Capitals of Africa

Cairo

Cairo is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world. It lies on the Nile, very close to the Pyramids of Giza.

💡 Did you know? On the edge of Cairo stand the Pyramids of Giza, over 4500 years old.

Algiers

Algiers is the capital of Algeria and lies on a bay of the Mediterranean. Its white houses earned it the nickname 'Alger la Blanche' (the White).

💡 Did you know? The old fortified 'Casbah' of Algiers is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Luanda

Luanda is the capital of Angola and lies on the Atlantic. It is the economic centre of the oil-rich country.

💡 Did you know? During the oil boom Luanda was at times ranked among the most expensive cities in the world for expatriates.

Malabo

Malabo is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and lies on a volcanic island off the coast of Central Africa. It is the political centre of the oil-rich country.

💡 Did you know? The capital lies not on the mainland at all, but on an offshore island.

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia and lies high in the mountains. It is called the 'capital of Africa' because the African Union is based here.

💡 Did you know? At around 2350 metres Addis Ababa is one of the highest-lying capitals in the world.

Porto-Novo

Porto-Novo is the official capital of Benin, while the larger city of Cotonou is the economic centre. It lies on a lagoon.

💡 Did you know? Although Porto-Novo is the capital, the government actually sits in the larger Cotonou.

Gaborone

Gaborone is the capital of Botswana and lies in the south-east near the South African border. It grew rapidly only from the 1960s.

💡 Did you know? Gaborone was developed into the capital as a planned city only after independence in 1966.

Ouagadougou

Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the political and cultural centre of the West African landlocked country. It is often shortened to 'Ouaga'.

💡 Did you know? Ouagadougou hosts FESPACO, the largest film festival in Africa.

Gitega

Gitega has been the political capital of Burundi since 2019 and lies centrally in the highlands. The larger city of Bujumbura remains the economic centre.

💡 Did you know? Gitega only replaced Bujumbura as capital in 2019.

Djibouti City

Djibouti City is the capital of the country of the same name on the Horn of Africa and lies on an important strait. It is a major port.

💡 Did you know? Much of the trade of landlocked Ethiopia passes through the port of Djibouti.

Yamoussoukro

Yamoussoukro is the official capital of Ivory Coast, while the larger city of Abidjan is the economic centre. It lies inland.

💡 Did you know? Yamoussoukro is home to one of the largest churches in the world, modelled on St Peter's in Rome.

Asmara

Asmara is the capital of Eritrea and lies high in the mountains near the Red Sea. It is famous for its modernist architecture.

💡 Did you know? Asmara's well-preserved colonial-era Art Deco buildings make the whole city a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mbabane

Mbabane is the capital of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and lies in a highland in southern Africa. The small country is one of the last absolute monarchies.

💡 Did you know? Eswatini is one of the few countries in the world still ruled by a king with full power.

Libreville

Libreville is the capital of Gabon and lies on the Atlantic. Its name means 'free town': it was once founded by freed slaves.

💡 Did you know? The name Libreville ('free town') recalls freed slaves who settled here.

Banjul

Banjul is the capital of the Gambia and lies on an island at the mouth of the Gambia River. It is one of the smallest capitals in Africa.

💡 Did you know? Banjul lies on St Mary's Island and can be reached from the mainland only by bridge or ferry.

Accra

Accra is the capital of Ghana and lies on the Gulf of Guinea. It is the country's economic and cultural centre.

💡 Did you know? Accra is known for its lively, colourful markets.

Conakry

Conakry is the capital of Guinea and spreads over a peninsula and offshore islands on the Atlantic. It is the country's main port.

💡 Did you know? The core of the city lies on a narrow, elongated peninsula.

Bissau

Bissau is the capital of Guinea-Bissau and lies at the mouth of a river on the Atlantic. It is the largest city of the small West African country.

💡 Did you know? Guinea-Bissau carries the name of its capital Bissau to distinguish it from neighbouring Guinea.

Yaoundé

Yaoundé is the capital of Cameroon and lies on several hills inland. It is the political centre, while Douala is the great port.

💡 Did you know? Because of its setting, Yaoundé is called the 'city of seven hills'.

Praia

Praia is the capital of Cape Verde and lies on an island in the Atlantic off West Africa. It is the economic centre of the island nation.

💡 Did you know? Cape Verde consists of ten volcanic islands far out in the Atlantic.

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and a major economic centre of East Africa. It lies on a high plateau.

💡 Did you know? Right on the edge of Nairobi lies a national park where lions and rhinos live.

Moroni

Moroni is the capital of the Comoros, an island group in the Indian Ocean between Africa and Madagascar. It lies at the foot of an active volcano.

💡 Did you know? Above Moroni rises Karthala, an active shield volcano with one of the largest summit calderas in the world.

Kinshasa

Kinshasa is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one of the largest cities in Africa. It lies on the Congo River opposite Brazzaville.

💡 Did you know? Apart from Rome and Vatican City, Apart from Rome and Vatican City, Kinshasa and Brazzaville are the two closest-together capital cities in the world.

Brazzaville

Brazzaville is the capital of the Republic of the Congo and lies on the Congo River. Directly opposite on the other bank lies Kinshasa.

💡 Did you know? From Brazzaville you can look across the river to the capital of the neighbouring country.

Maseru

Maseru is the capital of Lesotho and lies on the border with South Africa. Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa: one of only three countries enclosed by a single other state, alongside San Marino and Vatican City.

💡 Did you know? Lesotho lies so high that it is the only country whose entire territory is above 1000 metres.

Monrovia

Monrovia is the capital of Liberia and lies on the Atlantic. It was founded by freed slaves from the USA and named after a US president.

💡 Did you know? Monrovia is named after the US president James Monroe.

