World Map »
africa
Africa Map
About Africa Map -The map of Africa depicts the various countries of the continent, the international boundaries and neighboring continents. Oceans and seas adjoining Africa are also depicted on the map. The map is also available in different formats. Click on any country to get its detailed map and description.
POPULATION
Africa is home to 1.2 billion people as of 2016 census, and accounts for 16% of the world's population. Considering the average age of population, Africa has the youngest crowd. The median age in 2012 was 19.7.
Africa, especially Central Eastern Africa is considered the ‘cradle of man’ or the birthplace of civilization. There have been evidences supporting the existence of Hominidae clade (great apes) on the soil, can be traced back to 7 million years ago. Ancient Egypt is also believed to sustain the first literate society. Today, Africa is home to diverse and different countries, cultures, and people.
Early History
Frequently referred to as the “cradle of civilization,” Africa is the world’s oldest landmass. About 97% of the continent’s land has been virtually the same for the past 300 million years. Between five and ten million years ago, an African hominid called the Australopithecines started to walk upright. This set-in motion a long evolutionary path towards what became approximately 200,000 years ago, the modern Homo Sapiens. Flash forward another 50,000 years, and a group of Homo Sapiens started to move out of North Africa and into the Middle East. While it is estimated that this group may have only contained several dozen people, this was the first migration from the continent, and they would come to populate the planet.
Africa has been home to some of the greatest civilizations in human history. One of the most important was the Kingdom of Sheba. The Kingdom was located in modern-day Yemen. The foundation of the Kingdom of Sheba lay in an ideal location along a key trade route. In the period around 1,000 BC, caravans of traders would undertake journeys from the area around modern-day Oman, to the Mediterranean. As they did so, they passed through Marib, which at that time was an abundant oasis. It was also one of the only two sources of frankincense (aromatic resin). The city of Marib was known throughout the Arab world for its great fortunes.
The people of the Kingdom were known as the Sabeans. They ruled the region between the tenth to the sixth century BC. The Sabean society collapse came after the spice route was changed.
Contact with Europe
During the 19th century, the various African kingdoms started to come in contact with Europe. This was when colonization of Africa saw a marked increase, and slaves from various African regions were taken to work in colonies and plantations overseas, for instance, in the Americas. But most of the European control was along the coasts. In the inner parts of the continent, the Islamic and local rulers held control.
Majority of the nations have a flag that uses Pan-African colors. Some of the nations that do not use Pan African colors include Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Somalia.
POPULATION
Africa is home to 1.2 billion people as of 2016 census, and accounts for 16% of the world's population. Considering the average age of population, Africa has the youngest crowd. The median age in 2012 was 19.7.
Africa, especially Central Eastern Africa is considered the ‘cradle of man’ or the birthplace of civilization. There have been evidences supporting the existence of Hominidae clade (great apes) on the soil, can be traced back to 7 million years ago. Ancient Egypt is also believed to sustain the first literate society. Today, Africa is home to diverse and different countries, cultures, and people.
What Countries are in Africa?
There are 54 countries in Africa that are internationally recognized. Full list of the countries is available below. For the maps of individual countries, follow the links
| Country | Capital | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Algiers | 33,333,267 |
| Angola | Luanda | 16,941,000 |
| Benin | Porto-Novo | 8,439,000 |
| Botswana | Gaborone | 1,839,833 |
| Burkina | Ouagadougou | 13,228,000 |
| Burundi | Bujumbura | 7,548,000 |
| Cameroon | Yaoundé | 17,795,000 |
| Cape Verde | Praia | 420,979 |
| Central African Republic | Bangui | 4,216,666 |
| Chad | N'Djamena | 10,146,000 |
| Comoros | Moroni | 798,000 |
| Congo | Kinshasa | 75,507,308 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo | Brazzaville | 4,012,809 |
| Djibouti | Djibouti City | 906,000 |
| Egypt | Cairo | 84,550,000 |
| Equatorial Guinea | Malabo | 504,000 |
| Eritrea | Asmara | 5,880,000 |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | 85,237,338 |
| Gabon | Libreville | 1,384,000 |
| Gambia | Banjul | 1,517,000 |
| Ghana | Accra | 23,000,000 |
| Guinea | Conakry | 10,057,975 |
| Guinea-Bissau | Bissau | 1,586,000 |
| Ivory Coast | Yamoussoukro | 17,654,843 |
| Kenya | Nairobi | 34,707,817 |
| Lesotho | Maseru | 2,067,000 |
| Liberia | Monrovia | 4,128,572 |
| Libya | Tripoli | 6,036,914 |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | 18,606,000 |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | 12,884,000 |
| Mali | Bamako | 13,518,000 |
| Mauritania | Nouakchott | 3,069,000 |
| Mauritius | Port Louis | 1,219,220 |
| Morocco | Rabat | 35,757,175 |
| Mozambique | Maputo | 20,366,795 |
| Namibia | Windhoek | 2,031,000 |
| Niger | Niamey | 13,957,000 |
| Nigeria | Abuja | 174,507,539 |
| Rwanda | Kigali | 7,600,000 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Sao Tome | 183,176 |
| Senegal | Dakar | 11,658,000 |
| Seychelles | Victoria | 80,654 |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown | 6,144,562 |
| Somalia | Mogadishu | 10,532,017 |
| South Africa | Bloemfontein | 52,981,991 |
| South Sudan | Juba | 8,260,490 |
| Sudan | Khartoum | 36,787,012 |
| Swaziland | Lobamba | 1,032,000 |
| Tanzania | Dodoma | 44,929,002 |
| Togo | Lomé | 7,154,237 |
| Tunisia | Tunis | 10,102,000 |
| Uganda | Kampala | 27,616,000 |
| Zambia | Lusaka | 14,668,000 |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | 13,010,000 |
History of Africa
The African history is full of turbulence and conflicts, colonization and freedom struggles.Early History
Frequently referred to as the “cradle of civilization,” Africa is the world’s oldest landmass. About 97% of the continent’s land has been virtually the same for the past 300 million years. Between five and ten million years ago, an African hominid called the Australopithecines started to walk upright. This set-in motion a long evolutionary path towards what became approximately 200,000 years ago, the modern Homo Sapiens. Flash forward another 50,000 years, and a group of Homo Sapiens started to move out of North Africa and into the Middle East. While it is estimated that this group may have only contained several dozen people, this was the first migration from the continent, and they would come to populate the planet.
Africa has been home to some of the greatest civilizations in human history. One of the most important was the Kingdom of Sheba. The Kingdom was located in modern-day Yemen. The foundation of the Kingdom of Sheba lay in an ideal location along a key trade route. In the period around 1,000 BC, caravans of traders would undertake journeys from the area around modern-day Oman, to the Mediterranean. As they did so, they passed through Marib, which at that time was an abundant oasis. It was also one of the only two sources of frankincense (aromatic resin). The city of Marib was known throughout the Arab world for its great fortunes.
The people of the Kingdom were known as the Sabeans. They ruled the region between the tenth to the sixth century BC. The Sabean society collapse came after the spice route was changed.
Contact with Europe
During the 19th century, the various African kingdoms started to come in contact with Europe. This was when colonization of Africa saw a marked increase, and slaves from various African regions were taken to work in colonies and plantations overseas, for instance, in the Americas. But most of the European control was along the coasts. In the inner parts of the continent, the Islamic and local rulers held control.