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