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English Name

African bush elephant

African bush elephant, African forest elephant

Asian Elephant

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Countries with Elephants 2024

If you are curious about countries with elephants, then you might be surprised to discover there are only two countries that are native homes to these massive animals, Africa and Asia.

It is worth remembering though that these two land masses cover a great amount of area. There are also a few different types of elephants which inhabit Africa and Asia.

The Elephants of Africa

When we imagine or think of elephants, we are normally picturing the kind of elephants that originate from the continent of Africa. Even within this country, however, we can find two different types of these magnificent beasts.

Among all the elephants, it is the African Elephant that is the granddaddy of them all. Not only are they the largest of the elephants, they have a lifespan of up to 70 years too. It is also noted that the African Elephant has ears that somewhat resemble the shape of Africa.

Within the African Elephant family, there are two subspecies of these large creatures, the Savanna Elephant, commonly referred to as the bush elephant. The other is the African forest elephant.

It is believed by many experts that there were once as many as 17 different types of elephants in Africa. Today, we have these two.

The Elephants of Asia

If you see an elephant in Asia, you will recognize it as a large animal, but you may also quickly detect that the Asian elephant isn't as big as the African elephant. That is also one of the most distinguishing characteristics of Asia elephants.he

These smaller but impressive animals live in the Southeastern areas of Asia. These incredible creatures are also listed as an endangered species. Likewise, African elephants are considered as vulnerable.

The Future of Elephants

Today, there is a much greater awareness about the dangers surrounding elephants, including poachers and natural habitat erosions. It has also been a concentrated effort of zoos and zoologists, to create natural reservations in addition to the efforts of keeping elephants in captivity.

Elephants are commonly found in the region of the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa, to the rainforest of Central Africa and into Mali. With the help of advocacy and animal rights groups, in addition to government agencies, there is hope for the future of elephants in both Africa and Asia.

There are two countries where we can find elephants in their natural habitat, and fortunately many zoos where we can appreciate these beautiful creatures too.

  • List includes only countries in which elephants exist in the wild. Countries in which elephants appear only in zoos are excluded.

Download Table Data

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Country
English Name
Scientific Name
AngolaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
BangladeshAsian ElephantElephas maximus
BeninAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
BhutanAsian ElephantElephas maximus
BotswanaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
Burkina FasoAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
BurundiAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
CambodiaAsian ElephantElephas maximus
CameroonAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
Central African RepublicAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
ChadAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
ChinaAsian ElephantElephas maximus
DR CongoAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
Equatorial GuineaAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
EthiopiaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
GabonAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
GambiaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
GhanaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
GuineaAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
Guinea BissauAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
IndiaAsian ElephantElephas maximus
IndonesiaAsian ElephantElephas maximus
Ivory CoastAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
KenyaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
LaosAsian ElephantElephas maximus
LiberiaAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
MalawiAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
MalaysiaAsian ElephantElephas maximus
MaliAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
MozambiqueAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
MyanmarAsian ElephantElephas maximus
NamibiaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
NepalAsian ElephantElephas maximus
NigerAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
NigeriaAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
Republic of the CongoAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
RwandaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
SenegalAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
Sierra LeoneAfrican bush elephant, African forest elephantLoxodonta africana, Loxodonta cyclotis
South AfricaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
South SudanAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
TanzaniaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
TogoAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
UgandaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
ZambiaAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
ZimbabweAfrican bush elephantLoxodonta africana
showing: 46 rows

Which countries have elephants?

Elephants can be found in captivity around the world, but are only native to the continents of Africa and Asia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources