Captivating enough, there’re large islands with different features such as mountains, lakes, rivers, and other eye-catching things surrounding African continents.
Most of these islands occur in a very strategic place of the African countries, such as the oceans, seas, lakes, and even rivers.
Keep reading to get the information about the ten (10) most significant islands you can find in Africa and their locations.
1. Madagascar Island
Madagascar is the largest island, situated off the southeast coast of Africa and the 4th largest worldwide.
Madagascar is an island nation whose population is primarily related not to African peoples but rather to Indonesia, expanding over 3,000 miles (4,800 km).
Also, Madagascar Island is otherwise called Red Island because of its reddish shade of bare earth.
- Location of the island
The island situates on the southeast coast of Africa, in Madagascar, located 250 miles (400 km) from the African continent.
- Length of Madagascar
The island has a total length of 587,040 sq km (226,657 sq mi), and it also extends 1,601 km (995 mi) NNE – SSW and 579 km (360 mi) ESE – WNW.
Miles and coastline of Madagascar
The island has a coastland of approximately 4,828 km (3,000 mi), while its miles are 3,410.
2. Cape Verde Island
Cape Verde island, also called Cabo Verde island, is an archipelago in the ocean and is the longest in Africa, probably the second-largest after Madagascar.
The island has about ten different volcanic islands, spanning across a land area of 4,033 sq km.
It was uninhabited till the 5th century when the explorers from Portugal discovered it and then decided to colonize the island.
- Location of Cape Verde island
The Island is off the western coast, covering about 570 km (350 mi) land area, close to Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania, and some parts of the Macaronesia ecoregion.
One can also say that the Cape Verde Island is between latitudes 14° and 18°N, and longitudes 22° and 26°W.
- Length and distance of the Cape Verde island
It has a length of 350 kilometers (218 miles) north to south and 300 kilometers (186 miles) east to west, while its distance is 3,316 km.
- Coastline and miles of Cape Verde island
Its coastline is about 965km, while its miles are 2,117mi, equivalent to 385 miles long.
3. São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe is an island nation on the western coast of Africa and are generally known as the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principle.
Its native name is “Ilha de São Tomé,” and it was discovered by the explorers in Portugal when they came for a feast named Saint Thomas.
It contains two archipelagos close to the two main islands, namely the Sao Tome and Principe.
The island has rich volcanic soil, and proximity to the equator made Sao Tome and Príncipe ideal for sugar cultivation and many other cash crops.
- Location of the São Tomé and Príncipe
The island sits on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea.
- Length of the São Tomé and Príncipe
Its length is 854 km2 (330 sq mi)
- Miles and coastline of São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe have approximately 785 mi and about 209 km (130 mi) of coastline.
4. Mauritius Island
Another extended island in Africa is Mauritius, a volcanic island of lagoons and palm-fringed beaches, with coral reefs surrounding most of the coastline. Generally, the area is known as the Republic of Mauritius.
- Location of Mauritius Island
One can get this island on the southeast coast of the African continent in the Indian Ocean, and it is approximately 2400 kilometers off the South East Coast of Africa.
- Length and width of the island
Mauritius covers an approximate length of 65km, while its width is about 45km
- Miles and Coastlines
The island fills an area of 1,865 square kilometers or 720 square miles and a coastline of about 330 kilometers.
5. Zanzibar Island
Zanzibar Island, also the “spice island” of Africa, got its name after one of the famous industries in Zanzibar, known for producing spices such as nutmeg, black pepper, and cinnamon.
Also, Zanzibar is the country we now call the United Republic of Tanzania.
Note: Zanzibar is just a general name given to different archipelago together with 46 islands around them.
- Location of the Zanzibar island
The Zanzibar Island and the Swahili Unguja Island, in the Indian Ocean, sit 22 miles (35 km) away from the coast of east-central Africa in Tanzania.
The largest of the islands in Unguja is what people usually refer to as Zanzibar and the second largest in Pemba Island.
- Long, wide and area of the Zanzibar island
Zanzibar measures an estimated number of 85 km (53 mi) long and 39 km (24 mi) wide, with an area of 1,464 km2 (565 sq mi).
- Miles and coastline of Zanzibar
Its miles are about 2,528 mi, while its coastline, as of 2012, is 1,303,569.
6. Lamu Island
Lamu is among the largest islands in Africa and the best-preserved home for Swahilis in the eastern part of the continent. It has been a home to them for over seven hundred years and an essential region east of Africa.
