A large number of independent countries
Africa is a big continent comprising numerous independent countries. They are not states (as in the United States of America) or provinces of one large continent. These countries all have their own governments, nationalities, economies, cultures, religions and history.

It is true that the continent as a whole has a common history in some respects. These included the sad occurrences of slavery and colonialism. Each of the 54 individual countries, which are now free from colonialism, determines its own future.

Political patterns
The majority of countries in Africa hold multiparty elections on a fairly regular basis and a number of governments have been unseated through elections. Politics in Africa can best be described as a mixture of the formal and informal. This form of government is based on forms of political reciprocity, where the government official is expected to influence and meet the needs and expectations of their followers. This form of government centres around historical and socio-political dynamics.

While it is a fact that some African countries such as the Sudan and Zimbabwe face severe governmental problems, most of the nations have stable governments. As many as 20 states have multiparty and democratic governments and are no longer military or authoritarian one-party governments.

Democratic countries in Africa
These are Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia.

Partially democratic countries in Africa
These are Chad, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Countries in Africa still under undemocratic rule or dictatorship
These are Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo (Democratic Republic), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Togo.