African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

African countries and their Independence Days

See Also

How you handle conflict, according to your star sign

How you handle conflict, according to your star sign

The 15 most important signers of the Declaration of Independence

The 15 most important signers of the Declaration of Independence

The fascinating link between exercise and creativity

The fascinating link between exercise and creativity

The surprising benefits of daydreaming

The surprising benefits of daydreaming

These "crazy" historical figures turned out to be right

These "crazy" historical figures turned out to be right

Crime scene investigation techniques explained

Crime scene investigation techniques explained

See Again

© Shutterstock

0 / 54 Fotos

Algeria -

Independence Day: July 5, 1962

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Algiers

© Shutterstock

1 / 54 Fotos

Angola -

Independence Day: November 11, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Luanda

© Shutterstock

2 / 54 Fotos

Benin -

Independence Day: August 1, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Porto-Novo

© Shutterstock

3 / 54 Fotos

Botswana -

Independence Day: September 30, 1966

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital City: Gaborone

© Shutterstock

4 / 54 Fotos

Burkina Faso -

Independence Day: August 5, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Ouagadougou

© Shutterstock

5 / 54 Fotos

Burundi -

Independence Day: July 1, 1962

Colonial ruler: Belgium

Capital city: Gitega

© Public Domain

6 / 54 Fotos

Cameroon -

Independence Day: January 1, 1960

Colonial ruler: French-administered UN trusteeship

Capital city: Yaoundé

© Shutterstock

7 / 54 Fotos

Cape Verde -

Independence Day: July 5, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Praia

© Shutterstock

8 / 54 Fotos

Central African Republic -

Independence Day: August 13, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Bangui

© Shutterstock

9 / 54 Fotos

Chad -

Independence Day: August 11, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: N'Djamena

© Shutterstock

10 / 54 Fotos

Comoros -

Independence Day: July 6, 1975

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Moroni

© Shutterstock

11 / 54 Fotos

Republic of the Congo -

Independence Day: August 15, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Brazzaville

© Shutterstock

12 / 54 Fotos

Democratic Republic of the Congo -

Independence Day: June 30, 1960

Colonial ruler: Belgium

Capital city: Kinshasa

© Shutterstock

13 / 54 Fotos

Ivory Coast -

Independence Day: August 7, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Abidjan (economic)

© Shutterstock

14 / 54 Fotos

Djibouti -

Independence Day: June 27, 1977

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Djibouti City

© Shutterstock

15 / 54 Fotos

Egypt -

Independence Day: February 28, 1922

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Cairo

© Shutterstock

16 / 54 Fotos

Equatorial Guinea -

Independence Day: October 12, 1968

Colonial ruler: Spain

Capital city: Malabo

© Shutterstock

17 / 54 Fotos

Eritrea -

Independence Day: May 24, 1993

Colonial ruler: Ethiopia

Capital city: Asmara

© Shutterstock

18 / 54 Fotos

Ethiopia -

Never colonized

Capital city: Addis Ababa

© Shutterstock

19 / 54 Fotos

Gabon -

Independence Day: August 17, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Libreville

© Shutterstock

20 / 54 Fotos

Gambia -

Independence Day: February 18, 1965

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Banjul

© Shutterstock

21 / 54 Fotos

Ghana -

Independence Day: March 6, 1957

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Accra

© Shutterstock

22 / 54 Fotos

Guinea -

Independence Day: October 2, 1958

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Conakry

© Shutterstock

23 / 54 Fotos

Guinea Bissau -

Independence Day: September 10, 1974

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Bissau

© Shutterstock

24 / 54 Fotos

Kenya -

Independence Day: December 12, 1963

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Nairobi

© Shutterstock

25 / 54 Fotos

Lesotho -

Independence Day: October 4, 1966

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Maseru

© Shutterstock

26 / 54 Fotos

Liberia -

Declaration of Independence: July 26, 1847

Colonial oversee: American colonization Society (never ruled from overseas)

