The political map of Africa represents an expansion of more than 30 million km², being the third largest continent after Asia and America. Inside the house 1.3 billion people in 54 States, three dependent territories and several islands integrated in countries that are not strictly African.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa, with an area of ​​2.38 million km², followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC (2.44). Sudan, the third largest (1.88), was the largest on the continent until 2011, when the south of the country became independent, giving rise to South Sudan, the youngest country in Africa and the world. On the opposite side are some small island countries like Seychelles, Sao Tome and Principe, Mauritius, Comoros or Cape Verde. The smallest continental country is The Gambia, whose area is 10,400 km² equivalent to Asturias.

Political map of Africa marked with European colonization borders. 19th and 20th century colonialism continues to be one of the most defining events of today’s African political reality, and, with few exceptions, its current borders coincide with colonial boundaries.

Politically, Africa is a young continent: most of its countries were born in the 1960s during decolonization. Only Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia) and Liberia have been independent states since before the 20th century. Although a handful of other countries have precolonial origins and survived in a protectorate form, such as Morocco, Egypt or Eswatini, or formed as domains within the British Empire such as South Africa or Rhodesia, present-day Zimbabwe.

African border drawing made square and slanted, dividing many cities in different countries. However, the main movements for African independence did seek to unite these peoples to restore some of the few colonial borders that independence changed. So, for example, there was an independence movement in the region of Ambazonia, former British Cameroon now integrated into former French Cameroon. Another case is from West Togoland, integrated into Ghana but formerly part of Germany’s Togoland, present-day Togo. In the Horn of Africa, former British Somaliland merged with Italian Somalia to form present-day Somalia, but later declared de facto independence as Somaliland.

African decolonization

Although most African countries are young, many are trying to erase their colonial origins and seek older national roots. For example, the former French Sudan changed its name to Mali in reference to one of the most powerful countries in the pre-colonial era, which once occupied the same territory. But so did Ghana, which took its name from another ancient African kingdom located in present-day Mali and not present-day Ghana.

To the 54 Countries on the map of Africa we have to add the dependencies of the various European countries. Great Britain owns the islets of Santa Elena and Asunción. France retained Mayotte, Réunion and the uninhabited islands of the Southern Territories. Portugal retained the Madeira archipelago and Spain retained the Canary Islands, as well as the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, in the north of the continent. Finally, Yemen has the island of Socotra, in the Horn of Africa. In turn, Egypt went beyond Africa and controlled the Sinai Peninsula, which was already in Asia.

African geopolitics