Countries in Central Africa

How Many Nations in Central Africa

Located in middle part of Africa, Central Africa is composed of 9 countries. Here is an alphabetical list of all countries in Central Africa: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Sao Tome and Principe. Among them, three belong to the PALOP – Portuguese Speaking African Countries (Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe).

1. Angola

Angola is a republic in southwestern Africa and borders Namibia, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Portuguese is the official language of Angola and has a population of just over 24 million.

Capital: Luanda Area: 1,246,700 km 2 Language: Portuguese Currency: Kuanza

2. Cameroon

Cameroon, formally the Republic of Cameroon, is a unitary state in central and western Africa.

Capital: Yaoundé Area: 475,440 km 2 Languages: French and English Currency: CFA Franc

3. Chad

Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a state in Central Africa. It borders Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west. The northern part of Chad is located in the Sahara Desert.

Capital: N’Djamena Area: 1,284,000 km 2 Languages: Arabic and French Currency: CFA Franc

4. Gabon

Gabon, formally the Republic of Gabon, is a republic at the equator in western Central Africa. The country borders Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Capital: Libreville Area: 267,670 km 2 Language: French Currency: CFA Franc

5. Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest states in Africa. The country is located partly on the mainland of West Africa and partly on five inhabited islands. The country borders Cameroon and Gabon as well as the Bay of Biafra in the Atlantic.

Capital: Malabo Area: 28,050 km 2 Languages: Portuguese, Spanish and French Currency: CFA Franc

6. Central African Republic

The Central African Republic is a republic in central Africa located just north of the equator. The country borders Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Congo-Kinshasa, Congo-Brazzaville and Cameroon. About 4.6 million people live in the Central African Republic.

Capital: Bangui Area: 622,980 km 2 Language: French Currency: CFA Franc

7. Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo, often referred to as the Congo-Brazzaville (RC), is a state in Central Africa.

Capital: Brazzaville Area: 342,000 km 2 Language: French Currency: CFA Franc

8. Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), or as it is often called the Congo-Kinshasa, is a state in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa in terms of area and borders in the north to Congo-Brazzaville, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola and a small coastal strip to the Atlantic. The Democratic Republic of Congo has the fourth largest population in Africa with just over 77 million residents.

Capital: Kinshasa Area: 2,344,860 km 2 Language: French Currency: Congolese Franc

9. Sao Tome and Principe

Capital: Sao Tome Area: 960 km 2 Language: Portuguese Currency: Fold

Countries in Middle Africa by Population and Their Capitals

As noted above, there are nine independent countries in the Middle Africa. Among them, the largest country is D.R. Congo and the smallest one is Sao Tome and Principe in term of population. The full list of Middle African countries with capitals is shown in the table below, ranked by latest total population.

Map of Central African Countries