Europe is a unique continent, partly surrounded by water and sharing an overland border with Asia. It occupies northwestern Eurasia, bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, Atlantic to the west, Mediterranean to the south, and Black Sea to the southeast. As the second-smallest continent, it's often seen as a large peninsula or subcontinent, part of the Eurasian landmass in the Northern Hemisphere. Major islands include Iceland and the British Isles with the UK and Ireland.
There are 50 countries that are geographically located in Europe. However, some countries may be partially located in both Europe and Asia, such as Russia and Turkey.
The UN recognizes 44 countries across Europe, which is a diverse continent with a rich variety of cultures and histories. The United Nations geoscheme warmly categorizes these into four regions: Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Southern Europe, helping us understand the beautiful diversity within.
Europe covers an area of approximately 10.18 million square kilometers (3.93 million square miles), which is about 6.8% of Earth's total land area and 2% of Earth's total surface area.
As a continent, Europe is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is one of the seven continents of the world and is bounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to the southeast.
The geographical border of Europe is not strictly defined, as there is no clear physical separation from Asia. The most commonly used definition is the Ural Mountains, with the Ural River, and the Caspian Sea, which separate Europe from Asia. The border between Europe and Asia is often considered to be the Ural Mountains, which stretch from the Arctic Ocean to the Caspian Sea. The border between Europe and Africa is the Mediterranean Sea.
The smallest country in Europe is the Vatican City, with an area of approximately 0.44 square kilometers (0.17 square miles). The largest country in Europe is Russia, which covers an area of roughly 17.1 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles), although a significant portion of Russia lies in Asia.
Most visited destinations in Europe
The most visited destinations in Europe include:
Population of Europe
The estimated population of Europe is approximately 747 million people, which is around 9.7% of the world's total population. The population density of Europe is approximately 73 people per square kilometer (190 people per square mile). The most populous countries in Europe are:
We can group European countries into 4 regions – (1) Northern, (2) Western, (3) Southern, and (4) Eastern regions.
Northern Europe refers to the northern part of the European continent, which includes the following countries:
The regions associated with Northern Europe include:
Eastern Europe refers to the eastern part of the European continent, which includes the following countries:
Regions associated with Eastern Europe include:
The population of Eastern Europe is approximately 294 million people, with the largest cities being Moscow (Russia), Warsaw (Poland), and Prague (Czech Republic).
Western Europe refers to the western part of the European continent, which includes the following countries:
Regions associated with Western Europe include:
Southern Europe refers to the southern part of the European continent, which includes the following countries:
Regions associated with Southern Europe include:
The population of Southern Europe is approximately 155 million people, with the largest cities being Istanbul (Turkey), Madrid (Spain), and Rome (Italy).
Transcontinental countries are countries that span across two or more continents. The following countries are partially located in Europe and another continent:
Note that the classification of countries into regions can vary depending on the context and criteria used. These classifications are commonly used but may not be universally accepted.
The European Union (EU) currently has 27 member states as of January 2026. No new countries have joined since Croatia in 2013, and the United Kingdom's departure in 2020 reduced the number from 28 to 27. Here is the complete list in alphabetical order:
European Economic Area (EEA) Countries
All 27 EU countries + 3 EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) → 30 countries total.
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Countries
Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland → 4 countries.
Schengen Area Countries
All 27 EU countries (including recent full integrations for Bulgaria and Romania as of January 2025) + Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein.
Cyprus is an EU member but not yet fully in Schengen (expected possibly by end of 2026 or later; currently applies some rules but maintains border checks).
