List of predecessors of sovereign states in Africa
This is a list of all present sovereign states in Africa and their predecessors. The region of Africa is generally defined geographically to include the subregions of African continent, Madagascar island, Mauritius Island and several minor islands, and their respective sovereign states.
Oceania was originally colonised by Europeans with Southern Africa primarily by the British, and the West Africa and North Africa primarily by the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese. Today, Africa consists of 54 sovereign states of various government types, the most common consisting of parliamentary systems.
| Sovereign state | Predecessors |
| Algeria | Hammadid Kingdom Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen Eyalet of Aljazayer ' French Algeria ' |
| Angola | Portuguese Angola People's Republic of Angola ' |
| Benin | Kingdom of Dahomey French Dahomey ' ' People's Republic of Benin ' |
| Botswana | Bechuanaland Protectorate ' |
| Burkina Faso | French Upper Volta ' Republic of Upper Volta ' ' |
| Burundi | Kingdom of Burundi Part of German East Africa Part of Trust Territory of Ruanda-Urundi Kingdom of Burundi ' |
| Cameroon | German Kamerun Cameroun ' British Cameroons ' Federal Republic of Cameroon United Republic of Cameroon ' |
| Cabo Verde | Portuguese Cape Verde Republic of Cape Verde ' |
| Central African Republic | Ubangi-Shari ' Central African Republic ' Central African Empire ' |
| Chad | French Chad ' ' ' |
| Comoros | Part of French Madagascar and Comoros Separated administered as French Comoros ' State of Comoros Federal and Islamic Republic of Comoros ' |
| Congo, Republic of | Kingdom of Kongo French Congo ' Republic of the Congo ' People's Republic of the Congo ' |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of | Kingdom of Kongo Congo Free State Belgian Congo Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of Zaire ' ' |
| Côte d'Ivoire | French Ivory Coast ' Republic of Ivory Coast ' |
| Djibouti | Sultanate of Adal French Somaliland ' French Territory of the Afars and the Issas ' |
| Egypt | Kingdom of Egypt Ptolemaic Kingdom Tulunid Wilayah ' Ikhshidid Wilayah ' Fatimid Caliphate Ayyubid Sultanate Mamluk Sultanate Ottoman Empire Khedivate of Egypt Sultanate of Egypt ' Kingdom of Egypt Republic of Egypt United Arab Republic ' ' |
| Equatorial Guinea | Spanish Guinea ' |
| Eritrea | Italian Eritrea Part of Italian East Africa British Occupation of Eritrea Part of Ethiopia ' |
| Eswatini | Kingdom of Swaziland Protectorate of Swaziland ' |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian Empire ' Part of Italian East Africa Socialist Ethiopia People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Transitional Government of Ethiopia ' |
| Gabon | French Gabon ' ' |
| Gambia | Gambia Colony and Protectorate Republic of The Gambia Islamic Republic of The Gambia ' ' |
| Ghana | British Gold Coast ' |
| Guinea | French Guinea ' Republic of Guinea People's Revolutionary Republic of Guinea ' ' |
| Guinea-Bissau | Portuguese Guinea ' |
| Kenya | East Africa Protectorate Colony and Protectorate of Kenya Kenya ' |
| Lesotho | Kingdom of Lesotho Basutoland ' |
| Liberia | Colony of Liberia ' |
| Libya | Ottoman Tripolitania Italian Libya Tripolitanian Republic British Military Administration of Libya French Military Territory of Fezzan-Ghadames Emirate of Cyrenaica Kingdom of Libya Libyan Arab Republic Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya ' ' |
| Madagascar | Kingdom of Merina Malagasy Protectorate ' Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies Malagasy Republic Democratic Republic of Madagascar ' |
| Malawi | British Central Africa Protectorate Nyasaland Protectorate Part of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland ' |
| Mali | French Sudan ' Sudanese Republic ' Mali Federation ' ' |
| Mauritania | Colony of Mauritania ' |
| Mauritius | Isle de France ' British Mauritius Mauritius ' |
| Morocco | Almoravid dynasty Almohad Caliphate Marinid Sultanate Wattasid Kingdom Saadi Kingdom Cherifan Kingdom French protectorate in Morocco Spanish protectorate in Morocco Tangier International Zone Spanish Sahara Overseas Province ' Western Sahara occupied by Morocco Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic ' ' |
| Mozambique | Portuguese Mozambique ' People's Republic of Mozambique ' |
| Namibia | German South West Africa South West Africa ' ' |
| Niger | Upper Senegal and Niger ' Colony of Niger ' ' |
| Nigeria | Bornu Empire Oyo Empire Benin Empire Wukari Federation Aro Confederacy Kano Emirate Sokoto Caliphate Kingdom of Nri Niger Coast Protectorate ' Lagos Colony Northern Nigeria Protectorate Southern Nigeria Protectorate Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria Federation of Nigeria ' |
| Rwanda | Part of German East Africa Part of Ruanda-Urundi Trust Territory Kingdom of Rwanda ' |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe ' |
| Senegal | French Senegal Mali Federation ' Senegambia Confederation ' ' |
| Seychelles | Colony of Seychelles ' |
| Sierra Leone | Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate Sierra Leone ' |
| Somalia | Ajuran Empire Adal Sultanate Majerteen Sultanate Sultanate of Hobyo Italian Somaliland Dervish state Part of Italian East Africa British Military Administration of Somaliland United Nations Trust Territory of Somaliland British Somaliland State of Somaliland Somali Republic Somali Democratic Republic Republic of Somalia ' ' |
| South Africa | Dutch Cape Colony Cape Colony Colony of Natal South African Republic Transvaal Colony Orange Free State Orange River Colony Union of South Africa ' |
| South Sudan | Part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Part of Republic of the Sudan Part of Democratic Republic of the Sudan Part of Republic of the Sudan ' |
| Sudan | Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Republic of the Sudan Democratic Republic of the Sudan ' |
| Tanzania | German East Africa Territory of Tanganyika Republic of Tanganyika Sultanate of Zanzibar People's Republic of Zanzibar United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar ' |
| Togo | German Togoland British Togoland ' French Togoland ' ' |
| Tunisia | Eyalet of Tunis ' Beylik of Tunis ' French protectorate of Tunisia Kingdom of Tunisia ' |
| Uganda | Uganda Protectorate Uganda ' |
| Zambia | Part of British South Africa Company Territories Northern Rhodesia Protectorate Part of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland ' |
| Zimbabwe | Part of British South Africa Company Territories Colony of Southern Rhodesia Part of Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Rhodesia Zimbabwe Rhodesia ' |