Africa has 54 sovereign states that are members of the United Nations. This count refers to UN member states generally recognised as African countries, rather than every territory or partially recognised entity on the continent.
Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent. Its countries span a huge range of environments, from the Mediterranean coast and Sahara to tropical forests, highlands, savannas, and the Antarctic-facing islands of the south. The continent is commonly divided into North, West, Central, East, and Southern Africa, although regional definitions can vary.
The number 55 sometimes appears because the African Union includes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, whose status is disputed and which is not a UN member state. Overseas territories and dependencies can also affect broader geographic counts. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, while Algeria is its largest by area. These separate facts should not be confused with the continent’s count of UN member states.