| Country | Area (km²) | Population | Density (per km²) | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇱Albania | 28,748 | 2,994,668 | 104.1 | Tirana |
| 🇦🇩Andorra | 468 | 84,082 | 179.7 | Andorra la Vella |
| 🇦🇲Armenia | 29,743 | 2,973,000 | 100.0 | Yerevan |
| 🇦🇹Austria | 83,858 | 9,217,280 | 109.9 | Vienna |
| 🇦🇿Azerbaijan | 86,600 | 10,353,296 | 119.5 | Baku |
| 🇧🇾Belarus | 207,600 | 9,434,000 | 45.4 | Minsk |
| 🇧🇪Belgium | 30,510 | 11,731,477 | 384.5 | Brussels |
| 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina | 51,129 | 3,890,000 | 76.0 | Sarajevo |
| 🇧🇬Bulgaria | 110,910 | 6,793,635 | 61.2 | Sofia |
| 🇭🇷Croatia | 56,542 | 3,850,000 | 68.1 | Zagreb |
| 🇨🇾Cyprus | 9,251 | 918,100 | 99.2 | Nicosia |
| 🇨🇿Czechia | 78,866 | 10,900,555 | 138.2 | Prague |
| 🇩🇰Denmark | 43,094 | 5,977,412 | 138.7 | Copenhagen |
| 🇪🇪Estonia | 45,226 | 1,373,101 | 30.4 | Tallinn |
| 🇫🇮Finland | 336,593 | 5,603,851 | 16.7 | Helsinki |
| 🇫🇷France | 547,030 | 68,373,433 | 125.0 | Paris |
| 🇬🇪Georgia | 69,700 | 3,760,000 | 53.9 | Tbilisi |
| 🇩🇪Germany | 357,021 | 84,607,016 | 237.0 | Berlin |
| 🇬🇷Greece | 131,940 | 10,341,277 | 78.4 | Athens |
| 🇭🇺Hungary | 93,030 | 9,589,872 | 103.1 | Budapest |
| 🇮🇸Iceland | 103,000 | 394,500 | 3.8 | Reykjavik |
| 🇮🇪Ireland | 70,280 | 5,343,805 | 76.0 | Dublin |
| 🇮🇹Italy | 301,230 | 58,870,762 | 195.4 | Rome |
| 🇰🇿Kazakhstan | 2,724,900 | 20,592,571 | 7.6 | Astana |
| 🇽🇰Kosovo | 10,887 | 1,723,363 | 158.3 | Pristina |
| 🇱🇻Latvia | 64,589 | 1,871,871 | 29.0 | Riga |
| 🇱🇮Liechtenstein | 160 | 39,870 | 249.2 | Vaduz |
| 🇱🇹Lithuania | 65,200 | 2,885,933 | 44.3 | Vilnius |
| 🇱🇺Luxembourg | 2,586 | 670,000 | 259.1 | Luxembourg |
| 🇲🇹Malta | 316 | 542,051 | 1,715.3 | Valletta |
| 🇲🇩Moldova | 33,843 | 2,512,758 | 74.2 | Chișinău |
| 🇲🇨Monaco | 2.02 | 36,469 | 18,054.9 | Monaco |
| 🇲🇪Montenegro | 13,812 | 616,695 | 44.7 | Podgorica |
| 🇳🇱Netherlands | 41,543 | 17,879,488 | 430.4 | Amsterdam |
| 🇲🇰North Macedonia | 25,713 | 2,085,051 | 81.1 | Skopje |
| 🇳🇴Norway | 385,178 | 5,550,203 | 14.4 | Oslo |
| 🇵🇱Poland | 312,685 | 38,036,118 | 121.6 | Warsaw |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | 92,090 | 10,467,366 | 113.7 | Lisbon |
| 🇷🇴Romania | 238,391 | 19,015,088 | 79.8 | Bucharest |
| 🇷🇺Russia | 17,098,242 | 144,820,423 | 8.5 | Moscow |
| 🇸🇲San Marino | 61 | 33,642 | 551.5 | San Marino |
| 🇷🇸Serbia | 88,361 | 6,641,197 | 75.2 | Belgrade |
| 🇸🇰Slovakia | 49,035 | 5,424,058 | 110.6 | Bratislava |
| 🇸🇮Slovenia | 20,273 | 2,119,675 | 104.5 | Ljubljana |
| 🇪🇸Spain | 505,990 | 48,446,274 | 95.7 | Madrid |
| 🇸🇪Sweden | 449,964 | 10,607,595 | 23.6 | Stockholm |
| 🇨🇭Switzerland | 41,290 | 8,921,981 | 216.1 | Bern |
| 🇹🇷Turkey | 783,562 | 86,260,000 | 110.1 | Ankara |
| 🇺🇦Ukraine | 603,500 | 37,000,000 | 61.3 | Kyiv |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | 242,495 | 68,350,000 | 281.9 | London |
| 🇻🇦Vatican City | 0.44 | 764 | 1,736.4 | Vatican City |
Related: EU Time Zone