Two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Semi-arid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)

Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, Mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%.

Two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo

Tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 5,500

Light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and white 7%

Three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Black African 98.5% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998)

Three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

Generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

Tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%,) European and mulatto less than 1%

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania

Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

Three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Tropical; Hot, Humid; Dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; Wet, Cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Plain green

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia

Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)

Two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side

Malayo-Indonesian (Me Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)rina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran

Three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band

Sub-tropical; Rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

Green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green

Tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Sulayman's (Solomon's) seal in the center of the flag; red and green are traditional colors in Arab flags, although the use of red is more commonly associated with the Arab states of the Persian gulf; design dates to 1912

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara

Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book

Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band

Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriates

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon

Abuja; On 12 December 1991 the capital was officially transferred from Lagos to Abuja; most federal government offices have now moved to Abuja

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%