It is the oldest town in eastern Africa, and the weather on this island is usually warm, with the temperature range 23 – 33 °C.
- Location of the Lamu island
As part of Kenya, Lamu island sits on the Indian Ocean, off the East African coast, 150 miles (241 km) north-northeast of Mombasa.
- Length of Lamu Island
Lamu Island has an estimated length of 10 km.
Miles and the coordinates of Lamu island
The miles of this island are 2,493mi while its coordinates are 2°17′S 40°52′ECoordinates: 2°17′S 40°52′E.
7. Seal Island
Seal island is one of the largest in Africa, located at about 5.7 km (3.5 miles) away from the northern beaches of False Bay, close to Cape Town in South Africa.
The island’s name emerged from many Cape fur seals that fill the area; also, it’s a home for seabirds.
Again the Seal Island is home to over 64,000 cape furs, and another significant thing about this Island is that there is no vegetation, soil of any kind, or beach there.
Something known as a radar mast was built on the island during World War II by a crew who lived in prefabricated huts during the construction.
- Location of the Seal island
Seal island is on the northern beaches of False Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa.
- Length of the Seal Island
It has a length of 800 by 50 m (2,620 by 160 feet).
- Miles of the Seal Island
Seal Island has about 5.7 k (3.5 miles).
- The coastline of Seal Island
The coastlines of the island range some two km to the east of the Prickly Pear Cays at 18° 16′ N, 63° 9′ W, and then dwell at the middle of the Seal island Reef System Marine Park.
8. Seychelles
Seychelles is an archipelagic island nation comprising 115 islands, mainly dedicated as natural reserves.
While rating the Seychelles island, it is the largest city in Victoria. Also, about 44 groups are granitic islands, generally known as Granitic Seychelles.
The granitic has two coral sand cays in the north at the edge of the Seychelles bank called Denis and Bird.
- Location of Seychelles islands
Situated latitudes 4° and 11° S and longitudes 46° and 56° E, nearly all Seychelles islands sit about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) east of Kenya and about 1,100 km (700 miles) northeast of Madagascar.
- Length of the Seychelles islands
Seychelles has a length of about 1,600 km (1,000 mi) off the east coast of Africa,
Mahé extends 27 km (17 mi) N–S and 11 km (7 mi) E–W.
- Coastline and miles of Seychelles
The Island has a coastline of about 491 km (305 mi), and the miles are approximately 3,493 mi.
- The highest and lowest point of the island
The highest point of the Island is Morne Seychellois, 905 m (2,969 ft), while the minor point which directs to the Indian Ocean is 0 m.
9. Comoros
Comoros is among the most extended Islands in Africa. It is also an archipelago of volcanic islands, divided into two among the Union of Comoros, a sovereign country, and Mayotte, an Overseas Department of France.
- Location of the Seychelles Island
The island is between the latitudes of 4° and 11° S and longitudes 46° and 56° E, while it main Island expands to about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) east of Kenya and about 700 miles (1,100 km) northeast of Madagascar.
- Width and Length of the Seychelles Island
Seychelles Island has 16 miles [26 km] and about 4 miles [6 km] wide.
Also, the highest peak of Morne Seychellois rises to 2,969 feet [905 m].
- The coastline of the Seychelles Island
The coastline of Seychelles Island is estimated to be 746 km.
10. Tunisia Island
Tunisia Island is among the most extended islands in Africa. It is an archipelago of Galite, situated on the Mediterranean coast of Northwest Africa, with six different islands in it.
Tunisia Island is an uninhabited granite island with a well-preserved paradise between the Atlantic Ocean and the Nile Delta.
Algeria also borders it on the west and southwest and Libya on the southeast.
- Size of Tunisia
Tunisia has a size of approximately 163,610 km².
- The coastline of the Tunisia Island
It has a coastline of 1,148 km (713 mi) long.
What is Africans largest island called?
The largest island in Africa is Madagascar Island; it lies off the southeastern coast of Africa.
Is the largest island in Africa the fourth largest in the world?
Yes, Madagascar is the first largest island in Africa. Globally, it is the fourth-largest, with an estimated point across 587,000 square km (nearly 227,000 square miles).
What is an island?
An Island, also known as “isle,” is a sub-continental land surrounded by water, and it comes in different forms and sizes.
Bottom Line
Indeed African continent has numerous islands that attract people from all works of life. These fascinating islands have made African a perfect place for tourism and vacation.
Make the above-listed African continent your first choice if you’re seeking a vacation destination in Africa, and you will never regret it.
