List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe facts for kids
The list below includes all entities falling even partially under any of the various common definitions of Europe, geographical or political. Fifty generally recognised sovereign states, Kosovo with limited, but substantial, international recognition, and four largely unrecognised de facto states with limited to no recognition have territory in Europe and/or membership in international European organisations. There are eight entities that are not integral parts of a European state or have special political arrangements.
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Boundary of Europe
Geographical
Under the commonly used geographic definition, the boundary between the continents of Asia and Europe stretches along the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, and the Caspian Sea in the east, the Greater Caucasus range, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, in the south. Based on such a commonly used division of the continents, the transcontinental countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey have territory in both Asia and Europe.
The island of Cyprus in Western Asia is close to Anatolia (or Asia Minor) but is often considered to be a part of Europe and is a member of the European Union. Like Cyprus, Armenia is also entirely in Western Asia but is a member of several European organisations.
Although the Mediterranean Sea provides a clearer divide between Africa and Europe, some traditionally European islands such as Malta, Pantelleria, the Pelagie Islands, and Sicily are actually located on the African Plate. The island of Iceland is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, straddling the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate.
Some territories which are geographically outside of Europe have strong connections with European states. Greenland, for example, has socio-political connections with Europe and is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but is located closer to the continent of North America and is usually grouped with that continent.
Other territories are part of European countries but are geographically located on other continents, such as the French overseas regions, the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the coast of Africa, and the Dutch BES islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba in the Caribbean.
Political
The political boundaries of Europe vary with the definition of Europe that is used by different political organizations. For instance, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights include 46 countries in their definition of Europe. The European Higher Education Area includes 48 countries, and the European Cultural Convention and the European Olympic Committees include 50 countries in their definitions.
Sovereign states
A sovereign state is a political association with effective sovereignty over a population for whom it makes decisions in the national interest. According to the Montevideo Convention, a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
UN member states and UNGA non-member observer state
There are 50 sovereign states with territory located within the common definition of Europe and/or membership in international European organisations that are almost universally recognized internationally. All are either member states of the United Nations or non-member observer states at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and all except Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vatican City are members of the Council of Europe. 44 countries have their capital city located within Europe, and (as of 2022) 27 of those countries are member states of the European Union, which means that they are highly integrated with one another and share their sovereignty through EU institutions.
Each entry in the list below has a map of its location in Europe. Territory in Europe is shown in dark-green; territory not geographically in Europe is shown in a lighter shade of green. The lightest shade of green represents other states in the EU and is shown on the maps of all territories within the EU.
* | = Member of the EU |
Flag | Map | English short, formal names, and ISO |
Domestic short and formal name(s) |
Capital |
Population 2018 |
Area |
Currency |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albania Republic of Albania ALB |
Albanian: Shqipëri / Shqipëria – Republika e Shqipërisë | Tirana Albanian: Tiranë |
2,882,740 | 28,748 km2 (11,100 sq mi) | Albanian lek | ||
Andorra Principality of Andorra AND |
Catalan: Andorra – Principat d'Andorra | Andorra la Vella Catalan: Andorra la Vella |
77,006 | 468 km2 (181 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Armenia Republic of Armenia ARM |
Armenian: Հայաստան – Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն (Hayastan – Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun) | Yerevan Armenian: Երևան (Yerevan) |
2,951,745 | 29,743 km2 (11,484 sq mi) | Armenian dram | ||
Austria* Republic of Austria AUT |
German: Österreich – Republik Österreich | Vienna German: Wien |
8,891,388 | 83,871 km2 (32,383 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Azerbaijan Republic of Azerbaijan AZE |
Azerbaijani: Azǝrbaycan – Azǝrbaycan Respublikası | Baku Azerbaijani: Bakı |
9,949,537 | 86,600 km2 (33,436 sq mi) | Azerbaijani manat | ||
Belarus Republic of Belarus BLR |
Belarusian: Беларусь – Рэспубліка Беларусь (Bielaruś – Respublika Bielaruś) Russian: Беларусь – Республика Беларусь (Belarus' — Respublika Belarus') |
Minsk Belarusian: Мінск (Minsk) Russian: Минск (Minsk) |
9,452,617 | 207,600 km2 (80,155 sq mi) | Belarusian rouble | ||
Belgium* Kingdom of Belgium BEL |
Dutch: België – Koninkrijk België French: Belgique – Royaume de Belgique German: Belgien – Königreich Belgien |
Brussels Dutch: Brussel French: Bruxelles German: Brüssel |
11,482,178 | 30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH |
Bosnian: Bosna i Hercegovina Croatian: Bosna i Hercegovina Serbian: Босна и Херцеговина |
Sarajevo Bosnian: Sarajevo Croatian: Sarajevo Serbian: Сарајево |
3,323,925 | 51,197 km2 (19,767 sq mi) | Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark | ||
Bulgaria* Republic of Bulgaria BGR |
Bulgarian: България – Република България (Bulgaria – Republika Bulgaria) | Sofia Bulgarian: София (Sofia) |
7,051,608 | 110,879 km2 (42,811 sq mi) | Bulgarian lev | ||
Croatia* Republic of Croatia HRV |
Croatian: Hrvatska – Republika Hrvatska | Zagreb Croatian: Zagreb |
4,156,405 | 56,594 km2 (21,851 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Cyprus* Republic of Cyprus CYP |
Greek: Κύπρος – Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία (Kýpros – Kypriakí Dimokratía) Turkish: Kıbrıs – Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti |
Nicosia Greek: Λευκωσία (Lefkosía) Turkish: Lefkoşa |
1,189,265 | 9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Czechia* Czech Republic CZE |
Czech: Česko – Česká republika | Prague Czech: Praha |
10,665,677 | 78,867 km2 (30,451 sq mi) | Czech koruna | ||
Denmark* Kingdom of Denmark DNK |
Danish: Danmark – Kongeriget Danmark | Copenhagen Danish: København |
5,752,126 | 42,933 km2 (16,577 sq mi) | Danish krone | ||
Estonia* Republic of Estonia EST |
Estonian: Eesti – Eesti Vabariik | Tallinn Estonian: Tallinn |
1,322,920 | 45,228 km2 (17,463 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Finland* Republic of Finland FIN |
Finnish: Suomi – Suomen tasavalta Swedish: Finland – Republiken Finland |
Helsinki Finnish: Helsinki Swedish: Helsingfors |
5,522,576 | 338,145 km2 (130,559 sq mi) | Euro | ||
France* French Republic FRA |
French: France – République française | Paris French: Paris |
64,990,511 | 643,427 km2 (248,429 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Georgia GEO |
Georgian: საქართველო (Sakartvelo) | Tbilisi / T'bilisi Georgian: თბილისი (T'bilisi) |
4,002,942 | 69,700 km2 (26,911 sq mi) | Georgian lari | ||
Germany* Federal Republic of Germany DEU |
German: Deutschland – Bundesrepublik Deutschland | Berlin German: Berlin |
83,124,418 | 357,022 km2 (137,847 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Greece* Hellenic Republic GRC |
Greek: Ελλάδα – Ελληνική Δημοκρατία (Elláda – Ellinikí Dimokratía) | Athens Greek: Αθήνα (Athína) |
10,522,246 | 131,957 km2 (50,949 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Hungary* HUN |
Hungarian: Magyarország | Budapest Hungarian: Budapest |
9,707,499 | 93,028 km2 (35,918 sq mi) | Hungarian forint | ||
Iceland ISL |
Icelandic: Ísland – Lýðveldið Ísland | Reykjavík Icelandic: Reykjavík |
