Andorra
Cabo Verde
Capital: Praia
This nation of islands, 300 miles off the coast of Senegal, was formerly a Portuguese colony and part of the Transatlantic slave trade. Today, it's known for its unique brand of hospitality, called "morabeza"—an easy-going, languid friendliness that translates loosely into something between the Hawaiian "aloha" and the Portuguese "saudade."
Comoros
Capital: Moroni
A collection of islands in the Indian Ocean, 200 miles off the East Coast of Africa, in what is called the Mozambique Channel, Comoros is one of the poorest nations in the world and home to one of the world's largest active volcanoes, Mount Karthala. The capital, Moroni, translates to "in the heart of the fire." Comoros is known for its pristine white-sand beaches and its tumultuous political history—there have been upwards of 20 coups since the country first gained its independence from France.
Djibouti
Capital: Djibouti
From its enviable position on the Horn of Africa, Djibouti is a petite but surprisingly important country, especially when it comes to trade. (Ninety-five percent of the goods coming in to and out of Ethiopia, for example, come through a Djibouti port.) Named a top travel destination for 2018 by Lonely Planet, in no small part for its unique landscapes, Djibouti is poised to become a destination that you WILL hear of.
Gabon
Capital: Libreville
A major oil-producing country in West Africa, Gabon has enjoyed a relatively stable history, which lets people focus on its other natural resource: its forests. More than 80 percent of Gabon's land is forest, and of that, 11 percent is protected national parkland. It's home to the largest population of forest elephants in the world (and, tragically, with that, a vast network of illegal ivory poaching and trade).
Guinea-Bissau
Capital: Bissau
A former Portuguese colony in West Africa, Guinea-Bissau was once known as the Slave Coast. Today, it is one of the poorest nations in the world, despite being a flashpoint in the Latin American-European drug trade. And yet, the unique collection of 88 islands off the coast, known as the Archipelago of the Bijagós, remains one of West Africa's hidden treasures, and has been designated a United Nations World Heritage Biosphere Reserve.
Kiribati
Capital: South Tarawa
This tiny Central Pacific Ocean nation of 33 islands has been getting a lot of press, for all the wrong reasons—it might very well be one of the first victims of global climate change. The situation is so dire that the government purchased land in nearby Fiji, in the event its population needs to flee. Until then, the pristine beaches, epic fishing and bird-watching keeps its residents, and tourists, thoroughly engaged.
