Which sovereign state is the smallest in Africa by area?

Which sovereign state is the smallest in Africa by area? The answer is Seychelles.

Seychelles is an independent archipelagic country in the western Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar and east of mainland Africa. Its land area is only about 459 square kilometers, making it Africa’s smallest sovereign state by total area. The Gambia is smaller among mainland African countries, but it is not smaller than Seychelles overall.

The country consists of numerous islands spread across a vast maritime zone. Mahé is the largest and most populous island, and Victoria, on Mahé, is the national capital. The inner islands are largely granitic, while many outer islands are coral formations, giving Seychelles an unusual geological profile.

France claimed the islands in the eighteenth century, Britain later took control, and Seychelles became independent in 1976. Its small size is easy to confuse with other island states such as São Tomé and Príncipe, Comoros or Mauritius, but each has a larger total area. Seychelles is also Africa’s least-populated sovereign country.