List of regions of Africa

Africa is a huge continent with many different cultures, languages, and landscapes. It is often divided into five main areas or regions to help people understand its size and diversity better. Four of these regions are found in sub-Saharan Africa, which means the areas south of the Sahara Desert. These divisions help us learn about the many places and people who call Africa their home. The regions include many countries, each with its own unique traditions and histories.

List of subregions in Africa

Africa is divided into five main areas, as recognized by the United Nations. These include Northern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Within Sub-Saharan Africa, there are four more parts: Eastern Africa, Middle Africa, Southern Africa, and Western Africa.

Directional approach

One way to think about Africa is by compass directions:

• North Africa is north of the Sahara and follows the Mediterranean coast.
• West Africa is west of 10° east longitude, and includes parts of the Sahara Desert and the Adamawa Mountains.
• East Africa runs from the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa down to Mozambique, and also includes Madagascar.
• Central Africa is the middle part of Africa that doesn’t fit clearly into the other areas.
• Southern Africa is the area south of -10° latitude, including parts near the Congo rainforests.

This method is used by groups like the United Nations geoscheme for Africa and the regions of the African Union.

Physiographic approach

Africa can be divided into several regions based on its natural features and vegetation. Some of these regions include the Maghreb, which covers the coastlands and Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The Sahara Desert is a huge, dry area in North Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa lies south of the Sahara and includes many different landscapes. The Sahel is a grassy belt just south of the Sahara, stretching from Senegal to Sudan. Other notable regions are the Horn of Africa, a peninsula in East Africa including countries like Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti, and the Congo Basin, a rainforest area. The East African Rift includes parts of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, featuring mountains, valleys, and lakes.

Linguistic approach

Main article: Languages of Africa

By official language

• Anglophone Africa includes five countries in West Africa (The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, and the most populous African country Nigeria, as well as a part of Cameroon) that are separated by Francophone countries, South Sudan, and a large continuous area in Southern Africa and the African Great Lakes.
• Arabophone Africa includes the four most populous Arabic-speaking countries (Egypt, the Sudan, Morocco, Algeria) as well as Tunisia, Mauritania and Chad, and includes a majority of both the population and the area of the Arabic-speaking countries. French has also kept a strong role in the Maghreb countries, though this has receded somewhat with official Arabization.
• Francophone Africa is a continuous area in West Africa and Central Africa, plus Madagascar and Djibouti.
• Lusophone Africa consists of the widely separated countries of Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola, and Mozambique.
• Equatorial Guinea is the only African country where the Spanish language is official, though French is co-official (but rarely spoken).
• Swahili is widely used as an inter language in East Africa; its use for official and educational functions is greatest in Tanzania.
• Ethiopia and Somalia use the Afro-Asiatic Amharic and Somali languages, respectively, as their official languages, although Arabic also serves as a secondary language in Somalia. Eritrea and some parts of Ethiopia use the Tigrinya language as a working language and Arabic language as a non-indigenous working language within Eritrea.

By indigenous language family

• Niger–Congo languages and Nilo-Saharan languages are spoken in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Nilo-Saharan occupies a smaller area but is highly diverse, and may be related as a parent or sibling of Niger–Congo.
• Afro-Asiatic languages are spoken in North Africa, the Horn of Africa, as well as parts of the Sahel.
• Khoisan languages are spoken in desert areas of Southern Africa, but were formerly spoken over a larger area, and are thought to include two small languages (Hadza and Sandawe) in the African Great Lakes.
• Austronesian languages originating from Southeast Asia are spoken in Madagascar.

Investment approach

Africa can also be divided into regions based on investment opportunities. Each area has its own unique features, advantages, and challenges for businesses.

The investment method was created by RisCura, a global financial analytics and consulting firm. It groups Africa into several key areas:

• The Maghreb region, also called western Northern Africa, includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. These countries aim to work together politically and economically.

• Egypt and the Sudan share strong ties and rely on the Nile River for trade. Egypt is often grouped with the Middle East due to its cultural and economic connections.

• Francophone West Africa includes countries that speak French and share similar legal and political systems from their time as French colonies. These are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, the Niger, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, and Togo.

• Nigeria stands out due to its large size, population, and strong economy.

• East Africa combines the East African Community and the LAPSSET corridor, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Djibouti.

• Central Africa includes Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Congo, the DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

• Southern Africa excluding South Africa includes countries like Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Réunion, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

• South Africa is a major economy with the highest income levels in Africa. It includes Eswatini and Lesotho due to their close ties.

• Other West Africa includes The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.