Africa's 54 countries are usually grouped into 5 regions: North Africa (6 countries), West Africa (16), East Africa (18), Central Africa (9) and Southern Africa (5). This page follows the UN geoscheme, which is used for most population statistics. East Africa is the most populous region (about 500 million people in 2024) and Southern Africa the smallest (about 73 million).
Choose a region below for its countries, capitals, map and key facts, or compare the regions in the table further down.
Home to the Sahara Desert, ancient civilizations, and the Nile River. Predominantly Arabic-speaking and part of the MENA region.
Countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia
Explore North Africa →Africa's second most populous region, home to Nigeria, with Atlantic and Gulf of Guinea coastlines, the Sahel and the Niger River.
Major countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali
Explore West Africa →Africa's most populous region, known for the Great Rift Valley, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria and early human fossil sites.
Major countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda
Explore East Africa →Dominated by the Congo Basin rainforest, the second-largest rainforest in the world, and the mighty Congo River.
Major countries: DR Congo, Cameroon, Angola, Chad, Gabon
Explore Central Africa →Home to the Kalahari and Namib deserts, major mineral reserves and South Africa, the continent's most industrialised economy.
Countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini
Explore Southern Africa →| Region | Countries | Population (2024) | Area | Largest country (area) | Most populous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Africa | 6 | ~272 million | ~7.6 million km² | Algeria | Egypt |
| West Africa | 16 | ~456 million | ~6.1 million km² | Niger | Nigeria |
| East Africa | 18 | ~500 million | ~7.0 million km² | Ethiopia | Ethiopia |
| Central Africa | 9 | ~213 million | ~6.6 million km² | DR Congo | DR Congo |
| Southern Africa | 5 | ~73 million | ~2.7 million km² | South Africa | South Africa |
| Africa | 54 | over 1.4 billion | ~30.3 million km² | Algeria | Nigeria |
Population: UN World Population Prospects 2024 estimates, rounded. Areas are the sum of the countries' total areas and exclude Western Sahara.
Africa is usually divided into 5 regions: North, West, East, Central and Southern Africa. The UN uses these five subregions for statistics, calling Central Africa "Middle Africa".
Under the UN geoscheme: North Africa 6, West Africa 16, East Africa 18, Central Africa 9 and Southern Africa 5, a total of 54 countries.
East Africa, with about 500 million people in 2024, followed by West Africa with about 456 million. Nigeria (West Africa) is the most populous single country.
North Africa, at about 7.6 million km² (excluding Western Sahara), just ahead of East Africa at about 7.0 million km². Southern Africa is the smallest at about 2.7 million km².
Sub-Saharan Africa usually means all African countries except the six North African ones in the UN grouping, which gives 48 countries. Sudan is sometimes counted in both.
While the 5-region model is most common, Africa can be divided in various ways: