Overview
Middle Africa is the term used by the United Nations in its official geoscheme for Africa to describe a subregion often more commonly known as Central Africa. While "Central Africa" can be defined in various ways depending on the source or organization, "Middle Africa" refers specifically to the standardized grouping of countries recognized by the United Nations for statistical and geographic classification purposes.
Countries Included
According to the United Nations geoscheme, Middle Africa consists of the following nine countries:
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- São Tomé and Príncipe
Regional Cooperation and Overlapping Classifications
Regional bodies sometimes extend beyond the strict UN definition of Middle Africa. The United Nations Office for Central Africa, for instance, also includes Burundi and Rwanda in its coverage, even though both nations are classified under East Africa within the UN geoscheme. This overlap reflects the complex political and economic ties that shape regional groupings, which do not always align perfectly with strict geographic classifications.
Together, the nine countries of Middle Africa, along with Burundi and Rwanda, make up the eleven member states of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), a regional organization aimed at promoting economic integration and cooperation across the subregion.
Economic Integration
Within this broader ECCAS grouping, six countries have pursued deeper economic integration through the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). Member states of CEMAC share a common currency, the Central African CFA franc, which facilitates trade and monetary stability among participating nations. This monetary union underscores the close economic relationships that exist among several Middle African countries, even as the broader region encompasses diverse political and economic systems.
Significance of the Classification
The distinction between "Middle Africa" and "Central Africa" is largely a matter of institutional terminology. While both terms are often used interchangeably in everyday language and general geography, "Middle Africa" specifically denotes the United Nations' formal geoscheme category, providing a consistent framework for international statistics, development reporting, and demographic analysis. Understanding this classification helps clarify how international organizations categorize and compare countries across the African continent.