Which African country borders the most other countries?

The African country that borders the most other countries is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has land boundaries with nine countries. Its enormous territory lies at the center of the continent, making it a crossroads between Central, East, and Southern Africa.

The DRC borders Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Its western edge also reaches the Atlantic Ocean through a short coastline and includes a boundary with Angola's Cabinda exclave. Several borders follow major lakes or rivers, including Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River system.

The answer is sometimes confused with Zambia or Tanzania, which also have many neighbors, or with Sudan, whose borders changed after South Sudan became independent in 2011. The DRC's position around the Congo Basin and its size—among Africa's largest countries—help explain why it touches so many states. Kinshasa, the capital, sits directly across the Congo River from Brazzaville, the capital of the neighboring Republic of the Congo.