Capital city: Monrovia

© Shutterstock

27 / 54 Fotos

Libya -

Independence Day: December 24, 1951

Colonial ruler: Italy

Capital city: Tripoli

© Shutterstock

28 / 54 Fotos

Madagascar -

Independence Day: June 26, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Antananarivo

© Shutterstock

29 / 54 Fotos

Malawi -

Independence Day: July 6, 1964

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lilongwe

© Shutterstock

30 / 54 Fotos

Mali -

Independence Day: September 22, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Bamako

© Shutterstock

31 / 54 Fotos

Mauritania -

Independence Day: November 28, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Nouakchott

© Shutterstock

32 / 54 Fotos

Mauritius -

Independence Day: March 12, 1968

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Port Louis

© Shutterstock

33 / 54 Fotos

Morocco -

Independence Day: March 2, 1956

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Rabat

© Shutterstock

34 / 54 Fotos

Mozambique -

Independence Day: June 25, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Maputo

© Shutterstock

35 / 54 Fotos

Namibia -

Independence Day: March 21, 1990

Colonial ruler: South African mandate

Capital city: Windhoek

© Shutterstock

36 / 54 Fotos

Niger -

Independence Day: August 3, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Niamey

© Shutterstock

37 / 54 Fotos

Nigeria -

Independence Day: October 1, 1960

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lagos

© Shutterstock

38 / 54 Fotos

Rwanda -

Independence Day: July 1, 1962

Colonial ruler: Belgium administered UN trusteeship

Capital city: Kigali

© Shutterstock

39 / 54 Fotos

São Tomé and Príncipe -

Independence Day: July 12, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

capital city: São Tomé

© Shutterstock

40 / 54 Fotos

Senegal -

Independence Day: April 4, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Dakar

© Shutterstock

41 / 54 Fotos

Seychelles -

Independence Day: June 29, 1976

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Victoria

© Shutterstock

42 / 54 Fotos

Sierra Leone -

Independence Day: April 27, 1961

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Freetown

© Shutterstock

43 / 54 Fotos

Somalia -

Independence Day: July 1, 1960

Colonial rulers: Britain, Italy

Capital city: Mogadishu

© Shutterstock

44 / 54 Fotos

South Africa -

Independence Day: December 11, 1931; April 1994 (end of apartheid)

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Johannesburg

© Shutterstock

45 / 54 Fotos

Sudan -

Independence Day: January 1, 1956

Colonial rulers: Egypt, Britain

Capital city: Khartoum

© Shutterstock

46 / 54 Fotos

Swaziland (Eswatini) -

Independence Day: September 6, 1968

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lobamba (legislative)

© Shutterstock

47 / 54 Fotos

Tanzania -

Independence Day: April 26, 1964

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Dodoma

© Shutterstock

48 / 54 Fotos

Togo -

Independence Day: April 27, 1960

Colonial ruler: French administered UN trusteeship

Capital city: Lomé

© Shutterstock

49 / 54 Fotos

Tunisia -

Independence Day: March 20, 1956

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Tunis

© Shutterstock

50 / 54 Fotos

Uganda -

Independence Day: October 9, 1962

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Kampala

© Shutterstock

51 / 54 Fotos

Zambia -

Independence Day: October 24, 1964

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lusaka

© Shutterstock

52 / 54 Fotos

Zimbabwe -

Independence Day: April 18, 1980

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Harare

See also: Defining moments in Black history

© Shutterstock

53 / 54 Fotos

©

Shutterstock

0 / 54 Fotos

Algeria -

Independence Day: July 5, 1962

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Algiers

©

Shutterstock

1 / 54 Fotos

Angola -

Independence Day: November 11, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Luanda

©

Shutterstock

2 / 54 Fotos

Benin -

Independence Day: August 1, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Porto-Novo

