Lesson 2/55 min
The 16 countries of East Africa
Capital, currency, coloniser and independence
| Country | Capital | Currency | Ruled by | Independence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda | Kampala | Shilling | Britain | 1962 |
| Kenya | Nairobi | Shilling | Britain | 1963 |
| Tanzania | Dodoma | Shilling | Britain | 1961 (Tanganyika) |
| Rwanda | Kigali | Franc | Belgium | 1962 |
| Burundi | Gitega | Burundi franc | Belgium | 1962 |
| Zambia | Lusaka | Kwacha | Britain | 1964 |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | Dollar (as one source says) | Britain | 1980 |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | Kwacha | Britain | 1964 |
| Comoros | Moroni | Franc | France | 1975 |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | Ariary | France | 1960 |
| Mauritius | Port Louis | Mauritian rupee | Britain | 1968 |
| Seychelles | Victoria | Rupee | Britain | 1976 |
| Eritrea | Asmara | Nakfa | Part of Ethiopia | 1993 |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Birr | Never colonised (Italian occupation 1936–41) | — |
| Djibouti | Djibouti | Franc | France | 1977 |
| Somalia | Mogadishu | Somali shilling | Britain and Italy | 1960 |
Watch out: One source appears to give Britain as Ethiopia's coloniser and 1923 as its independence; that is wrong (Ethiopia is one of Africa's old independent states), so no year is given here. One source's Tanzania year is cut off. Burundi's capital is Gitega (the political capital since 2019); Bujumbura is the economic capital. One source's map shows Mozambique but its table does not (capital Maputo, a Portuguese colony, independent 1975).
Check yourself
Which country has the same name as its capital?
At a glance
- 1
One source lists 16 countries in East Africa.
- 2
Independence: Somalia and Madagascar 1960, Uganda and Rwanda 1962, Kenya 1963, Zambia 1964, Mauritius 1968.
- 3
Zimbabwe 1980; Comoros 1975; Seychelles 1976; Djibouti 1977; Eritrea 1993.
- 4
Ethiopia's currency is the birr; its capital is Addis Ababa.
- 5
Djibouti has the same name as its capital.
- 6
Burundi's capital is Gitega; Zambia's is Lusaka; Zimbabwe's is Harare.