1. Chad
   Angola
2. Congo-Brazzaville
   Rwanda

Rwanda is a land-locked country that is bordered by Burundi and Uganda, among others. There are more women in legislative power in Rwanda than anywhere else on the globe!

1. Belize
   Sao Tome and Principe
2. Madagascar
   Burundi

Madagascar is an island off the east coast of Africa's mainland. It is well-known for its diverse fauna, especially a wide variety of lemurs.

1. Congo-Kinsasha
   Iran
2. Iraq
   Egypt

Egypt borders the Middle east, and is home to the Pyramids of Giza as well as the Sphinx. Egypt was also home to many famous rulers, including Cleopatra and King Tut.

1. Central African Republic
   Gabon
2. Libya
   Equatorial Guinea

Libya is on the North African coast, and has many Arabic speakers. It was formerly run by Arab nationalist Muammar Gaddafi, and home to the Bhengazi scandal.

1. Cameroon
   Manhattan
2. Morocco
   Harlem

Morocco is home to some of the best markets in the world. You can find a lot of middle-eastern influence here, especially in the food and architecture.

1. Malawi
   Burundi
2. South Africa
   Vietnam

South Africa's largest city is called Johannesburg. But don't ask for the capital, because that has three answers: Cape Town, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein. Each is a different center of political operations -- legislative, executive, and judicial, respectively.

1. Zimbabwe
   Brunei Darussalam
2. Nauru
   Zambia

In Zimbabwe, you can go on safari and view one of the largest and most majestic waterfalls in the world: Victoria Falls. The falls are on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

1. Ethiopia
   Burundi
2. Mozambique
   Seychelles

Mozambique is home to nearly 30 million people, half of whom speak the colonial language of Portuguese. Many others speak indigenous languages including Swahili, Makonde, and Nyanja.

1. Sierra Leone
   Uganda
2. Norway
   Samoa

Sierra Leone is indeed Spanish for "lioness mountains." It should have been "sierra leona," but the misspelled Leone stuck!

1. Chad
   Cuba
2. Mali
   Peru

Mali is a Western African country that lies predominantly in the Sahara Desert. This is the largest desert in the world, which means that Mali has very little rainfall and is prone to drought.

1. Ethiopia
   Cote d'Azure
2. Liberia
   Cote d’Ivoire

Cote d'Ivoire is a major producer of both coffee and cocoa, and tourism to the country is growing rapidly. Formerly under French rule, cocoa farmers demanded an end to colonial rule in 1960. Upon liberation that year, Cote d'Ivoire was the most prosperous country in Africa.

1. Gambia
   Ghana
2. Nigeria
   South Sudan

Ghana is home to some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, from the beautiful beaches on the Atlantic coast to rainforests at higher elevations. Because of its proximity to both the Prime Meridian and the Equator, it is geographically closer to the "center" of the earth than any other country.

1. Syria
   Somalia
2. South Africa
   Senegal

Inside the country of Senegal, you can find the Gambia. Both countries are named after rivers, and due to their stability and location, are home to burgeoning tourist industries.

1. Malawi
   Niger
2. Pakistan
   Nigeria

Nigeria is known for its growing literature and film industry, and is one of the most prosperous countries in Africa today. The famous book "Things Fall Apart" was written by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, and MacArthur "Genius" Chimamanda Adichie is also Nigerian.

1. Sudan
   Eritrea
2. Cameroon
   Gabon

Cameroon is home to savanna plains, rain forests, and desert-like conditions. The Waza National Park, in the northern region of Cameroon, is home to elephants, giraffes, and over 350 species of birds!

1. Cape Verde
   South Sudan
2. Galapagos Island
   Western Sahara

This island nation is part of a larger archipelago known today as "Macronesia." Formerly, these islands were known as, "Islands of the Blessed" or the "Fortunate Isles"

1. Tunisia
   Cape Verde
2. Burkina Faso
   Cote d'Ivoire

Burkina Faso is about the same size as the United Kingdom, but there are about 45 million fewer people in Burkina Faso! Recent population estimates of Burkina Faso are about 20 million, while the UK is home to 66 million people.

1. Mozambique
   Gabon
2. Angola
   Republic of the Congo

Although Angola has one of the fastest growing economies in the world due to its petroleum reserves, it also has among the lowest life expectancy and highest infant mortality rates. This is due to the history of colonial rule followed by a prolonged civil war and one of the largest droughts in recent history.

1. Mali
   Chad
2. Niger
   Ethiopia

In 2005, an ancient cemetery was found in Niger containing bodies that were 5,000 years old. Archaeological remains like these and of animals not typically found in desert suggests that there was a time when Niger wasn't predominantly covered by desert.

