List of West African countries and their capitals

List of West African countries and their capitals

How well do you know your African continent? Well, do you know that Africa is the second largest continent after Asia? Thanks to its diversity and unity among its people, Africa continues to grow and develop socially and economically with different regions attributing to its growth and sustainability. One of the regions that have been pivotal in this growth has been the West African region. With our comprehensive list of West African countries, today we get to learn more about the countries that make this region a success and their capitals.

west africa map
how many countries are in west africa
map of west africa
list of ecowas countries
Source:nationsonline.org

Western African or the West Africa region is one of the beautiful places in the entire of the African continent. Forget the many geographical attraction sites; the beauty of the place is in its people. This article seeks to educate you about the different countries that make up the larger West African region.

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West Africa map

Even before we list the countries in West Africa and their capitals it is important that we identify the respective countries in their geographical locations. The following map of Africa showing countries will help us in this quest.

countries in west africa
west africa map
how many countries are in west africa
map of west africa
Source:worldatlas.com

List of West African countries

The question; how many countries are in West Africa is one straightforward question but nonetheless not a simple one to crack. According to the geographical map of West Africa, this region is made up of 19 countries with two adjacent islands. From an economic, however, it is also correct to state that the West African region consists of 16 countries and two islands. Despite being located in the West African region, Cameroon, Chad and Equatorial Guinea do not constitute the list of ECOWAS countries.

While both points answer the question of how many countries make up the West Africa region it is always important that you understand the context of the question before providing the answer. In our guide today, we decide to go the geographical way. Other than the capitals of this countries, we look also at other distinguishing factors of these countries such as their language and currency. Read on in order to understand this region better.

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List of West African countries and their flags

1. Republic of Chad

Capital: N'Djamena

Official language: French and Arabic

Area: 1,284,000 square kilometers

Currency: Central African CFA franc

2. Republic of the Niger

Capital: Niamey

Official language: French

Area: 1,267,000 square kilometers

Currency: West African CFA franc

3. Republic of Mali

Capital: Bamako

Official language: French

Area: 1,240,192 square kilometers

Currency: West African CFA franc

4. Islamic Republic of Mauritania

Capital: Nouakchott

Official language: Arabic

Area: 1,030,000 square kilometers

Currency: Ouguiya

5. Federal Republic of Nigeria

west africa map
how many countries are in west africa
map of west africa
list of ecowas countries
Source:mckinsey.com

Capital: Abuja

Official language: English

Area: 923,768 square kilometers

Currency: Naira

6. Republic of Cameroon

Capital: Yaoundé

Official language: French and English

Area: 475,442 square kilometers

Currency: Central African CFA franc

7. Republic of Côte d'Ivoire

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Capital: Yamoussoukro (political) and Abidjan (economic)

Official language: French

Area: 322,463 square kilometers

Currency: West African CFA franc

8. Burkina Faso

Capital: Ouagadougou

Official language: French

Area: 274,200 square kilometers

Currency: West African CFA franc

9. Republic of Ghana

Capital: Accra

Official language: English

Area: 238,535 square kilometers

Currency: Ghana cedi

10. Republic of Guinea

Capital: Conakry

Official language: French

Area: 245,836 square kilometers

Currency: Guinean franc

11. Republic of Senegal

west africa map
how many countries are in west africa
map of west africa
list of ecowas countries
Source:fly4free.com

Capital: Dakar

Official language: French

Area: 196,712 square kilometers

Currency: CFA franc

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12. Republic of Benin

Capital: Porto-Novo

Official language: French

Area: 114,763 square kilometers

Currency: West African CFA franc

13. Republic of Liberia

Capital: Monrovia

Official language: English

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Area: 111,369 square kilometers

Currency: Liberian dollar

14. Republic of Sierra Leone

Capital: Freetown

Official language: English

Area: 71,840 square kilometres

Currency: Leone

15. Togolese Republic

Capital: Lomé

Official language: French

Area: 56,785 square kilometers

Currency: West African CFA franc

16. Republic of Guinea-Bissau

Capital: Bissau

Official language: Portuguese

Area: 36,125 square kilometers

Currency: West African CFA franc

17. Republic of Equatorial Guinea

Capital: Malabo

Official language: Spanish

Area: 28,050 square kilometers

Currency: Central African CFA franc

18. Republic of the Gambia

west africa map
how many countries are in west africa
map of west africa
list of ecowas countries
Source:worldatlas.com

Capital: Banjul

Official language: English

Area: 10,689 square kilometers

Currency: Dalasi

19. Republic of Cabo Verde

Capital: Praia

Official language: Portuguese

Area: 4,033 square kilometres

Currency: Cape Verdean escudo

20. The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe

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Capital: São Tomé

Official language: Portuguese

Area: 964 square kilometers

Currency: Dobra

21. Saint Helena

Capital: Jamestown

Official language: English

Area: 121 square kilometers

Currency: Saint Helena Pound

List of west African countries and their president

Now that we know about the different countries in West Africa and their capitals, it is equally important we familiarize ourselves with the heads of states. Below are the current presidents of these West African countries.

Looking for a well-formatted list of countries in West Africa

  1. Republic of Chad- Idriss Déby
  2. Republic of the Niger - Mahamadou Issoufou
  3. Republic of Mali - Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
  4. Islamic Republic of Mauritania - Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz
  5. Federal Republic of Nigeria - Muhammadu Buhari
  6. Republic of Cameroon - Paul Biya
  7. Republic of Côte d'Ivoire - Alassane Ouattara
  8. Burkina Faso- Roch Marc Christian Kaboré
  9. Republic of Ghana - Nana Akufo-Addo
  10. Republic of Guinea- Alpha Condé
  11. Republic of Senegal - Macky Sall
  12. Republic of Benin- Patrice Talon
  13. Republic of Liberia - George Weah
  14. Republic of Sierra Leone - Julius Maada Bio
  15. Togolese Republic- Faure Gnassingbé
  16. Republic of Guinea-Bissau - José Mário Vaz
  17. Republic of Equatorial Guinea- Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
  18. The Republic of the Gambia- Adama Barrow
  19. Republic of Cabo Verde- Jorge Carlos Fonseca
  20. Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe- Manuel Pinto da Costa

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List of West African countries colonized by Britain

This section might be a huge interest to historians. With the vast wealth of resources West African had, it was a highly targeted area for the colonies. Below are the countries within this region that were colonized by Britain.

  • Nigeria
  • Ghana
  • Sierra Leone
  • The Gambia

We hope we have helped you expand your knowledge on the list of West African countries. However, there is still more research you can always carry out on your own.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Chris Ndetei avatar

Chris Ndetei (Lifestyle writer) Christopher Ndetei is a junior reporter writer who joined the Yen team in May 2021. He graduated from the Machakos Technical College in 2009 with a diploma in ICT. Chris has over two years of experience in content creation and more than ten working in the hospitality industry. He covers lifestyle/entertainment, focusing on biographies, life hacks, gaming and guides. In 2023, Christopher finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach him at chrisndetei@gmail.com