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.

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.

Country	Country Capital	Country Abbreviation	Region	Continent
Albania	Tirana	AL	Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe	Europe
Andorra	Andorra la Vella	AD	Southwestern Europe	Europe
Austria	Vienna	AT	Central Europe	Europe
Azerbaijan	Baku	AZ	Causcasus Region, Southwestern Asia	Asia, Europe
Belarus	Minsk	BY	Eastern Europe	Europe
Belgium	Brussels	BE	Western Europe	Europe
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo	BA	Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe	Europe
Bulgaria	Sofia	BG	Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe	Europe
Croatia	Zagreb	HR	Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe	Europe
Czechia (Czech Republic)	Prague	CZ	Central Europe	Europe
Denmark	Copenhagen	DK	Northern Europe	Europe
Estonia	Tallinn	EE	Eastern Europe	Europe
Finland	Helsinki	FI	Northern Europe	Europe
France	Paris	FR	Western Europe	Europe
Georgia	Tbilisi	GE	Causcasus Region, Southwestern Asia	Europe
Germany	Berlin	DE	Central Europe	Europe
Greece	Athens	GR	Southern Europe	Europe
Holy See (Vatican City)	Vatican City	VA	Southern Europe within Italy	Europe
Hungary	Budapest	HU	Central Europe	Europe
Iceland	Reykjavík	IS	Northern Europe	Europe
Ireland	Dublin	IE	Northwestern Europe	Europe
Italy	Rome	IT	Southern Europe	Europe
Kazakhstan	Astana	KZ	Central Asia, Eastern Europe	Asia, Europe
Kosovo	Pristina	KV	Balkan Peninsula, Southeasten Europe	Europe
Latvia	Riga	LV	Eastern Europe	Europe
Liechtenstein	Vaduz	LI	Central Europe	Europe
Lithuania	Vilnius	LT	Eastern Europe	Europe
Luxembourg	Luxembourg	LU	Western Europe	Europe
Malta	Valletta	MT	Southern Europe	Europe
Moldova	Chișinău	MD	Eastern Europe	Europe
Monaco	Monaco	MC	Western Europe	Europe
Montenegro	Podgorica	ME	Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe	Europe
Netherlands, The	Amsterdam	NL	Northwestern Europe	Europe
North Macedonia	Skopje	MK	Balkan Peninsula, Southeast Europe	Europe
Norway	Oslo	NO	Northern Europe	Europe
Poland	Warsaw	PL	Central Europe	Europe
Portugal	Lisbon	PT	Southwestern Europe	Europe
Romania	Bucharest	RO	Balkan Peninsula, South-East Europe	Europe
Russia	Moscow	RU	Eastern Europe and Northern Asia	Asia, Europe
San Marino	San Marino	SM	Southern Europe within Italy	Europe
Serbia	Belgrade	RS	Balkan Peninsula, South-East Europe	Europe
Slovakia	Bratislava	SK	Central Europe	Europe
Slovenia	Ljubljana	SI	Balkan Peninsula, Central Europe	Europe
Spain	Madrid	ES	Southwestern Europe	Europe
Sweden	Stockholm	SE	Northern Europe	Europe
Switzerland	Bern	CH	Central Europe	Europe
Türkiye (Turkey)	Ankara	TR	Southeastern Europe, Western Asia	Europe, Asia
Ukraine	Kyiv	UA	Eastern Europe	Europe
United Kingdom, The	London	GB	Northwestern Europe	Europe

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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