1. Santiago
   Bolivia
2. Algeria
   Shinjuku

A now-classic 1966 film immortalized Algeria in world cinema history. "The Battle of Algiers" was directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, with music by Ennio Morricone.

1. Japan
   Italy
2. Tunisia
   Spain

Did you know that one leg of the UN-led World Summit on the Information Society or WSIS took place in Tunisia back in 2005? They made very important internet-related global rules there.

1. China
   Algeria
2. Hammurabi
   Chad

Every year, a major weather system called an intertropical front is responsible for a rainy season in Chad that moves from south to north. The rainy season is great for all the animals and birds that find their home in the southern part of the country.

1. Zimbabwe
   Namibia
2. New Zealand
   Swaziland

Namibia is the driest country in Sub-Saharan Africa even though it has one of the longest coastlines on the continent. Maybe the scarcity of water is the reason they are one of just a few countries who address the need for ecological conservation in their constitution.

1. Australia
   Paraguay
2. Uganda
   Brazil

Lake Victoria is the world's largest tropical lake. The capital of Uganda, Kampala, is located on the lake, and most of the country's cultural and political hubs are along its beaches.

1. Somalia
   Kenya
2. Lesotho
   Suriname

The horn of Africa is a peninsula on the eastern side of the continent that reaches into the Arabian Sea. Somalia has the longest coastline in all of Africa, even though it isn't the largest country by area.

1. Australia
   Madagascar
2. Canary Islands
   Seychelles

Seychelles has a large Creole population that speak Seychellois Creole. The incredible beaches make these islands a tourist destination, which has made Seychelles among the most prosperous countries in Africa.

1. Kenya
   Libya
2. Sudan
   Vanuatu

Although Sudan's history includes ancient pharaohs, it was more recently the site of a brutal civil war. There are many parts of the country that continue to be hotbeds of instability, and many aid organizations are working to keep civilians safe.

1. Kiribati
   Australia
2. Kenya
   Guam

Kenya has been populated with humans and our genetically related pre-ancestors for millions of years. Some of the historic "missing link" homonids have been discovered here.

1. Solomon Islands
   Brunei
2. Eritrea
   Djibouti

Djibouti is one of the ten smallest nations in Africa. Besides the island nations, only the Gambia and Swaziland are smaller.

1. Mauritius
   Lesotho
2. Cape Verde
   Andorra

Mauritius was colonized at different times by the Dutch, French, and British. Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has established itself as among the most stable countries in Africa on the metrics of economy and democracy.

1. Uganda
   Mozambique
2. Tanzania
   Belarus

Mount Kilimanjaro has contributed to Tanzania's tourism industry. It is also home to more than a dozen national parks and a variety of wildlife refuge areas including Gombe Stream National Park, where Jane Goodall famously studied chimpanzees.

1. Zimbabwe
   the Gambia
2. Lesotho
   Gabon

Lesotho was under British rule for nearly a hundred years before gaining independence in 1966. Because of its location within the border of South Africa, Lesotho was a haven for South African refugees during apartheid.

1. Nigeria
   South Africa
2. Victoria
   Malawi

Lake Malawi is home to diverse wildlife, from hippos to monkeys to birds of prey. The country's nickname is "the warm heart of Africa."

1. Egypt
   Madagascar
2. Sudan
   Zambia

Zambia is one of the best places in the world to see giraffes, but it is also home to thousands of varieties of flowering plants. Zambia also places a very high value on education for all, and educates pupils in English.

1. Oman
   Bahrain
2. Liberia
   Nepal

Liberia was a settlement created by white abolitionists who believed that free blacks in the U.S. would be safer and more successful living in Africa. Thousands migrated there before and during the American Civil War, during which the U.S. recognized the country's independence.

1. Benin
   Qatar
2. Cyprus
   Palestine

Benin was one of the countries decimated by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Hundreds of thousands of people were enslaved under Portuguese rule and sent on slave ships to the U.S., the Caribbean, or the United Kingdom.

1. Togo
   Gabon
2. Gambia
   Guinea

The Gambia is one of only two countries that officially includes the word "the" - the other is the Bahamas. Can you think of any others that use "the" informally?

1. French Ghana
   Togo
2. Cameroon
   Niger

Togo's motto is "Travail, liberte, patrie," which translates from French to "Work, liberty, homeland." French isn't the only language spoken in Togo - you can also hear Ewe, Kabiye, and about 30 other dialects!

1. Zambia
   Swaziland
2. Republic of Congo
   Eritrea

Did you know that there are two Congo nations in Africa? One is the Republic of Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville. The other one is called Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Congo-Kinshasa.

1. Guinea
   Ghana
2. Wakanda
   Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe is the second smallest nation in Africa. The only country smaller is Seychelles.