Tripoli

Tripoli is the capital of Libya and lies on the Mediterranean. It is the country's largest city and an ancient port.

💡 Did you know? The name 'Tripoli' comes from Greek and means 'three cities'.

Antananarivo

Antananarivo is the capital of Madagascar and lies in the island's central highlands. It is built over many hills.

💡 Did you know? Locals often shorten the city's long name to 'Tana'.

Lilongwe

Lilongwe is the capital of Malawi and lies inland. The city of Blantyre is larger, but Lilongwe is the seat of government.

💡 Did you know? Lilongwe was made the capital only in 1975, replacing Zomba.

Bamako

Bamako is the capital of Mali and lies on the River Niger. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa.

💡 Did you know? Bamako is known for its vibrant music scene, which reaches around the world.

Rabat

Rabat is the capital of Morocco and lies on the Atlantic. The larger city of Casablanca is the economic centre, Rabat the seat of government.

💡 Did you know? Rabat's historic buildings and gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nouakchott

Nouakchott is the capital of Mauritania and lies on the Atlantic at the edge of the Sahara. Around 1960 it was still a small village.

💡 Did you know? Nouakchott grew from a village into a city of over a million within a few decades.

Port Louis

Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. It is the country's main port.

💡 Did you know? Mauritius was once home to the dodo, a flightless bird that has long been extinct.

Maputo

Maputo is the capital of Mozambique and lies on a bay of the Indian Ocean. It is known for architecture from the Portuguese colonial era.

💡 Did you know? Until 1976, shortly after independence, Maputo was called 'Lourenço Marques'.

Windhoek

Windhoek is the capital of Namibia and lies centrally in the country's highlands. It still shows clear traces of the German colonial era.

💡 Did you know? In Windhoek German street names and buildings recall the colonial era.

Niamey

Niamey is the capital of Niger and lies on the River Niger. It is the economic centre of the West African desert state.

💡 Did you know? Niamey lies on one of the few great rivers that cross the Sahel.

Abuja

Abuja is the purpose-built capital of Nigeria and lies centrally in the country. It replaced the huge coastal city of Lagos in 1991.

💡 Did you know? Abuja was planned on the drawing board as a new capital because the old Lagos was too overcrowded.

Kigali

Kigali is the capital of Rwanda and is spread over several hills in the country's centre. It is seen as one of the cleanest cities in Africa.

💡 Did you know? Plastic bags are banned in Rwanda: Kigali is regarded as especially clean.

Lusaka

Lusaka is the capital of Zambia and lies on a high plateau in the south of the country. It is the economic centre.

💡 Did you know? Lusaka lies at over 1200 metres, which keeps the climate mild despite its nearness to the equator.

São Tomé

São Tomé is the capital of the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. The tiny state consists of two volcanic islands.

💡 Did you know? São Tomé and Príncipe is the second-smallest state in Africa after the Seychelles.

Dakar

Dakar is the capital of Senegal and lies on a peninsula at the westernmost point of Africa. It is an important port and cultural centre.

💡 Did you know? Dakar lies at the westernmost mainland point of the entire African continent.

Victoria

Victoria is the capital of the Seychelles, an island group in the Indian Ocean. It is one of the smallest capitals in the world.

💡 Did you know? Victoria is one of the smallest capitals in the world: you can explore it on foot in a few hours.

Freetown

Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone and lies on one of the largest natural harbours in the world. It was founded by freed slaves.

💡 Did you know? The name Freetown recalls the freed slaves who founded it.

Harare

Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe and lies on a high plateau. It is the country's economic and political centre.

💡 Did you know? Until 1982, two years after independence, Harare was called 'Salisbury'.

Mogadishu

Mogadishu is the capital of Somalia and lies on the Indian Ocean. It is an ancient port that was once a thriving trade centre.

💡 Did you know? In the Middle Ages Mogadishu was an important hub in the Indian Ocean trade.

Pretoria

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa and seat of the government. The country has three capitals in total, for its three branches of government.

💡 Did you know? South Africa has three capitals: Pretoria (administration), Cape Town (parliament) and Bloemfontein (judiciary).

Khartoum

Khartoum is the capital of Sudan and lies where the Blue and White Nile meet. It is the country's political centre.

💡 Did you know? At Khartoum the Blue Nile and the White Nile join to form the main Nile.

Juba

Juba is the capital of South Sudan and lies on the White Nile. It is the capital of the youngest widely recognised state in the world.

💡 Did you know? Juba became capital in 2011 when South Sudan gained independence as the world's youngest country.

Dodoma

Dodoma is the official capital of Tanzania and lies centrally inland. The coastal city of Dar es Salaam is larger, but the seat of government is Dodoma.

💡 Did you know? Dodoma only officially replaced the larger coastal city of Dar es Salaam as capital in 1996.

Lomé

Lomé is the capital of Togo and lies right on the Gulf of Guinea at the border with Ghana. It is the country's main port.

💡 Did you know? Lomé lies so close to the border that the neighbouring town in Ghana practically adjoins it.

N’Djamena

N'Djamena is the capital of Chad and lies on a river at the border with Cameroon. It is the economic centre of the desert state.

💡 Did you know? N'Djamena lies in the hot Sahel and is one of the hottest capitals in the world.

Tunis

Tunis is the capital of Tunisia and lies on the Mediterranean. Near it lay the ruins of ancient Carthage.

💡 Did you know? Right next to Tunis lay Carthage, the mighty rival of ancient Rome.

Kampala

Kampala is the capital of Uganda and lies on the northern shore of Lake Victoria. It is built over several hills.

💡 Did you know? Kampala lies on Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa.

Bangui

Bangui is the capital of the Central African Republic and lies on a river at the border with DR Congo. It is the country's largest city.

💡 Did you know? The Ubangi River, on which Bangui lies, forms the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.