Jvectormap highlight Multiple Countries

I am currently using JvectorMap and trying to highlight several countries when I hover over the text, I got it to the extent that if I hover over the word Africa, it will highlight the whole map, as if I would filter it to select only Africa when I'm soaring for the content of the name of Africa.

I am currently creating a list of continents using jQuery.each, and I am returning continentCodes, which contains all the country codes (ZA, US) with the color assigned to them ... I tried to do the following:

jQuery('.continentLink').hover(function() {
 jQuery.each(mapObject.mapData.paths, function(i, val) {
  if (val.continent == "africa"){
   continentCodes[i] = "#3e9d01";
   mapObject.series.regions[0].setValues(continentCodes);
  }
 });
});

but then I repeat every statement, and I can’t get dynamic continents.

Here is JSFIDDLE

So Heres the JS:

jQuery(function(){
//JSON MARKERS
var markers = [{latLng: [-34.033333300000000000, 23.066666700000040000], name: 'Knysna', info:'its got a lake...'},
    {latLng: [-33.924868500000000000, 18.424055299999963000], name: 'Cape Town', info:'its nice...'}];
//JSON MARKERS  

//JSON STYLING
var markerStyle = {initial: {fill: '#F8E23B',stroke: '#383f47'}};
var regionStyling = {initial: {fill: '#128da7'},hover: {fill: "#A0D1DC"}};
//JSON STYLING

//GLOBAL VARIABLES
var countryList = "", continentList = "";
var continentCodes = {};
//GLOBAL VARIABLES

//INIT MAP PLUGIN
jQuery('#world-map').vectorMap({
    map: 'world_mill_en',
    normalizeFunction: 'polynomial',
    markerStyle:markerStyle,
    regionStyle:regionStyling,
    backgroundColor: '#383f47',
    series: {regions: [{values: {},attribute: 'fill'}]},
    markers: markers,
    onRegionClick:function (event, code){
        jQuery('#world-map').vectorMap('set', 'focus', code);
    },
    onMarkerClick: function(events, index){
        jQuery('#infobox').html(markers[index].name);
    }
});
//INIT MAP PLUGIN

var mapObject  = jQuery('#world-map').vectorMap('get', 'mapObject');

//LIST COUNTRIES & CONTINENTS
function createList() {

    //Get list
    jQuery.each(mapObject.mapData.paths, function(i, val) {
        countryList += '<li><a id='+i+' class="countryLink">'+val.name+'</a></li>';
        continentList += '<li><a id='+val.continent+' class="continentLink">'+val.continent+'</a></li>';

        continentCodes[i] = "#3e9d01";
        return continentCodes;
    });
    //display continents
    jQuery('#continentList').html(continentList);

    //display countries
    jQuery('#countryList').html(countryList);

    //Create Hover Function
    jQuery('.continentLink').hover(function() {
        mapObject.series.regions[0].setValues(continentCodes);
        console.log(continentCodes);
    });

    //Create ZOOM Function
    jQuery('.countryLink').click(function(e) {
        jQuery('#world-map').vectorMap('set', 'focus', this.id);
    });
}

createList();
});

and HTML:

  <div id="world-map" style="width: 960px; height: 400px"></div>
    <div id="infobox"></div>
        <ul id="continentList"></ul>
        <ul id="countryList"></ul>