Africa’s 10 largest countries

To get to know the Mother of Mankind a little better, take a look at our ranking of the 10 largest countries in Africa!

With a surface area of just over 30 million km², Africa is the world’s third largest continent. It is also home to a population of 1.3 billion, almost 20% of the world’s total. A land of 1,000 riches, the continent is home to no fewer than 54 countries and countless cultural traits.

Desert plains of unknown species, lush forests planted with fruit trees, hot sand dunes that melt underfoot – it’s not for nothing that we say Africa has a thousand faces. Let’s get on board right away for a top 10 list of the African countries with the largest surface area!

1. Algeria

Clinging to the very north of the continent, Algeria is perched atop the podium of Africa’s largest countries. With a population of around 43 million, or two-thirds of that of France, its surface area of 2.38 million km² is almost 4 times that of France!

Algeria is part of the historic Maghreb region, which today includes its neighbors Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya. In Algeria, we speak literary and regional Arabic, as well as Berber and French!

2. Democratic Republic of Congo

The second largest country in Africa after Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a land of cultures and contrasts. Its official language is French, and four Bantu languages have the status of national languages. These are Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo and Tshiluba.

Trekking enthusiasts will be delighted, as the DRC is home to Mount Stanley. At over 5,100 metres, it is the third highest peak in Africa. Its economy, mainly agricultural, is also based on significant mining resources. The country is the world’s leading producer of cobalt, a strategic mineral for the automotive industry. It’s thanks to the DRC that you’re on the move every day! Finally, the country covers an area of 2.35 million km².

3. Sudan

Renowned historical sites, breathtaking landscapes, incredible wildlife… These are not necessarily the words that come to mind when the general public thinks of Sudan. And yet, they aptly describe what you can discover in the country when you venture there. Its almost 1.9 million km² make it the third largest country in Africa.

4. Libya

With a surface area of 1.76 million km², Libya is a North African state forming part of the Maghreb. Bordered to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, most of the country is desert. Its population is largely concentrated on the coast.

Its economy, once based on livestock farming, now relies heavily on the exploitation of oil deposits. Libya’s culinary traditions, on the other hand, have preserved the trace left by these traditions. Indeed, even today, many meat-rich dishes can be found in Libyan gastronomy.

5. Chad

Chad’s 1.284 million km² make this landlocked country in the heart of the continent the fifth largest in Africa! Its 8 million inhabitants, divided among more than 200 ethnic groups, make the country an unprecedented cultural mosaic.

Due to its political instability, Chad has had great difficulty in opening up to tourism. Yet Chad is home to the Sahara’s highest peaks, Emi Koussi and Pic Toussidé. The hard-to-reach Tibesti desert, with its lunar landscape, is home to some of mankind’s greatest treasures.

Indeed, in some of its preserved archaeological sites, rock paintings are among the oldest in Africa!

6. Niger

With a surface area of almost 1.3 million km², Niger is twice the size and three times less populated than France! A veritable mosaic of cultures and landscapes, divided between the dryness of the desert and the movement of the River Niger, it is home to an immense wealth of flora and fauna. Niger shares with Benin and Burkina Faso the management of Parc W, the largest intact wild ecosystem in Africa.

It is home to the last remaining populations of certain animal species, such as the North-West African cheetah. This park alone is a good reason to visit Niger!

7. Angola

If someone told you that speaking Portuguese could help you travel in Africa, would you believe it? Angola is one of the six Portuguese-speaking African countries. Covering an area of 1.247 million km², Angola’s tourism potential is relatively unknown.

The Angolan capital, Luanda, is one of the world’s most expensive cities, in stark contrast to the rest of the country, where you can lose yourself in the rainforest. Between spectacular waterfalls, the world’s oldest desert and musical traditions rooted in popular culture, this country is a destination not to be missed!

8. Mali

Mali’s 1.24 million km² make it one of the top 10 largest countries in Africa. This landlocked territory is home to a number of arid lands, extended by savannah landscapes that eventually give way, in the south, to a large valley irrigated by the Niger River. It is in this valley that the country’s largest cities have developed.

Ancestral traditions are still very much alive in Mali. For example, griots are still present at every ceremony and special occasion. These are storytellers who recount the oral history of the families to which they are related.

Malian craftsmanship is also based on techniques such as ironwork and weaving, which vary from region to region and from ethnic group to ethnic group.

9. South Africa

At 1.2 million km², South Africa nestles between Mali and Ethiopia in the top 10 largest countries in Africa. The country is best known for its apartheid policy, which lasted until 1991. But that’s not all: South Africa’s vineyards are renowned the world over for producing excellent vintages. With 130,000 hectares of vines, the country ranks eighth among the world’s wine producers.

While these two cultural traits may be a good starting point for exploring the country, they are not the only ones! South Africa boasts an unsuspected variety of landscapes, ranging from forests and savannahs to mountains, beaches and even deserts. This great richness means, among other things, the presence of unrivalled biodiversity!

10. Ethiopia

Ethiopia’s 110 million inhabitants make it the second most populous country in Africa, no less! In the Horn of Africa, this country of over 1.1 million km² boasts a rich architectural heritage.

The cradle of humanity, the country is famous for being the place where Lucy’s skeleton was discovered in 1974. Crossed by the Great Rift Valley, the country boasts an incredible diversity of landscapes, from the high plateaus to the Bale Mountains.

So, have these few lines awakened in you the desire to set off and discover one of Africa’s great countries?