336,713 | 103,000 km2 (39,769 sq mi) | Icelandic króna | ||
Ireland* IRL |
English: Ireland Irish: Éire |
Dublin Irish: Baile Átha Cliath |
4,818,690 | 70,273 km2 (27,133 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Italy* Italian Republic ITA |
Italian: Italia – Repubblica Italiana | Rome Italian: Roma |
60,627,291 | 301,340 km2 (116,348 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Kazakhstan Republic of Kazakhstan KAZ |
Kazakh: Қазақстан – Қазақстан Республикасы (Qazaqstan – Qazaqstan Respūblīkasy) Russian: Казахстан – Республика Казахстан (Kazakhstan – Respublika Kazakhstan) |
Astana Kazakh: Астана (Astana) Russian: Астана (Astana) |
18,319,618 | 2,724,900 km2 (1,052,090 sq mi) | Kazakhstani tenge | ||
Latvia* Republic of Latvia LVA |
Latvian: Latvija – Latvijas Republika | Riga Latvian: Rīga |
1,928,459 | 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Liechtenstein Principality of Liechtenstein LIE |
German: Liechtenstein – Fürstentum Liechtenstein | Vaduz German: Vaduz |
37,910 | 160 km2 (62 sq mi) | Liechtenstein franc | ||
Lithuania* Republic of Lithuania LTU |
Lithuanian: Lietuva – Lietuvos Respublika | Vilnius Lithuanian: Vilnius |
2,801,264 | 65,300 km2 (25,212 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Luxembourg* Grand Duchy of Luxembourg LUX |
German: Luxemburg – Großherzogtum Luxemburg French: Luxembourg – Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg - Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg |
Luxembourg German: Luxemburg French: Luxembourg Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg |
604,245 | 2,586 km2 (998 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Malta* Republic of Malta MLT |
English: Malta – Republic of Malta Maltese: Malta – Repubblika ta' Malta |
Valletta Maltese: Valletta |
439,248 | 316 km2 (122 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Moldova Republic of Moldova MDA |
Romanian: Moldova – Republica Moldova | Chișinău Romanian: Chișinău |
33,851 km2 (13,070 sq mi) | Moldovan leu | |||
Monaco Principality of Monaco MCO |
French: Monaco – Principauté de Monaco | Monaco French: Monaco |
38,682 | 2 km2 (0.8 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Montenegro MNE |
Montenegrin: Црна Гора (Crna Gora) | Podgorica Montenegrin: Подгорица (Podgorica) |
627,809 | 13,812 km2 (5,333 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Netherlands* Kingdom of the Netherlands NLD |
Dutch: Nederland – Koninkrijk der Nederlanden | Amsterdam (capital) Dutch: Amsterdam The Hague (seat of government) Dutch: 's-Gravenhage / Den Haag |
17,059,560 | 41,543 km2 (16,040 sq mi) | Euro | ||
North Macedonia Republic of North Macedonia MKD |
Macedonian: Северна Македонија – Република Северна Македонија (Severna Makedonija – Republika Severna Makedonija) | Skopje Macedonian: Скопје (Skopje) |
2,082,957 | 25,713 km2 (9,928 sq mi) | Macedonian denar | ||
Norway Kingdom of Norway NOR |
Bokmål: Norge – Kongeriket Norge Nynorsk: Noreg – Kongeriket Noreg |
Oslo Norwegian: Oslo |
5,337,962 | 323,802 km2 (125,021 sq mi) | Norwegian krone | ||
Poland* Republic of Poland POL |
Polish: Polska – Rzeczpospolita Polska | Warsaw Polish: Warszawa |
37,921,592 | 312,685 km2 (120,728 sq mi) | Polish złoty | ||
Portugal* Portuguese Republic PRT |
Portuguese: Portugal – República Portuguesa | Lisbon Portuguese: Lisboa |
10,256,193 | 92,090 km2 (35,556 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Romania* ROU |
Romanian: România | Bucharest Romanian: București |
19,506,114 | 238,391 km2 (92,043 sq mi) | Romanian leu | ||
Russia Russian Federation RUS |
Russian: Россия – Российская Федерация (Rossija – Rossijskaja Federacija) | Moscow Russian: Москва (Moskva) |
17,098,242 km2 (6,601,668 sq mi) | Russian rouble | |||
San Marino Republic of San Marino SMR |
Italian: San Marino – Repubblica di San Marino | San Marino Italian: San Marino |
33,785 | 61 km2 (24 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Serbia Republic of Serbia SRB |
Serbian: Србија – Република Србија (Srbija – Republika Srbija) | Belgrade Serbian: Београд (Beograd) |
8,802,754 | 88,361 km2 (34,116 sq mi) | Serbian dinar | ||
Slovakia* Slovak Republic SVK |
Slovak: Slovensko – Slovenská republika | Bratislava Slovak: Bratislava |
5,453,014 | 49,035 km2 (18,933 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Slovenia* Republic of Slovenia SVN |
