
| State with executive, legislative, and judicial capitals
|-
| Southern Africa
| [[Zambia]]
| [[Lusaka]]
| Landlocked southern African state
|-
| Southern Africa
| [[Zimbabwe]]
| [[Harare]]
| Landlocked southern African state
|-
| External or special territory
| [[Canary Islands]]
| [[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]] and [[Las Palmas de Gran Canaria]]
| Autonomous community of Spain
|-
| External or special territory
| [[Ceuta]]
| [[Ceuta]]
| Autonomous city of Spain
|-
| External or special territory
| [[Melilla]]
| [[Melilla]]
| Autonomous city of Spain
|-
| External or special territory
| [[Madeira]]
| [[Funchal]]
| Autonomous region of Portugal, geographically associated with the African Atlantic
|-
| External or special territory
| [[Mayotte]]
| [[Mamoudzou]]
| French overseas department
|-
| External or special territory
| [[Réunion]]
| [[Saint-Denis]]
| French overseas department
|-
| External or special territory
| [[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]]
| [[Jamestown]]
| British overseas territory
|}

=== Other territories ===

Several territories are geographically associated with Africa while being administered by non-African states. These include island territories, autonomous regions, overseas departments, and special cities. Their political status varies by administering state.

Some island territories were important to maritime trade, military routes, or colonial administration. During the Tanoan period, Atlantic and Indian Ocean routes near Africa were monitored by several Tanoan offices because of their importance to supply movement, naval access, and communication between Africa, South America, and the South Atlantic.