East Africa, as the UN groups it, is the largest of Africa's regions: eighteen countries from the Red Sea to the Zambezi, plus islands in the Indian Ocean. Coming from North Africa, follow the Nile south into the highlands.
Key idea
In the north, the Horn of Africa: Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia, with South Sudan to the west. Around Lake Victoria: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Farther south: Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In the Indian Ocean: Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles.
Why it works
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula, not a country: the point of land that sticks out east into the Indian Ocean, shaped like a rhinoceros horn. Four countries share it. Inside Somalia, Somaliland in the north has governed itself since 1991, but Somalia and most countries consider it part of Somalia; maps show it hatched.
Worked example: Two small neighbors
Rwanda and Burundi are side by side. Which is north?
- Rwanda is the northern one, south of Uganda.
- Burundi is just south of Rwanda, on Lake Tanganyika.
Answer: Rwanda.
Worked example: Island countries
Which island country lies closest to Mozambique?
- Madagascar is the large island across the Mozambique Channel.
- Comoros is a group of small islands at the north end of that channel.
Answer: Madagascar (with Comoros to its north).
Common mistake
Some people think the Horn of Africa is one country. It is a peninsula holding Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti. Ethiopia, the largest, is landlocked: Eritrea and Djibouti lie between it and the sea.