The 49 European Countries (And Why Some Sources Say 50+)

There are 49 European countries, though the exact number is often debated.

Geographically, Europe is the second smallest continent, larger only than Australia. It is located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

The 49 countries located on the European continent are not to be confused with the members of the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe.

The EU is a unique partnership between 27 member states, which is about 447 million people, approximately six percent of the world’s population. As an EU member, government ministers from each nation come together to discuss laws and coordinate policies. The ministers may commit their own governments to the actions agreed upon in the meetings.

The Council of Europe is separate from this. Established in 1949 after the Second World War, it currently has 46 members and focuses on promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across its member states.

The European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights can be attributed to the Council of Europe. The organization has played a crucial role in creating a legal framework that protects the rights of more than 700 million people.

Countries of the World Map
Where is Europe? A detailed map showcasing the six continents (Shutterstock)

Ancient Rome and Greece profoundly influenced Europe’s early political history and the governing of its various territories. It wasn’t until the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, that the people of Europe began to dominate other parts of the globe. By 1914, more than 80% of nations had been colonized by Europeans at one point or another.

Countries in Europe in alphabetical order

Here is the alphabetical list of European countries with their capitals. We have also included the countries’ regions, the international standard for country codes (ISO 3166), and continents, as some extend over more than one continent.

CountryCountry CapitalCountry AbbreviationRegionContinent
AlbaniaTiranaALBalkan Peninsula, Southeastern EuropeEurope
AndorraAndorra la Vella ADSouthwestern EuropeEurope
AustriaViennaATCentral EuropeEurope
AzerbaijanBakuAZCauscasus Region, Southwestern AsiaAsia, Europe
BelarusMinskBYEastern EuropeEurope
BelgiumBrusselsBEWestern EuropeEurope
Bosnia and HerzegovinaSarajevoBABalkan Peninsula, Southeastern EuropeEurope
BulgariaSofiaBGBalkan Peninsula, Southeastern EuropeEurope
CroatiaZagrebHRBalkan Peninsula, Southeastern EuropeEurope
Czechia (Czech Republic)PragueCZCentral EuropeEurope
DenmarkCopenhagenDKNorthern EuropeEurope
EstoniaTallinnEEEastern EuropeEurope
FinlandHelsinkiFINorthern EuropeEurope
FranceParisFRWestern EuropeEurope
GeorgiaTbilisiGECauscasus Region, Southwestern AsiaEurope
GermanyBerlinDECentral EuropeEurope
GreeceAthensGRSouthern EuropeEurope
Holy See (Vatican City)Vatican CityVASouthern Europe within ItalyEurope
HungaryBudapestHUCentral EuropeEurope
IcelandReykjavíkISNorthern EuropeEurope
IrelandDublinIENorthwestern EuropeEurope
ItalyRomeITSouthern EuropeEurope
KazakhstanAstanaKZCentral Asia, Eastern EuropeAsia, Europe
KosovoPristinaKVBalkan Peninsula, Southeasten EuropeEurope
LatviaRigaLVEastern EuropeEurope
LiechtensteinVaduzLICentral EuropeEurope
LithuaniaVilniusLTEastern EuropeEurope
LuxembourgLuxembourgLUWestern EuropeEurope
MaltaVallettaMTSouthern EuropeEurope
MoldovaChișinăuMDEastern EuropeEurope
MonacoMonacoMCWestern EuropeEurope
MontenegroPodgoricaMEBalkan Peninsula, Southeastern EuropeEurope
Netherlands, TheAmsterdamNLNorthwestern EuropeEurope
North MacedoniaSkopjeMKBalkan Peninsula, Southeast EuropeEurope
NorwayOsloNONorthern EuropeEurope
PolandWarsawPLCentral EuropeEurope
PortugalLisbonPTSouthwestern EuropeEurope
RomaniaBucharestROBalkan Peninsula, South-East EuropeEurope
RussiaMoscowRUEastern Europe and Northern AsiaEurope
San MarinoSan MarinoSMSouthern Europe within ItalyEurope
SerbiaBelgradeRSBalkan Peninsula, South-East EuropeEurope
SlovakiaBratislavaSKCentral EuropeEurope
SloveniaLjubljanaSIBalkan Peninsula, Central EuropeEurope
SpainMadridESSouthwestern EuropeEurope
SwedenStockholmSENorthern EuropeEurope
SwitzerlandBernCHCentral EuropeEurope
Türkiye (Turkey)AnkaraTRSoutheastern Europe, Western AsiaEurope, Asia
UkraineKyivUAEastern EuropeEurope
United Kingdom, TheLondonGBNorthwestern EuropeEurope
Map of the European countries
Map of the European countries (Shutterstock)

