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Top 10 Largest Countries in Africa by Landmass

The largest countries in Africa by landmass are among the largest in the world with Algeria being the largest in Africa and Arab League overt

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2023

Oluwafemi Afolayan

Top 10 Largest Countries in Africa by Landmass - RNN

What are the largest countries in Africa by landmass? Africa has a population of close to 1.5 billion people with a land that is land filled with people of rich culture and heritage that guides almost every daily life activity, the continent of African soil is rich and vast, and it is home to some 30 percent of the world’s mineral reserves, 8% of the world’s natural Gas and 12% of the world’s oil reserves as well as it covers 6% of Earth’s total surface area and 20% of its land area about 30.3 million km².

The continent of Africa is the second largest continent by area as well as by population only after the Asia continent which retains the position as the largest by landmass and the most populated. This article will list the top largest countries in Africa by landmass and the kilometers of areas they occupy with their total percentage of land on the earth’s surface.

1. Algeria – 2,384,741 km² (919,595 mi²)

The largest country in Africa by landmass

Algeria, a country in the North African part of the African continent is the largest country in Africa by landmass and also the largest by far in the Arab world. The country is the tenth largest in the world covering an area of 2,381,741 square kilometers with a population of more than 44 million people living in the country with the majority of its people living in the city. Algeria which has a history dating back to 202 BC, has more than 80% of its 919,595 mi² lands as desert and covers a total of approximately 0.467% of the earth’s surface.

2. Democratic Republic of Congo – 2,344,860 km² (905,356 mi²)

DRC is a country in Central Africa bordered to the west by the South Atlantic Ocean and the second largest country in Africa by landmass, occupying a total of 2,344,860 km², occupying more lands 200 times more than the smallest country in Africa. The Central African country which follows Algeria closely is the 11th largest in the world by area. In total, the Democratic Republic of Congo occupies about 0.460% of the earth’s surface, and it is also one other densely populated countries in Africa.

3. Sudan – 1,854,105 km² (715,874 mi²)

Largest countries in Africa 2023

Sudan used to be the largest country in Africa by area until it was overtaken by Algeria after splitting into two countries in July 2011 after the people of the south voted for independence. Sudan used to occupy a landmass of approximately 2,505,813 km2 with an area that represented more than 8 percent of the African continent and almost 2 percent of the world’s total land area. Additionally, Sudan which used to be the largest Arab League nation now covers a total of 0.365% of the earth’s surface.

4. Libya – 1,759,540 km² (679,362 mi²)

Libya which also belongs to North Africa is the fourth largest country in Africa by land area with a total land area of 1,759,540 km², it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad to the south, Niger to the southwest, Algeria to the west, and Tunisia to the northwest. With a population of about 7,054,493 million people, it is the 104th most populous country in the world occupying a total land area of 0.345% of the earth’s surface.

5. Chad – 1,284,000 km² (495,755 mi²)

Largest African countries by landmass

Chad is the first landlocked country on this list that is located at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. The country is one of the most populated countries in Africa and in the world, it is surrounded by Libya, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, and Nigeria and Niger to the west. Chad covers almost 8% of the African continent and about 0.252% of the earth’s surface.

6. Niger – 1,267,000 km² (489,191 mi²)

The Republic of Niger is among the largest countries in Africa by land mass, with a total land mass of 1,267,000 km² (489,191 mi²), it stands as the sixth largest country by area and the 21st the world. Niger is also among the most populous nation in Africa with over 24 million people, it is the second most landlocked country in West Africa on this list and it is bigger than all its surrounding neighbors except Algeria and Chad.

7. Angola – 1,246,700 km² (481,354 mi²)

Largest African countries by area

Angola is one of the major producers and exporters of Africa and the World, it also knows for being blessed by the magnificence of nature. Additionally, it has a great number of various landscapes. Angola is located in the Southern African part of the continent as well as it is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking country in both total area and population it covers a total area of about 1,246,700 km², ranking as the 7th largest in Africa by landmass and 22nd in the world, with 0.244% of land cover on the earth’s surface.

8. Mali – 1,240,190 km² (478,840 mi²)

Mali is another landlocked country in West Africa and it is the eighth-largest country in Africa by landmass with a total area of 1,240,190 km². The country has 43 million hectares of agricultural land, representing 34 percent of the country’s total land area. Additionally, Mali covers 4.1 percent of Africa’s land mass and hosts 1.5 percent of its population, which represents 0.243% of the earth’s surface.

9. South Africa – 1,219,090 km² (470,693 mi²)

List of African countries by size

With a landmass of 1,219,090 km², South Africa which is located in the southernmost part of Africa is the ninth-largest country in Africa by landmass and one of the top most populated countries in Africa with a population of over 60 million people. South Africa is the 24th in the world with 0.380% of the country made of water, in addition to that, South Africa occupies a sum total of 0.239% of the earth’s surface.

10. Ethiopia – 1,136,242 km² (438,705 mi²)

Ethiopia is the largest landlocked country by population in Africa and the world as well as the second largest African country by population, occupying an area of 1,136,242 km². The country is located on the East African coast of the African continent, having a culture and civilization believed to be hundreds of thousand years ago, it is one of the earliest civilizations in the world and it occupies a total of 0.216% of the earth’s surface.