Learn the Countries of Africa
Learn to find African countries on the map and name their capitals, from the Maghreb and the Sahel down to Southern Africa.
Africa
Choose how you want to practice.
Game length
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Best scores are tracked separately for each region, mode, and length.
What you'll practice
- North to southPractice countries across North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa.
- African capitalsLearn capitals that are commonly missed, including Abuja, Pretoria, Dodoma, and Yaoundé.
- African flagsAdd the flag round to tell apart the many pan-African red, gold, and green designs.
- Tricky bordersWest Africa packs many countries together, so the map view makes those borders much clearer.
How to learn the countries of Africa
Choose the Africa region and a mode that includes capitals. Each round highlights one country for you to identify, then asks for its capital, which links location and capital in a single step.
Work region by region rather than alphabetically. North Africa, the Sahel and West Africa, the Horn and East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa each hold together as a study group.
Tips for African capitals and flags
West Africa is where most mistakes happen, since many countries sit in a tight band along the coast. Use Senegal at the western tip, then Mali inland and Ghana on the Gulf of Guinea as anchors, and fill in their neighbours from there.
Several African countries moved their capital away from the largest city, including Nigeria (Abuja) and Tanzania (Dodoma). South Africa is unusual in having three capitals, with Pretoria as the administrative seat.
African countries and their capitals
Every African country featured in the quiz above, paired with its capital city.
- AlgeriaAlgiers
- AngolaLuanda
- BotswanaGaborone
- CameroonYaoundé
- EgyptCairo
- EthiopiaAddis Ababa
- GhanaAccra
- KenyaNairobi
- LibyaTripoli
- MadagascarAntananarivo
- MaliBamako
- MoroccoRabat
- MozambiqueMaputo
- NamibiaWindhoek
- NigeriaAbuja
- SenegalDakar
- South AfricaPretoria
- SudanKhartoum
- TanzaniaDodoma
- TunisiaTunis
- UgandaKampala
- ZambiaLusaka
- ZimbabweHarare
Frequently asked questions
How many countries are in Africa?
Africa has 54 United Nations member states, making it the continent with the most countries. MapDuel features a broad selection from every part of the continent.
What is the best way to learn African countries?
Learn Africa in regional bands such as North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Placing each country on the map in sequence is far more effective than memorising a list.
Which African countries are hardest to place?
The closely packed countries of West Africa are the most commonly confused, along with the landlocked states of Southern and Central Africa such as Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, which are easy to mix up.
Does South Africa have more than one capital?
Yes. South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria for administration, Cape Town for the legislature, and Bloemfontein for the judiciary. MapDuel uses Pretoria, the administrative capital.
More ways to learn geography
- Learn the Countries of EuropeLocate every European country and learn its capital and flag.
- Learn the Countries of AsiaLocate Asian countries from the Middle East to the Far East, plus their capitals.
- Learn World CapitalsName the capital city of every country, one region at a time.
- Learn the 50 U.S. StatesPlace every state on the map, then name its capital and flag.
Prefer to choose your own region and mode? Play all MapDuel geography games.