Where Is The Biggest City In Africa? 10 Big & Beautiful Cities
Wondering where the biggest city in Africa is located? If you're a city slicker looking for your next African adventure, just keep reading this post as we dive into 10 of the biggest (and best) cities on the African continent.
These cities all have unique points to them, and we hope you can find some inspiration and gain some knowledge from reading about them.
5 Biggest Cities In Africa
From mega-cities to ancient cities, these are the 5 biggest cities in Africa.
Lagos, Nigeria
Topping the list as the biggest city in Africa, Lagos is the 7th fastest growing city in the entire world.
With 21 million residents, Lagos earns itself the title of a MEGA city, and it is currently growing at a rate of 2-3% per year. Interestingly, Lagos is projected to become the world's largest city by 2100, overtaking Tokyo, Jakarta, and Delhi, and its expected population will rise to over 80 million. The city has a landmass of over 1100 km²/ 424 square miles.
You would think, with its megacity status, that Lagos would be the capital of Nigeria, and it was for a time, but that title was handed over to Abuja in 1991.
Lagos is a coastal city, and the city's population resides mostly on Lagos Island which is in Lagos Lagoon.
Lagos Island was originally settled by fishermen who called the Island "Oko". It went through several name changes, including Eko, and Onim, before landing on Lagos Island.
Kinshasa, The Democratic Republic Of Congo
With over 17 million residents, the second city on the list is Kinshasa. Until 1966, Kinshasa was known as Léopoldville, and the city is the largest francophone (French-speaking) city in the world.
The city covers an area of 9,965 km²/ 3848 square miles, however, the main city in which most of its residents are based is just 150 km²/. 58 square miles.
This capital city of the DRC is located along the Congo River, and its history started as a collection of fishing and trading villages.
Kinshasa faces the neighboring city of Brazzaville, which is the capital of the Republic Of The Congo, and after Vatican City and Rome, these two cities are the closest pair in the world.
Those who live in Kinshasa are known as Kinois or Kinshasans.
Cairo, Egypt
For a long time, Cairo topped the list as the biggest city in Africa, and many still believe it to be the largest city on the continent. Now, having been taken over by Lagos and Kinshasa, Cairo sits at a respectable third position.
Cairo has over 10 million residents, and the city hasn't moved in over 1,000 years. Sitting on the bank of the River Nile, the city is close to ancient landmarks such as the Pyramids Of Giza.
The city of Cairo is often confused with the metropolitan area of Cairo which houses over 20 million residents.
Within the city itself, you will find a medieval city that is semi-walled and is home to over 400 historic monuments that date back all the way to 130 CE.
Cairo is 3085 km² / 1191 square miles and is the largest city in the Arab world. The city is situated in the north of Egypt and was founded in 969 CE.
Alexandria, Egypt
Cairo is not the only important city in Egypt, Alexandria is one of the oldest cities in the world, and was founded in 332 BC by Alexander the Great. These days, the city is home to around 5.5 million people and covers a land span of 2679 km² / 1034 square miles.
A famous landmark of the city during the Hellenistic period was the lighthouse of Alexandria which was said to be over 100 meters tall, which is pretty impressive for life before modern machinery. The lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World.
The city sits along the northern coast, looking out across the Mediterranean Sea, and has been a shipping and transportation hub since the 18th century.
Johannesburg, South Africa
Johannesburg is one of Africa's fastest-growing cities, with a 2.33% increase in population over the last year, bringing the total population to just over 6 million.
Johannesburg has been named a "global city", which is a city of demographic and economic change.
Historically, this city is relatively new. As recently as the 19th century, Johannesburg was a gold-mining settlement. In 1886, a large gold deposit was found, which caused thousands to flock to the area in their quest of finding riches.
Known as the "city of gold" for that exact reason, Johannesburg has also been known as Jozi, Egoli, and often Jo'burg.
Perhaps not the biggest city in Africa, Johannesburg still spans a whopping 1645 km² / 635 square miles.
5 More Major Cities In Africa
Don't go yet, here are another 5 cities that are worthy of an honorary mention.
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
With 4.9 million residents, Abidjan joins the fight for the biggest city in Africa. The city is on the southern Atlantic Coast and is another of the most populated French-speaking cities in Africa.
Over 20% of the population of the Ivory Coast live in Abidjan, and the city was named the capital of the country in 1933. As well as being the capital city, Abidjan is also the economic capital of the Ivory Coast.
The city covers an area of 2119 km² / 822 square miles.
Nairobi, Kenya
Ir might not be number one, but we can't leave Nairobi off our list of the largest cities in Africa. At number 7 on this list, with just over 5 million residents, Nairobi is one of the most unique cities in the world due to the fact that it includes Nairobi National Park which is a game reserve that is home to plenty of exotic animals, including zebras, lions, and giraffes.
Looking across to the city from the national park is certainly a peculiar sight, and you can read more about the mash-up of nature and infrastructure here.
Nairobi was founded in 1899 and very quickly grew to replace Mombassa as the capital of Kenya in 1907.
The city is known as "the Green City in the Sun" which comes from the Maasai phrase "Enkare Nairobi" which translates to "the place of cool water" and refers to its surroundings of dense rainforest and Savannah grasslands.
Nairobi is 696 km² / 269 square miles.
Luanda, Angola
The third-largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world houses almost 9 million inhabitants and covers an area of 113 km² / 43 square miles.
This port city on the southern coast was discovered by a Portuguese explorer in 1576 and was originally named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, making Luanda one of the oldest colonial cities on the whole continent.
Now, over a third of Angola's population live in the city, most of whom are members of the Ambundu ethnic group.
Bamako, Mali
Bamako is a city that is growing quickly, with a population increase of over 3.8% in the last year. The total population is now 2.8 million, and the city is 245km² / 94 square miles.
The river Niger flows alongside the city, and the name Bamako means "crocodile river" in Bambara.
Speaking of languages, although the city is technically french-speaking, you'll find more of its residents speaking the Bambara language.
The city has been inhabited as far back as the paleolithic times, due to the fertility of the land near the river Niger.
The city of Bamako is 245 km² / 94 square miles.
Khartoum, North Sudan
The last city we're talking about is Khartoum, and with 6.6 million residents in a city that's just over 1000 km² / 389 square miles, you can see why it's on the list, despite not beating Lagos as the biggest city in Africa.
Khartoum was originally founded in 1821 as part of Ottoman Egypt. When Sudan claimed independence in 1956, Khartoum was declared the capital.
What makes Khartoum special is that it is the meeting place of the two Niles - the White Nile.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Nile flowing north and the Blue Nile flowing west.
Final Thoughts On The Biggest Cities In Africa
Whether you want to visit the biggest city in Africa, Lagos, and experience what the world's fastest-growing city is like, you want to dive deeper into the history of the ancient cities of Cairo and Alexandria or combine the Cosmopolitan city life with the call of the wild in Nairobi, there is a city in Africa for you. Do you want to check out these cities, but don’t want to do it alone? Our community connects females across the globe to share their exciting stories and interesting tidbits of information with like-minded individuals around the world. Click here to find out more.
Undecided on where you're heading next? Check out our inspiration page to help you plan the trip of your dreams.