Pretoria is the executive capital, Bloemfontein is the judicial capital, and Cape Town is the legislative capital. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Off the coasts of Africa a number of islands are associated with the continent. Would you like to write for us? Africa is the second largest continent in the world and houses more than 50 countries. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, A Brief History of the African Country of Liberia. The very thought of the African continent evokes images of sweeping savannas, snarling lions, herds of elephants, rhinoceros, and thousands of other wild beasts. This article treats the physical and human geography of Africa, followed by discussion of geographic features of special interest. Africa’s total land area is approximately 11,724,000 square miles (30,365,000 square km), and the continent measures about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from north to south and about 4,600 miles (7,400 km) from east to west. Today, African countries are some of the worst-governed and most impoverished in the world. One of the most remarkable features in the geologic structure of Africa is the East African Rift System, which lies between 30° and 40° E. The rift itself begins northeast of the continent’s limits and extends southward from the Ethiopian Red Sea coast to the Zambezi River basin. The southeastern part of the plateau includes the Ethiopian Plateau, the East African Plateau, and—in eastern South Africa, where the plateau edge falls downward in a scarp—the Drakensberg range. The continent is cut almost equally in two by the Equator, so that most of Africa lies within the tropical region, bounded on the north by the Tropic of Cancer and on the south by the Tropic of Capricorn. Dodoma has been Tanzania’s capital since 1996. The continent is bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the east by the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and on the south by the mingling waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Although agriculture (primarily subsistence) still dominates the economies of many African countries, the exploitation of these resources became the most significant economic activity in Africa in the 20th century. As less economically developed, many countries of this continent have the lowest level of life quality in the world. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Below is an alphabetical list of all African countries, along with capitals and the state names as they are known within each country. The northwestern part, which includes the Sahara (desert) and that part of North Africa known as the Maghrib, has two mountainous regions—the Atlas Mountains in northwestern Africa, which are believed to be part of a system that extends into southern Europe, and the Ahaggar (Hoggar) Mountains in the Sahara. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This richness is matched by a great diversity of biological resources that includes the intensely lush equatorial rainforests of Central Africa and the world-famous populations of wildlife of the eastern and southern portions of the continent. Since the turn of the century, many African nations have taken a positive turn towards democracy, and shown positive economic growth in the information services and telecommunications sector. The Islamic religion, which the Arabs carried with them, spread from North Africa into many areas south of the Sahara, so that many western African peoples are now largely Islamized. Take a look at the various African countries and their capitals. Related topics are discussed in the articles literature, African; literature, South African; architecture, African; art, African; dance, African; music, African; theatre, African; art and architecture, Egyptian; Islam; arts, Islamic; and Islamic world. Traveling by camel, by dhow, by Land Cruiser, and on foot, the renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., takes us to twelve countries in search of Africa’s magnificent past, the now neglected civilizations that in their day were as grand and sophisticated as any on the face of the earth. Africa’s total land area is approximately 11,724,000 square miles (30,365,000 square km), and the continent measures about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from north to south and about 4,600 miles (7,400 km) from east to west. These cookies do not store any personal information. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. For discussion of individual countries of the continent, see such articles as Egypt, Madagascar, and Sudan. However, its varied landscapes, wildlife, culture, and traditions have made it one of the most desired travel destinations in the world. Africa, the second largest continent, covering about one-fifth of the total land surface of Earth. Europe, a continent with approximately 800 million people living in 51 countries, is known for its rich culture and heritage. South Africa has three official capitals. Of all foreign settlements in Africa, that of the Arabs has made the greatest impact. The northern regions of the wall (known as Free Zone) are controlled by Polisario, while the southern regions are considered Moroccan territory. The greater part of the continent has long been inhabited by Black peoples, but in historic times there also have occurred major immigrations from both Asia and Europe. Climatic and other factors have exerted considerable influence on the patterns of human settlement in Africa. Dar es Salaam served as the capital of Tanzania from 1964 (Independence) to 1996. The whole of Africa can be considered as a vast plateau rising steeply from narrow coastal strips and consisting of ancient crystalline rocks. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2013 (updated 15 July 2015) (accessed 24 July 2015). African regions are treated under the titles Central Africa, eastern Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, and western Africa; these articles also contain the principal treatment of African historical and cultural development. Editor of. A Complete List of African Countries and Their Capitals. Take a look at the various African countries and their capitals. Read on to know more about the countries in this gigantic continent.

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