Slovene: Slovenija – Republika Slovenija | Ljubljana Slovene: Ljubljana |
2,077,837 | 20,273 km2 (7,827 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Spain* Kingdom of Spain ESP |
Spanish: España – Reino de España | Madrid Spanish: Madrid |
46,692,858 | 505,370 km2 (195,124 sq mi) | Euro | ||
Sweden* Kingdom of Sweden SWE |
Swedish: Sverige – Konungariket Sverige | Stockholm Swedish: Stockholm |
9,971,638 | 450,295 km2 (173,860 sq mi) | Swedish krona | ||
Switzerland Swiss Confederation CHE |
German: Schweiz – Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft French: Suisse – Confédération suisse Italian: Svizzera – Confederazione Svizzera Romansh: Svizra – Confederaziun svizra |
Bern / Berne German: Bern French: Berne Italian and Romansh: Berna |
8,525,611 | 41,277 km2 (15,937 sq mi) | Swiss franc | ||
Turkey Republic of Turkey TUR |
Turkish: Türkiye – Türkiye Cumhuriyeti | Ankara Turkish: Ankara |
82,340,088 | 783,562 km2 (302,535 sq mi) | Turkish lira | ||
Ukraine UKR |
Ukrainian: Украïна (Ukraïna) |
Kyiv Ukrainian: Київ (Kyiv) |
44,246,156 | 603,550 km2 (233,032 sq mi) | Ukrainian hryvnia | ||
United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland GBR |
English: United Kingdom – United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | London | 67,141,684 | 243,610 km2 (94,058 sq mi) | Sterling | ||
Vatican City Vatican City State VAT |
Italian: Città del Vaticano – Stato della Città del Vaticano Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae |
Vatican City Italian: Città del Vaticano |
801 | 0.44 km2 (0.17 sq mi) | Euro |
De facto states
The following five entities in Europe have partial diplomatic recognition by one or more UN member states (and therefore are defined as states by the constitutive theory of statehood) or have no diplomatic recognition by any UN member state but are defined as states by the declarative theory of statehood. None are members of the UN, Council of Europe or EU.
Flag | Map | English common and formal names | Status | Domestic common and formal names | Capital | Population | Area |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abkhazia Republic of Abkhazia |
Claimed as an autonomous republic of Georgia. Recognised by five UN member states. | Abkhaz: Аҧсны - Аԥсны Аҳәынҭқарра (Apsny - Apsny Ahwyntqarra) Russian: Абхазия - Республика Абхазия (Abhaziya - Respublika Abkhaziya) |
Sukhumi Abkhaz: Аҟəа (Akwa) Russian: Суху́м(и) (Sukhum(i)) |
250,000 | 8,660 km2 (3,344 sq mi) | ||
Kosovo Republic of Kosovo |
Claimed by Serbia. Has been recognized as sovereign by 102 UN member states. | Albanian: Kosova / Kosovë – Republika e Kosovës Serbian: Косово – Република Косово (Kosovo – Republika Kosovo) |
Pristina Albanian: Prishtina, Prishtinë Serbian: Приштина (Priština) |
1,836,529 | 10,887 km2 (4,203 sq mi) | ||
Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus |
Claimed as part of the Republic of Cyprus. Recognised by Turkey. | Turkish: Kuzey Kıbrıs – Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti | North Nicosia Turkish: Lefkoşa |
294,906 | 3,355 km2 (1,295 sq mi) | ||
South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia |
Claimed as part of Georgia. Recognised by five UN member states. | Ossetian: Хуссар Ирыстон – Республикӕ Хуссар Ирыстон (Khussar Iryston – Respublikæ Khussar Iryston) Russian: Южная Осетия – Республика Южная Осетия (Yuzhnaya Osetiya – Respublika Yuzhnaya Osetiya) |
Tskhinvali Ossetian: Цхинвал or Чъреба (Chreba) Russian: Цхинва́л(и) (Tskhinvál(i)) |
56,000 | 3,900 km2 (1,506 sq mi) | ||
Transnistria / Trans-Dniester Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic |
Claimed as a territorial unit of Moldova. De facto independent state, recognised by 3 non-UN states. | Romanian: Transnistria – Republica Moldovenească Nistreană Russian: Приднестровье – Приднестровская Молдавская Республика (Pridnestrov'ye – Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika) Ukrainian: Придністров'я – Придністровська Молдавська Республіка (Prydnistrovia – Pridnistrovska Moldavska Respublika) |
Tiraspol Romanian: Tiraspol Russian: Тираcполь (Tiraspol') Ukrainian: Тирасполь (Tyraspol) |
347,251 | 3,500 km2 (1,351 sq mi) |
Non-sovereign territories
Dependent territories
The following six European entities are dependent territories.
