Algeria
Capital : Algiers
Population : 46 814 308 inh.
Area : 2 381 740 km²
Many African flags share the same colours: green, yellow (or gold) and red, borrowed from the Ethiopian flag. Because Ethiopia was never colonised, its flag became a pan-African symbol adopted by numerous countries as they gained independence in the 1950s and 1960s. Green stands for the land and agriculture, yellow for the continent's mineral wealth, red for the blood shed during liberation struggles, and black, found on flags such as Ghana's, represents the African people themselves.
Ghana holds a special place: the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence, in 1957, it placed a black star at the centre of its flag in tribute to the Black Star Line, a symbol of the pan-African movement led by Kwame Nkrumah. That star has since inspired other nations on the continent. South Africa's flag, adopted in 1994 at the end of apartheid, stands in contrast: six colours interwoven in a Y shape, one of the most geometrically complex designs in the world, meant to symbolise the convergence of several peoples within a single nation.
The continent now counts 54 countries belonging to the African Union, from Nigeria, the most populous, to micro-states such as the Seychelles. The list below presents each of their flags, along with its capital and population.
Flags by Continent
At a glance
Countries & territories
54
Most populous country
Nigeria
Smallest country
Seychelles
List of the 54 countries of Africa and their flags
Angola
Capital : Luanda
Population : 37 885 849 inh.
Area : 1 246 700 km²
Benin
Capital : Porto Novo
Population : 14 462 724 inh.
Area : 114 760 km²
Botswana
Capital : Gaborone
Population : 2 521 139 inh.
Area : 581 730 km²
Burkina Faso
Capital : Ouagadougou
Population : 23 548 781 inh.
Area : 274 200 km²
Burundi
Capital : Bujumbura
Population : 14 047 786 inh.
Area : 27 830 km²
Cameroon
Capital : Yaoundé
Population : 29 123 744 inh.
Area : 475 440 km²
Cape Verde
Capital : Praia
Population : 524 877 inh.
Area : 4 030 km²
Central African Republic
Capital : Bangui
Population : 5 330 690 inh.
Area : 622 980 km²
Chad
Capital : N'Djamena
Population : 20 299 123 inh.
Area : 1 284 000 km²
Comoros
Capital : Moroni
Population : 866 628 inh.
Area : 1 861 km²
Democratic Republic of Congo
Capital : Kinshasa
Population : 109 276 265 inh.
Area : 2 344 860 km²
Djibouti
Capital : Djibouti
Population : 1 168 722 inh.
Area : 23 200 km²
Egypt
Capital : Cairo
Population : 116 538 258 inh.
Area : 1 001 450 km²
Equatorial Guinea
Capital : Malabo
Population : 1 892 516 inh.
Area : 28 050 km²
Eritrea
Capital : Asmara
Population : 3 535 603 inh.
Area : 121 630 km²
Eswatini
Capital : Mbabane
Population : 1 242 822 inh.
Area : 17 360 km²
Ethiopia
Capital : Addis Ababa
Population : 132 059 767 inh.
Area : 1 136 240 km²
Gabon
Capital : Libreville
Population : 2 538 952 inh.
Area : 267 670 km²
Gambia
Capital : Banjul
Population : 2 759 988 inh.
Area : 11 300 km²
Ghana
Capital : Accra
Population : 34 427 414 inh.
Area : 238 533 km²
Guinea
Capital : Conakry
Population : 14 754 785 inh.
Area : 245 860 km²
Guinea-Bissau
Capital : Bissau
Population : 2 201 352 inh.
Area : 36 130 km²
Ivory Coast
Capital : Yamoussoukro
Population : 31 934 230 inh.
Area : 322 460 km²
Kenya
Capital : Nairobi
Population : 56 432 944 inh.
Area : 580 370 km²
Lesotho
Capital : Maseru
Population : 2 337 423 inh.
Area : 30 360 km²
Liberia
Capital : Monrovia
Population : 5 612 817 inh.
Area : 111 370 km²
Libya
Capital : Tripoli
Population : 7 381 023 inh.
Area : 1 759 540 km²
Madagascar
Capital : Antananarivo
Population : 31 964 956 inh.
Area : 587 295 km²
Malawi
Capital : Lilongwe
Population : 21 655 286 inh.
Area : 118 480 km²
Mali
Capital : Bamako
Population : 24 478 595 inh.
Area : 1 240 190 km²
Mauritania
Capital : Nouakchott
Population : 5 169 395 inh.
Area : 1 030 700 km²
Mauritius
Capital : Port Louis
Population : 1 259 509 inh.
Area : 2 010 km²
Morocco
Capital : Rabat
Population : 38 081 173 inh.
Area : 446 550 km²
Mozambique
Capital : Maputo
Population : 34 631 766 inh.
Area : 799 380 km²
Namibia
Capital : Windhoek
Population : 3 030 131 inh.
Area : 824 290 km²
Niger
Capital : Niamey
Population : 27 032 412 inh.
Area : 1 267 000 km²
Nigeria
Capital : Abuja
Population : 232 679 478 inh.
Area : 923 770 km²
Republic of the Congo
Capital : Brazzaville
Population : 6 332 961 inh.
Area : 342 000 km²
Rwanda
Capital : Kigali
Population : 14 256 567 inh.
Area : 26 340 km²
São Tomé and Príncipe
Capital : São Tomé
Population : 235 536 inh.
Area : 960 km²
Senegal
Capital : Dakar
Population : 18 501 984 inh.
Area : 196 710 km²
Seychelles
Capital : Victoria
Population : 121 354 inh.
Area : 460 km²
Sierra Leone
Capital : Freetown
Population : 8 642 022 inh.
Area : 72 300 km²
Somalia
Capital : Mogadishu
Population : 19 009 151 inh.
Area : 637 660 km²
South Africa
Capital : Pretoria
Population : 64 007 187 inh.
Area : 1 219 090 km²
South Sudan
Capital : Juba
Population : 11 943 408 inh.
Area : 646 883 km²
Sudan
Capital : Khartoum
Population : 50 448 963 inh.
Area : 1 878 000 km²
Tanzania
Capital : Dodoma
Population : 68 560 157 inh.
Area : 947 300 km²
Togo
Capital : Lomé
Population : 9 515 236 inh.
Area : 56 790 km²
Tunisia
Capital : Tunis
Population : 12 277 109 inh.
Area : 163 610 km²
Uganda
Capital : Kampala
Population : 50 015 092 inh.
Area : 241 550 km²
Zambia
Capital : Lusaka
Population : 21 314 956 inh.
Area : 752 610 km²
Zimbabwe
Capital : Harare
Population : 16 634 373 inh.
Area : 390 760 km²
🧠 Quiz – Can you identify this flag?
Frequently Asked Questions
How many countries are there in Africa?
There are 54 recognized countries in Africa.
What is the most populated country in Africa?
Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with 232,679,478 inhabitants.
What is the smallest country in Africa?
Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa, with an area of 460 km².