©

Shutterstock

3 / 54 Fotos

Botswana -

Independence Day: September 30, 1966

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital City: Gaborone

©

Shutterstock

4 / 54 Fotos

Burkina Faso -

Independence Day: August 5, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Ouagadougou

©

Shutterstock

5 / 54 Fotos

Burundi -

Independence Day: July 1, 1962

Colonial ruler: Belgium

Capital city: Gitega

©

Public Domain

6 / 54 Fotos

Cameroon -

Independence Day: January 1, 1960

Colonial ruler: French-administered UN trusteeship

Capital city: Yaoundé

©

Shutterstock

7 / 54 Fotos

Cape Verde -

Independence Day: July 5, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Praia

©

Shutterstock

8 / 54 Fotos

Central African Republic -

Independence Day: August 13, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Bangui

©

Shutterstock

9 / 54 Fotos

Chad -

Independence Day: August 11, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: N'Djamena

©

Shutterstock

10 / 54 Fotos

Comoros -

Independence Day: July 6, 1975

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Moroni

©

Shutterstock

11 / 54 Fotos

Republic of the Congo -

Independence Day: August 15, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Brazzaville

©

Shutterstock

12 / 54 Fotos

Democratic Republic of the Congo -

Independence Day: June 30, 1960

Colonial ruler: Belgium

Capital city: Kinshasa

©

Shutterstock

13 / 54 Fotos

Ivory Coast -

Independence Day: August 7, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Abidjan (economic)

©

Shutterstock

14 / 54 Fotos

Djibouti -

Independence Day: June 27, 1977

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Djibouti City

©

Shutterstock

15 / 54 Fotos

Egypt -

Independence Day: February 28, 1922

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Cairo

©

Shutterstock

16 / 54 Fotos

Equatorial Guinea -

Independence Day: October 12, 1968

Colonial ruler: Spain

Capital city: Malabo

©

Shutterstock

17 / 54 Fotos

Eritrea -

Independence Day: May 24, 1993

Colonial ruler: Ethiopia

Capital city: Asmara

©

Shutterstock

18 / 54 Fotos

Ethiopia -

Never colonized

Capital city: Addis Ababa

©

Shutterstock

19 / 54 Fotos

Gabon -

Independence Day: August 17, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Libreville

©

Shutterstock

20 / 54 Fotos

Gambia -

Independence Day: February 18, 1965

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Banjul

©

Shutterstock

21 / 54 Fotos

Ghana -

Independence Day: March 6, 1957

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Accra

©

Shutterstock

22 / 54 Fotos

Guinea -

Independence Day: October 2, 1958

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Conakry

©

Shutterstock

23 / 54 Fotos

Guinea Bissau -

Independence Day: September 10, 1974

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Bissau

©

Shutterstock

24 / 54 Fotos

Kenya -

Independence Day: December 12, 1963

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Nairobi

©

Shutterstock

25 / 54 Fotos

Lesotho -

Independence Day: October 4, 1966

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Maseru

©

Shutterstock

26 / 54 Fotos

Liberia -

Declaration of Independence: July 26, 1847

Colonial oversee: American colonization Society (never ruled from overseas)

Capital city: Monrovia

©

Shutterstock

27 / 54 Fotos

Libya -

Independence Day: December 24, 1951

Colonial ruler: Italy

Capital city: Tripoli

©

Shutterstock

28 / 54 Fotos

Madagascar -

Independence Day: June 26, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Antananarivo

©

Shutterstock

29 / 54 Fotos

Malawi -

Independence Day: July 6, 1964

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lilongwe

©

Shutterstock

30 / 54 Fotos

Mali -

Independence Day: September 22, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Bamako

©

Shutterstock

31 / 54 Fotos

Mauritania -

Independence Day: November 28, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Nouakchott