* | = Part of the EU, although there may be special arrangements |
Flag | Map | English common and formal names | Legal status | Domestic common and formal names | Capital | Population | Area |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akrotiri and Dhekelia Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia |
British Overseas Territory | English: Akrotiri and Dhekelia – Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia | Episkopi Cantonment | 15,700 | 254 km2 (98 sq mi) | ||
Faroe Islands / Faeroe Islands | Constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark | Faroese: Føroyar Danish: Færøerne |
Tórshavn Faroese: Tórshavn Danish: Thorshavn |
54,000 | 1,393 km2 (538 sq mi) | ||
Gibraltar | British Overseas Territory | English: Gibraltar | Gibraltar | 29,185 | 6.5 km2 (2.5 sq mi) | ||
Guernsey Bailiwick of Guernsey |
Crown Dependency in right of Guernsey | English: Guernsey – Bailiwick of Guernsey French: Guernesey – Bailliage de Guernesey Guernésiais: Guernési – Bailliage de Guernési |
Saint Peter Port French: Saint Pierre Port Guernésiais: Saint Pierre Port |
65,849 | 78 km2 (30 sq mi) | ||
Isle of Man | Crown Dependency in right of Man | English: Isle of Man Manx: Mannin – Ellan Vannin |
Douglas Manx: Doolish |
86,866 | 572 km2 (221 sq mi) | ||
Jersey Bailiwick of Jersey |
Crown Dependency in right of Jersey | English: Jersey – Bailiwick of Jersey French: Jersey – Bailliage de Jersey Jèrriais: Jèrri – Bailliage de Jèrri |
Saint Helier French: Saint-Hélier Jèrriais: Saint Hélyi |
96,513 | 118 km2 (46 sq mi) |
Areas of special sovereignty
The following places are considered integral parts of their sovereign state, but have a political arrangement that was decided through an international agreement.
* | = A part of the EU, although there may be some special arrangements. |
Flag | Map | English common and formal names | Legal status | Domestic common and formal names | Capital | Population | Area |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Åland* Åland Islands |
Self-governing area of Finland, significant autonomy as the result of the Åland crisis | Swedish: Åland – Landskapet Åland | Mariehamn Swedish: Mariehamn |
27,500 | 6,787 km2 (2,620 sq mi) | ||
Northern Ireland | Part of the United Kingdom, devolved government determined by the Good Friday Agreement | English: Northern Ireland Irish: Tuaisceart Éireann Scots: Norlin Airlann |
Belfast | 1,810,863 | 14,130 km2 (5,456 sq mi) | ||
Svalbard | Special territory of Norway, determined by the Svalbard Treaty | Norwegian: Svalbard | Longyearbyen Norwegian: Longyearbyen |
2,019 | 62,045 km2 (23,956 sq mi) |
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:División política de Europa para niños
- International organisations in Europe
- Lists of European countries:
- by area
- by GDP
- by GDP per capita
- by GDP PPP
- by population
- List of former sovereign states in Europe
- Predecessors of sovereign states in Europe
- Regions of Europe