How many countries are in Europe?

There are 49 countries in Europe, according to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. These countries are: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia (Czech Republic), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye (Turkey), Ukraine, United Kingdom.

Other reports sharing the number of European countries may include Armenia and Cyprus. Armenia, located in southwestern Asia, is considered geopolitically European. Cyrpus, located in the Middle East and part of the Asian continent, is also considered European in political geography.

If we include Armenia and Cyprus, there are 51 countries in Europe.

Related: How Many Countries Are There in The World?

United Nations members in Europe

The United Nations (UN) recognizes 47 European member states.

Eastern European states:

  1. Albania
  2. Armenia
  3. Azerbaijan
  4. Belarus
  5. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  6. Bulgaria
  7. Croatia
  8. Czechia
  9. Estonia
  10. Georgia
  11. Hungary
  12. Latvia
  13. Lithuania
  14. Montenegro
  15. North Macedonia
  16. Poland
  17. Republic of Moldova
  18. Romania
  19. Russian Federation
  20. Serbia
  21. Slovakia
  22. Slovenia
  23. Ukraine

Western European states or other:

  1. Andorra
  2. Austria
  3. Belgium
  4. Denmark
  5. Finland
  6. France
  7. Germany
  8. Greece
  9. Iceland
  10. Ireland
  11. Italy
  12. Liechtenstein
  13. Luxembourg
  14. Malta
  15. Monaco
  16. Netherlands
  17. Norway
  18. Portugal
  19. San Marino
  20. Spain
  21. Sweden
  22. Switzerland
  23. Türkiye* (Turkey)
  24. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Nations recognizes Cyprus as an Asian-Pacific state despite becoming a full EU member state in 2004. Kazakstan is also recognized as an Asian-Pacific state but has close ties with the EU, as its biggest trading partner and foreign investor.

Kosovo is not recognized by all UN members, so it cannot be included on this list. The Vatican City (Holy See) is also an independent state in which the Pope of the Catholic Church rules, but it is not a member of the UN.

The Holy See and the State of Palestine were granted permanent observer state status at the UN. As permanent observer states, Palestine and The Holy See have free access to most UN meetings and relevant documentation.

Council of Europe

The Council of Europe has 46 member states, which is explained by its exclusion of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, the Vatican City (Holy See), and Russia.

However, Armenia and Cyprus, both located on the Asian continent, are members due to their political geography.

The following countries are members of the Council of Europe:

  1. Albania
  2. Andorra
  3. Armenia
  4. Austria
  5. Azerbaijan
  6. Belgium
  7. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  8. Bulgaria
  9. Croatia
  10. Cyprus
  11. Czechia
  12. Denmark
  13. Estonia
  14. Finland
  15. France
  16. Georgia
  17. Germany
  18. Greece
  19. Hungary
  20. Iceland
  21. Ireland
  22. Italy
  23. Latvia
  24. Liechtenstein
  25. Lithuania
  26. Luxembourg
  27. Malta
  28. Republic of Moldova
  29. Monaco
  30. Montenegro
  31. Netherlands
  32. North Macedonia
  33. Norway
  34. Poland
  35. Portugal
  36. Romania
  37. San Marino
  38. Serbia
  39. Slovak Republic
  40. Slovenia
  41. Spain
  42. Sweden
  43. Switzerland
  44. Türkiye
  45. Ukraine
  46. United Kingdom

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