Western European Countries: Full List, Capitals, and Map

Western Europe is one of the four subregions of the European continent.

As with other world regions, the exact boundaries can vary depending on whether the classification is cultural, political, or statistical.

For clarity and consistency, this page follows the United Nations (UN) geoscheme, which classifies Western Europe as consisting of nine sovereign countries.

List of countries in Western Europe

• Austria
• Belgium
• France
• Germany
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Monaco
• Netherlands
• Switzerland

This UN-defined version is the standard regional breakdown used in international statistics, development reporting, and global data comparisons.

Western European countries table

The UN geoscheme recognizes the following sovereign states as part of the Western Europe subregion:

Countries in Europe Map

Western Europe includes the Alps, the Rhine basin, densely populated lowland regions, and the Atlantic and North Sea coastlines.

France is the largest country in the region by land area, while Germany is the largest by population.

Smaller states such as Monaco and Liechtenstein are located along the Mediterranean and Alpine regions.

How Western Europe is defined

UN geoscheme (most common)

This is the definition used by:

• The United Nations
• The World Bank
• Most international statistical agencies

It includes nine countries, listed above.

Alternative cultural and political groupings

Outside the UN system, Western Europe is sometimes used in a broader cultural or historical sense. These versions may include countries such as:

• Ireland
• United Kingdom
• Spain
• Portugal
• Italy

These broader definitions come from Cold War-era divisions, EU political discussions, and general cultural usage rather than formal statistical frameworks.

Physical geography definition

In physical geography, Western Europe is often described using general features such as:

• The Alps and Pyrenees mountain systems
• The North Sea, English Channel, and Atlantic coastal zones
• The Western European lowlands including Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern France
• Major river networks such as the Rhine, Seine, and Danube (upper basin)

This approach focuses on landforms, climate zones, and drainage basins rather than political boundaries.

Global regions map

To help place Western Europe within the wider UN classification system, the global regions map below shows how all world subregions are organized.

The UN geoscheme assigns every UN member state to a defined geographic region, allowing consistent international comparisons. Antarctica is excluded because the framework applies only to UN member states.

Within Europe, the UN recognizes four subregions:

• Northern Europe
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• Southern Europe

Across the entire world, the geoscheme identifies 22 geographical subregions in total.