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Africa
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Country
Government
Population
Democracy
Western Sahara
legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)
Nigeria
Abuja
federal presidential republic
244.3M
Ethiopia
Addis Ababa
federal parliamentary republic
121.4M
DRC
Kinshasa
semi-presidential republic
119.0M
Egypt
Cairo
presidential republic
112.9M
Tanzania
Dodoma
presidential republic
69.1M
South Africa
Pretoria (administrative capital); Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
parliamentary republic
61.1M
Kenya
Nairobi
presidential republic
55.8M
Uganda
Kampala
presidential republic
50.9M
Sudan
Khartoum
presidential republic
50.5M
Algeria
Algiers
presidential republic
47.7M
Angola
Luanda
presidential republic
39.0M
Morocco
Rabat
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
37.4M
Ghana
Accra
presidential republic
35.3M
Mozambique
Maputo
presidential republic
34.2M
Côte d'Ivoire
Yamoussoukro (legislative capital), Abidjan (administrative and economic capital); note - the US Embassy is in Abidjan
presidential republic
31.9M
Cameroon
Yaounde
presidential republic
31.5M
Madagascar
Antananarivo
semi-presidential republic
31.3M
Niger
Niamey
formerly, semi-presidential republic
27.3M
Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou
presidential republic
23.5M
Mali
Bamako
semi-presidential republic
22.6M
Zambia
Lusaka
presidential republic
22.0M
Malawi
Lilongwe
presidential republic
21.8M
Somalia
Mogadishu
federal parliamentary republic
20.3M
Chad
N'Djamena
presidential republic
19.7M
Senegal
Dakar
presidential republic
18.8M
Zimbabwe
Harare
presidential republic
17.5M
Benin
Porto-Novo (constitutional capital); Cotonou (seat of government)
presidential republic
15.2M
Guinea
Conakry
presidential republic
14.4M
Rwanda
Kigali
presidential republic
13.6M
Burundi
Gitega (political capital), Bujumbura (commercial capital)
presidential republic
13.6M
South Sudan
Juba
presidential republic
12.7M
Tunisia
Tunis
parliamentary republic
12.0M
Sierra Leone
Freetown
presidential republic
9.3M
Togo
Lome
presidential republic
9.1M
Libya
Tripoli (Tarabulus)
in transition
7.4M
Eritrea
Asmara
authoritarian
6.4M
Congo (Brazzaville)
Brazzaville
presidential republic
6.1M
Liberia
Monrovia
presidential republic
5.6M
Mauritania
Nouakchott
presidential republic
5.2M
Namibia
Windhoek
presidential republic
2.9M
The Gambia
Banjul
presidential republic
2.5M
Botswana
Gaborone
parliamentary republic
2.5M
Gabon
Libreville
presidential republic
2.5M
Lesotho
Maseru
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
2.2M
Guinea-Bissau
Bissau
semi-presidential republic
2.1M
Equatorial Guinea
Malabo; note - Malabo is on the island of Bioko; some months of the year, the government operates out of Bata on the mainland region.
presidential republic
1.8M
Mauritius
Port Louis
parliamentary republic
1.3M
Eswatini
Mbabane (administrative capital); Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)
absolute monarchy
1.1M
Djibouti
Djibouti
presidential republic
1.0M
Comoros
Moroni
federal presidential republic
912K
Cabo Verde
Praia
parliamentary republic
611K
Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome
semi-presidential republic
224K
Seychelles
Victoria
presidential republic
98K