©

Shutterstock

32 / 54 Fotos

Mauritius -

Independence Day: March 12, 1968

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Port Louis

©

Shutterstock

33 / 54 Fotos

Morocco -

Independence Day: March 2, 1956

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Rabat

©

Shutterstock

34 / 54 Fotos

Mozambique -

Independence Day: June 25, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

Capital city: Maputo

©

Shutterstock

35 / 54 Fotos

Namibia -

Independence Day: March 21, 1990

Colonial ruler: South African mandate

Capital city: Windhoek

©

Shutterstock

36 / 54 Fotos

Niger -

Independence Day: August 3, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Niamey

©

Shutterstock

37 / 54 Fotos

Nigeria -

Independence Day: October 1, 1960

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lagos

©

Shutterstock

38 / 54 Fotos

Rwanda -

Independence Day: July 1, 1962

Colonial ruler: Belgium administered UN trusteeship

Capital city: Kigali

©

Shutterstock

39 / 54 Fotos

São Tomé and Príncipe -

Independence Day: July 12, 1975

Colonial ruler: Portugal

capital city: São Tomé

©

Shutterstock

40 / 54 Fotos

Senegal -

Independence Day: April 4, 1960

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Dakar

©

Shutterstock

41 / 54 Fotos

Seychelles -

Independence Day: June 29, 1976

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Victoria

©

Shutterstock

42 / 54 Fotos

Sierra Leone -

Independence Day: April 27, 1961

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Freetown

©

Shutterstock

43 / 54 Fotos

Somalia -

Independence Day: July 1, 1960

Colonial rulers: Britain, Italy

Capital city: Mogadishu

©

Shutterstock

44 / 54 Fotos

South Africa -

Independence Day: December 11, 1931; April 1994 (end of apartheid)

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Johannesburg

©

Shutterstock

45 / 54 Fotos

Sudan -

Independence Day: January 1, 1956

Colonial rulers: Egypt, Britain

Capital city: Khartoum

©

Shutterstock

46 / 54 Fotos

Swaziland (Eswatini) -

Independence Day: September 6, 1968

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lobamba (legislative)

©

Shutterstock

47 / 54 Fotos

Tanzania -

Independence Day: April 26, 1964

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Dodoma

©

Shutterstock

48 / 54 Fotos

Togo -

Independence Day: April 27, 1960

Colonial ruler: French administered UN trusteeship

Capital city: Lomé

©

Shutterstock

49 / 54 Fotos

Tunisia -

Independence Day: March 20, 1956

Colonial ruler: France

Capital city: Tunis

©

Shutterstock

50 / 54 Fotos

Uganda -

Independence Day: October 9, 1962

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Kampala

©

Shutterstock

51 / 54 Fotos

Zambia -

Independence Day: October 24, 1964

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Lusaka

©

Shutterstock

52 / 54 Fotos

Zimbabwe -

Independence Day: April 18, 1980

Colonial ruler: Britain

Capital city: Harare

See also: Defining moments in Black history

©

Shutterstock

53 / 54 Fotos

African countries and their Independence Days

Today is African Liberation Day

African countries and their Independence Days

© Shutterstock

25/05/23 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Countries

Colonization is defined as the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area. Nowhere is this more exemplified than by the Scramble for Africa—the invasion, occupation, division, and colonization of African territory by European powers between 1881 and 1914. In this short period known to historians as the New Imperialism, over 90% of the continent fell under formal European control. Only Ethiopia (Abyssinia) and Liberia remained independent.

The struggle for independence gathered momentum after the Second World War. Over the next 30 years or so, 51 African nations won independence from their colonial rulers. The decolonization of the continent was often hopelessly unorganized and marred with violence and political turmoil, and only in 1980, with Zimbabwe's declaration of independence, was Africa finally freed from the iron grip of colonial imperialism.

Click through the following gallery and take a look at the countries that successfully shook off the shackles of colonialism, and find out when they celebrate their Independence Day.

Don’t miss out...

on the latest TV shows, movies, music, and exclusive content from the entertainment industry!

I accept terms & conditions and privacy policy.

I want to receive Exclusive Offers from partners (advertising)

You can easily unsubscribe at any time

Thank you for subscribing