<P> The Islands of Africa are a major geographical sub-region of Africa, and represent a distinct demographic and historical cultural sphere of influence on the continent . </P> <P> The islands of Africa can be subdivided into Indian Ocean Islands and Atlantic Ocean Islands . The largest number of islands of Africa are found in the Indian Ocean, with the sovereign island nations of Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar located off the southeastern seaboard of Africa being the most notable . The French overseas territories of Mayotte and Réunion are also located nearby . The medium - sized islands of Zanzibar and Lamu of Tanzania and Kenya, respectively, are also located in the Indian Ocean, in addition to smaller islands off the coasts of other continental countries . In the Atlantic seaboard, the largest islands are Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa and Sao Tome and Principe off the southwestern seaboard . In the Atlantic Ocean, the island of Malabo and other smaller islands of Equatorial Guinea are also notable . The Canary Islands and other territories of Spain are present in the Mediterranean Sea in the north Atlantic Ocean, and the British possessions of Saint Helena, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha are located off the southwestern seaboard of the continent . </P> <P> All of the islands of Africa, except for Madagascar, are classified as small islands under the UNESCO classification system for all islands under 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi). Madagascar, in contrast, at 587,041 square kilometres (226,658 sq mi) is the fourth - largest island in the world . In line with most characteristics of small islands, the islands of Africa with the exception of Madagascar are almost all volcanic in origin, high in structure, with low coral elevation, with some surface water resources and undergo variable weather conditions, with occasional destructive tropical cyclones . </P>

Island nation off the southeast coast of africa