A Comprehensive Comparative Study of Land Area — km² · m² · All 54 Sovereign States
Executive Summary
This companion delivers an interactive, searchable reference of land area — in square kilometres and square metres — for every one of Africa’s 54 sovereign states, ranked continentally, grouped regionally, and benchmarked against global comparators.
54
Sovereign States
—
Total Area (km²)
Algeria
Largest State
Seychelles
Smallest State Copy Section
Introduction & Methodology
Africa is the second-largest continent on Earth by both area and population, spanning approximately 30,265,522 km² across 54 internationally recognised sovereign states.
Data Sources
Figures are drawn primarily from the UN Statistics Division’s Demographic Yearbook (Table 3), cross-referenced against the CIA World Factbook and national geographic authorities. Where sources diverge — typically 1–5% due to differing treatment of inland water or disputed territory — the UN figure is used as primary reference.
Unit Conversion
1 km² = 1,000,000 m². Both units are presented throughout: km² for continental/regional comparison, m² for granular scale reference. Copy Section
Continental Summary Statistics
Distribution by Region
| Region | Countries | Total Area (km²) | Share of Africa | Largest State |
|---|
- Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the Arab world (2,381,741 km²) since Sudan’s division in 2011.
- DR Congo is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa and second-largest overall.
- Chad is Africa’s largest landlocked country; Eswatini is the smallest.
- Madagascar is Africa’s largest island country — second-largest in the world after Indonesia.
- Seychelles is the smallest sovereign state in Africa overall; The Gambia is the smallest on the mainland.
Copy Section
Master Ranking — All 54 Countries
| # | Country | Area (km²) | Area (m²) | % Africa | Region |
|---|
Click any column header to sort. Type in the search box to filter by country or region name.
Regional Analysis
Profiles — The 10 Largest Countries
| # | Country | Area (km²) | Area (m²) | Region |
|---|
Profiles — The 10 Smallest Countries
| # | Country | Area (km²) | Area (m²) | Region |
|---|
Landlocked Countries
Africa has 16 landlocked countries — more than any other continent. Chad is the largest (1,284,846 km²); Eswatini is the smallest (18,364 km²).
| # | Country | Area (km²) | Region |
|---|
Coastal States by Ocean / Sea
38 states have direct coastal access; several — Egypt, Morocco, Djibouti, South Africa — border more than one body of water.
Island Nations
| # | Country | Area (km²) | Ocean / Sea |
|---|
Notes on Disputed & Special Territories
Western Sahara
Approximately 266,000 km²; claimed by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, largely administered by Morocco. Excluded from the 54-state total.
Somaliland
Declared independence in 1991; not recognised by any UN member; included within Somalia’s reported area.
Egypt — Sinai Peninsula
Included in Egypt’s 1,002,450 km² total though geographically part of Western Asia.
South Sudan
2011 independence reduced Sudan’s area from 2,505,813 km² to 1,857,392 km².
Unit Conversion Reference
1 km² = 100 hectares = 247.105 acres = 0.386102 sq. miles = 1,000,000 m².
| Country | km² | Hectares | Acres | Sq. Miles |
|---|
Glossary of Terms
Total Area
Land area plus inland water bodies within international boundaries; excludes territorial sea and EEZ.
Hectare (ha)
10,000 m², or 0.01 km².
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
Maritime zone up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal baseline; not counted as land area.
Landlocked State
A state with no direct ocean coastline.
Exclave
Territory separated from the main body of a state by another state’s territory (e.g. Angola’s Cabinda).
Appendix — Full Data Table (Alphabetical)
| Country | Region | Area (km²) | Area (m²) | % Africa | Rank |
|---|
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