African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.
African Union | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "A United and Strong Africa" | |
| Anthem: "Let Us All Unite and Celebrate Together" (instrumental) | |
Member states Suspended states | |
| Capital | Niamey |
| Political centres | |
| Largest urban agglomerations | Cape Town |
| Official languages |
|
| Demonym(s) | African |
| Type | Continental union |
| Membership | 55 member states
10 observer states
|
| Leaders | |
| Mohamed Ould Ghazouani | |
| Moussa Faki | |
• Parliamentary President | Fortune Z. Charumbira |
| Legislature | Pan-African Parliament |
| Establishment | |
• OAU Charter | 25 May 1963 |
| 3 June 1991 | |
• Sirte Declaration | 9 September 1999 |
• African Union founded | July 9, 2002 |
• Admission of South Sudan | 9 July 2011 |
• Admission of Morocco | 31 January 2017 |
• African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) | 1 January 2021 |
| Area | |
• Total | 29,922,059 km2 (11,552,972 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2024 estimate | 1,494,988,668 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $8.990 trillion |
• Per capita | $6,330 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $2.89 trillion |
• Per capita | $2,035 |
| HDI (2020) | 0.577 medium |
| Internet TLD | .africa |
Website au | |
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The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa. The largest city in the AU is Lagos, Nigeria, while the largest urban agglomeration is Cairo, Egypt. The African Union has more than 1.3 billion people and an area of around 30 million km2 (12 million sq mi) and includes world landmarks, such as the Sahara and the Nile. The primary working languages are Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili. Within the African Union, there are official bodies, such as the Peace and Security Council and the Pan-African Parliament.
At a G20 (Group of 20) meeting held in Delhi, India, in 2023, the African Union was admitted as a member to the G20 like the European Union.