Africa has some of the largest countries in the world. Yet it also has some of the smallest ones. Below we provide a summary of the ten smallest countries in Africa, offering insights into what makes each of them turn.
Burundi (27,830 km2Â or 10,745 sq mi)
Burundi covering 27,830 km2 is the tenth smallest country in Africa. Its south-western border runs adjacent to Lake Tanganyika, one of the African Great Lakes.
The country has a population of approximately 10,557,259 people who speak to each other in French and Kirundi, the official languages and Swahili. The agriculture sector contributes 50% of the GDP and employs over 90% of the population.
Children suffer from malnutrition, they have no access to proper healthcare, education, and HIV/AIDS is prevalent. We can see why Burundi was ranked the second least happy nation in the world, they have nothing to smile about.
Rwanda (26,798 km2Â or 10,347 sq mi)
The country is recovering from a 1994 genocide which severely crippled the economy of the country.
The economy is largely dependent on its agricultural industry, especially the production of coffee as it is the country’s largest foreign exchange earner. The tourism, manufacturing industry and mining industries are three other industries that contribute a significant amount to the GDP.
Djibouti (23,200 km2Â or 8,958 sq mi)
The population of Djibouti consists of a number of ethnicities who communicate with each other in either of the two official languages of the country, French, and Arabic.
Its economy is built around the service sector. Djibouti’s location near some of the major shipping lanes in the world has allowed it to develop a thriving transshipment hub.
Djibouti’s government is also working to decrease the high unemployment rate by making the economy more attractive to foreign investors.
Swaziland (17,364 km2Â or 6,704 sq mi)
The Kingdom of Eswatini or Swaziland as you may know it is a country located in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique and South Africa. King Mswati III is the person who appoints Prime Ministers and representatives in the cabinet.
The main contributors to the country’s GDP are the agriculture, manufacturing and government services sectors. According to the GDP per capita, Swaziland is a developing country and a low-middle income earner.
Swazis are expected to live until they are 49.18 years old, the shortest estimated life expectancy in the world.
Gambia (10,380 km2Â or 4,008 sq mi)
On the African mainland, the Republic of Gambia happens to be the smallest country. It is almost completely surrounded by Senegal except for its western border that is rimmed by the Atlantic Ocean.
The agriculture, fishing, and tourism industries are the pillars of the Gambian economy. The agriculture sector employs most of the population and contributes the most to the country’s GDP.
However, a third of the population live under the international poverty line and the country’s HDI Index score put it in the ‘Low Human Development’ category
Cape Verde (4,033 km2Â or 1,557 sq mi)
The island nation of Cape Verde is made up of 10 islands off the coast of West Africa. Covering 4,033 km2 it is the fifth smallest African country but the largest of Africa’s island nations.
The commerce, transport, public services, and agriculture and fishing industries employ the country’s 512,000 inhabitants. Its stable political climate makes the country very attractive to foreign investors who are developing the country’s tourism sector.
The citizens of Cape Verde enjoy the highest standard of living in the African region. Because of this, nationals from other communities migrate to the island nation to seek a better life.
Comoros (2,235 km2Â or 863 sq mi)
The Comoros is an island nation made up of three islands. The islands form from underwater volcanic eruptions take up 2, 235 km2 of land space making Comoros the fourth smallest African country.
Its 798,000 citizens live in constant political upheavals. The political instability hinders the growth of its largest industry, agriculture. Unemployment is high and more than half of the population live below the poverty line.
Having a Gini Coefficient of over 60%, the Comoros has the largest gap between the rich of all nations in the world.
