Countries of Africa and their capitals
54 countries, all UN members. Egypt is counted here, though its Sinai Peninsula lies in Asia.
Africa has more countries than any other continent. Many capitals are new planned cities or old ports, and their stories tie together geography and history.
Chunk by region. A whole continent is too much to hold at once, so the list is learned a region at a time, in groups of about five. Use picture plus words: say each pair out loud while you point to the country on a map (the Geography Ladder has maps). The map works like a memory palace, so walk it in the same direction each time. Where a capital has a story or a meaning, picture it; the hooks give some to start with. Then close the book and recall, and come back on day 1, 3, 7 and 21.
Encode make it vivid → Space bring it back on day 1, 3, 7, 21 → Retrieve pull it from your head. From the infographic Remember It on Purpose.
Countries of Africa and their capitals
| Country | Capital | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Algiers | Northern Africa |
| Egypt | Cairo | Northern Africa |
| Note: Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is in Asia. Egypt has been building a New Administrative Capital east of Cairo; Cairo remains the capital. | ||
| Libya | Tripoli | Northern Africa |
| Morocco | Rabat | Northern Africa |
| Sudan | Khartoum | Northern Africa |
| Note: Khartoum lies where the Blue Nile and the White Nile meet. | ||
| Tunisia | Tunis | Northern Africa |
| Benin | Porto-Novo | Western Africa |
| Note: Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government and the largest city. | ||
| Burkina Faso | Ouagadougou | Western Africa |
| Cabo Verde | Praia | Western Africa |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Yamoussoukro | Western Africa |
| Note: Yamoussoukro is the official capital; Abidjan is the largest city, where most government offices are. | ||
| Gambia | Banjul | Western Africa |
| Ghana | Accra | Western Africa |
| Guinea | Conakry | Western Africa |
| Guinea-Bissau | Bissau | Western Africa |
| Liberia | Monrovia | Western Africa |
| Mali | Bamako | Western Africa |
| Mauritania | Nouakchott | Western Africa |
| Niger | Niamey | Western Africa |
| Nigeria | Abuja | Western Africa |
| Note: Lagos, the largest city, was the capital until 1991. | ||
| Senegal | Dakar | Western Africa |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown | Western Africa |
| Togo | Lomé | Western Africa |
| Angola | Luanda | Middle Africa |
| Cameroon | Yaoundé | Middle Africa |
| Central African Republic | Bangui | Middle Africa |
| Chad | N'Djamena | Middle Africa |
| Republic of the Congo | Brazzaville | Middle Africa |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kinshasa | Middle Africa |
| Equatorial Guinea | Ciudad de la Paz | Middle Africa |
| Note: Ciudad de la Paz, a planned city on the mainland, has been named the capital in place of Malabo, on the island of Bioko; much of the government is still in Malabo. Both answers are accepted. | ||
| Gabon | Libreville | Middle Africa |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | São Tomé | Middle Africa |
| Burundi | Gitega | Eastern Africa |
| Note: Gitega became the political capital in 2019; Bujumbura, the largest city, remains the economic capital. | ||
| Comoros | Moroni | Eastern Africa |
| Djibouti | Djibouti | Eastern Africa |
| Eritrea | Asmara | Eastern Africa |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Eastern Africa |
| Kenya | Nairobi | Eastern Africa |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | Eastern Africa |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | Eastern Africa |
| Mauritius | Port Louis | Eastern Africa |
| Mozambique | Maputo | Eastern Africa |
| Rwanda | Kigali | Eastern Africa |
| Seychelles | Victoria | Eastern Africa |
| Somalia | Mogadishu | Eastern Africa |
| South Sudan | Juba | Eastern Africa |
| Uganda | Kampala | Eastern Africa |
| Tanzania | Dodoma | Eastern Africa |
| Note: Dodoma is the official capital; Dar es Salaam is the largest city and still holds many offices. | ||
| Zambia | Lusaka | Eastern Africa |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | Eastern Africa |
| Botswana | Gaborone | Southern Africa |
| Eswatini | Mbabane | Southern Africa |
| Note: Mbabane is the administrative capital; Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital. | ||
| Lesotho | Maseru | Southern Africa |
| Note: Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa. | ||
| Namibia | Windhoek | Southern Africa |
| South Africa | Pretoria | Southern Africa |
| Note: South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative) and Bloemfontein (judicial). | ||
Chunk by region. A whole continent is too much to hold at once, so the list is learned a region at a time, in groups of about five. Use picture plus words: say each pair out loud while you point to the country on a map (the Geography Ladder has maps). The map works like a memory palace, so walk it in the same direction each time. Where a capital has a story or a meaning, picture it; the hooks give some to start with. Then close the book and recall, and come back on day 1, 3, 7 and 21. · teddyrookbook.com/memory/challenges/countries-africa/
Sources
- United Nations: Member States (193)
- Grokipedia: Lists of capitals (current national capitals)
- United Nations Statistics Division: M49 regions (the region names)
- Teddy Rook Book Geography Ladder: the countries model (maps and notes)
Checked October 31, 2026. Progress is kept on this device only (per learner). More lists: all memory challenges · memory games.