Category: Africa

Huh?

How many countries in Africa? How hard can the question be?

Africa is one continent but how many countries? we were asked last week. The answer is more complicated than you might think but, simply put, there are 55 states that are recognised by either the AU or the UN or both.

Researched by Ruth Becker

“How many countries does the continent have in its entirety?” asked a message sent to us last week by a group of information security advocates.

The sender, @Infosecafrica, noted that Africa’s regional political organisation the African Union has 54 members but had seen a report claiming the continent is home to 57 countries.

So how many countries does Africa have? The AU claims to represent all African countries. So are there 54 or 57? How hard – we thought – can the question be?

Continue reading “Mini-Me: How Many Countries in Africa?”