Europe

Europe is the smallest of the mostly-inhabited continents, but one of the most influential. It covers about 10,180,000 km² (3.93 million square miles), roughly 7% of Earth’s land area, and is home to around 745 million people across 44 sovereign countries.

Where is Europe?

Europe occupies the western fifth of the giant Eurasian landmass. Its conventional boundary with Asia runs along the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea. Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south, which separates Europe from Africa.

European geography

Europe is dominated by the Alps, which arc through France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia; the highest Alpine peak is Mont Blanc (4,808 m). The Pyrenees separate Spain from France, and the Carpathian and Balkan ranges shape Eastern Europe. Europe’s highest point is Mount Elbrus in Russia (5,642 m). The longest river is the Volga (3,531 km), followed by the Danube and the Rhine. Europe has a deeply indented coastline with major peninsulas (Iberian, Italian, Balkan, Scandinavian) and seas including the Baltic, North, Adriatic, Aegean, and Mediterranean.

Regions of Europe

Western Europe, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Monaco, Liechtenstein.
Northern Europe (Scandinavia and the Nordic countries), Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland.
Eastern Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), and European Russia.
Southern Europe, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, and the Balkan nations (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo).
Microstates, Vatican City (the world’s smallest country), San Marino, Andorra.

People, languages, and religions

Europe’s languages mostly belong to the Indo-European family. The biggest groups are the Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian), the Germanic languages (English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish), and the Slavic languages (Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, Serbian, Bulgarian). Finnish, Estonian, and Hungarian belong to the unrelated Uralic family; Greek, Albanian, and the Celtic languages are independent branches; Basque is unrelated to any other language. Christianity is the largest religion, with the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and various Protestant branches all having European homelands.

Famous landmarks

Europe is packed with iconic sites: the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens, Big Ben in London, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Tower Bridge, Stonehenge, the canals of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle.

Explore European countries

Choose any of Europe’s 44 sovereign countries below for its complete fact file.

The flag of Albania: a red field with a black double-headed eagle in the centre.

AlbaniaAlbania is a mountainous country on the Adriatic and Ionian coasts. Isolated under communist rule until 1991, it is known for its beaches, mountains and concrete bunkers.

Capital city: Tirana
Population: about 2,800,000
Area: 28,748 km2

The flag of Andorra: three vertical bands of blue, yellow and red, with the coat of arms in the centre of the yellow band.

AndorraAndorra is a small mountainous country in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, jointly governed by two co-princes and known for skiing and duty-free shopping.

Capital city: Andorra la Vella
Population: about 80,000
Area: 468 km2

The flag of Armenia: three horizontal bands of red, blue and orange.

ArmeniaArmenia is a landlocked, mountainous country in the South Caucasus. It was the first nation to make Christianity its state religion and has its own unique alphabet.

Capital city: Yerevan
Population: about 3,000,000
Area: 29,743 km2

The flag of Austria: three horizontal bands of red, white and red.

AustriaAustria is a landlocked alpine country in central Europe. Vienna was the capital of the Habsburg empire, and Austria has an extraordinary classical music tradition.

Capital city: Vienna
Population: about 9,100,000
Area: 83,879 km2

The flag of Belarus: a red band above a green band, with a vertical red and white traditional woven pattern at the hoist.

BelarusBelarus is a landlocked eastern European country of flat forests, marshes and lakes. It holds Europe's last primeval forest and its wild bison population.

Capital city: Minsk
Population: about 9,200,000
Area: 207,600 km2

The flag of Belgium: three vertical bands of black, yellow and red.

BelgiumBelgium is a small western European country with three official languages. Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union, and the country is famous for chocolate and comics.

Capital city: Brussels
Population: about 11,800,000
Area: 30,528 km2

The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina: a blue field with a yellow triangle and a diagonal line of white stars along its edge.

Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina is a mountainous Balkan country with a rotating three-member presidency, famous for Sarajevo and the rebuilt Old Bridge at Mostar.

Capital city: Sarajevo
Population: about 3,200,000
Area: 51,197 km2

The flag of Bulgaria: three horizontal bands of white, green and red.

BulgariaBulgaria is a Balkan country with mountains, a Black Sea coast and the Danube along its northern edge. It is a leading producer of rose oil and the birthplace of Cyrillic.

Capital city: Sofia
Population: about 6,400,000
Area: 110,879 km2

The flag of Croatia: three horizontal bands of red, white and blue, with the red and white chequered coat of arms in the centre.

CroatiaCroatia is a crescent-shaped country on the Adriatic Sea with 1,244 islands, walled coastal cities and the terraced waterfalls of Plitvice Lakes.

Capital city: Zagreb
Population: about 3,900,000
Area: 56,594 km2

The flag of Cyprus: a white field with a copper-coloured map of the island above two crossed green olive branches.

CyprusCyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and Turkish-administered north.

Capital city: Nicosia
Population: about 1,300,000
Area: 9,251 km2

The flag of the Czech Republic: white above red with a blue triangle extending from the hoist to the centre.

Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked central European country made up of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Prague is famous for its intact medieval centre.

Capital city: Prague
Population: about 10,900,000
Area: 78,871 km2

The flag of Denmark: a red field with a white Nordic cross, its vertical arm set towards the hoist.

DenmarkDenmark is a flat, low-lying Nordic country of one peninsula and around 400 islands. It is the home of Lego, Hans Christian Andersen and the world's oldest national flag.

Capital city: Copenhagen
Population: about 5,900,000
Area: 42,952 km2 (Denmark proper)

The flag of Estonia: three horizontal bands of blue, black and white.

EstoniaEstonia is the smallest and most northerly Baltic state, a flat, forested country with over 2,000 islands and one of the most digital governments in the world.

Capital city: Tallinn
Population: about 1,400,000
Area: 45,227 km2

The flag of Finland: a white field with a blue Nordic cross, its vertical arm set towards the hoist.

FinlandFinland is a northern European country of forests and around 188,000 lakes. It has consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world and is famous for saunas.

Capital city: Helsinki
Population: about 5,600,000
Area: 338,455 km2

The flag of France: three vertical bands of blue, white and red of equal width.

FranceFrance is the largest country in the European Union by area. It is the most visited country in the world, famous for Paris, the Alps, its food and its language.

Capital city: Paris
Population: about 68,000,000
Area: 551,695 km2 (mainland France)

The flag of Georgia: a white field with a large red cross, and a smaller red cross in each of the four corners.

GeorgiaGeorgia lies between the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains at the meeting of Europe and Asia. It has the world's oldest winemaking tradition and its own alphabet.

Capital city: Tbilisi
Population: about 3,700,000
Area: 69,700 km2

The flag of Germany: three horizontal bands of black, red and gold.

GermanyGermany is the most populous country in the European Union and has the largest economy in Europe. It was divided into East and West from 1949 until 1990.

Capital city: Berlin
Population: about 84,000,000
Area: 357,596 km2

The flag of Greece: nine alternating blue and white horizontal stripes with a white cross on a blue square in the top left corner.

GreeceGreece is a mountainous country in south-east Europe with around 6,000 islands. It was the birthplace of democracy, theatre and the Olympic Games.

Capital city: Athens
Population: about 10,400,000
Area: 131,957 km2

The flag of Hungary: three horizontal bands of red, white and green.

HungaryHungary is a landlocked central European country on the Great Hungarian Plain. It is known for its thermal baths, the Danube, and a language unrelated to its neighbours.

Capital city: Budapest
Population: about 9,600,000
Area: 93,030 km2

The flag of Iceland: a blue field with a red Nordic cross outlined in white, its vertical arm set towards the hoist.

IcelandIceland is a volcanic island in the north Atlantic sitting on the boundary between two tectonic plates. It runs almost entirely on geothermal and hydroelectric power.

Capital city: Reykjavik
Population: about 390,000
Area: 103,000 km2

The flag of Ireland: three vertical bands of green, white and orange.

IrelandIreland occupies most of the island of Ireland in the north Atlantic. Known as the Emerald Isle for its green landscape, it has ancient monuments and a strong literary tradition.

Capital city: Dublin
Population: about 5,300,000
Area: 70,273 km2

The flag of Italy: three vertical bands of green, white and red of equal width.

ItalyItaly is a boot-shaped country in southern Europe, home of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. It has more World Heritage Sites than any other nation.

Capital city: Rome
Population: about 59,000,000
Area: 301,340 km2

The flag of Kosovo: a blue field with a gold map of Kosovo below an arc of six white stars.

KosovoKosovo is a landlocked country in the western Balkans and the youngest state in Europe, having declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Capital city: Pristina
Population: about 1,600,000
Area: 10,887 km2

The flag of Latvia: a dark carmine red field with a narrow white horizontal stripe across the middle.

LatviaLatvia is the middle of the three Baltic states, a low country over half covered in forest, with a long Baltic coastline and an art nouveau capital at Riga.

Capital city: Riga
Population: about 1,900,000
Area: 64,559 km2

The flag of Liechtenstein: a blue band above a red band, with a gold crown in the upper left corner.

LiechtensteinLiechtenstein is a tiny Alpine principality between Switzerland and Austria. It is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world.

Capital city: Vaduz
Population: about 40,000
Area: 160 km2

The flag of Lithuania: three horizontal bands of yellow, green and red.

LithuaniaLithuania is the largest of the three Baltic states, a low country of forests and lakes with a Baltic coast famous for amber and the Curonian Spit dunes.

Capital city: Vilnius
Population: about 2,900,000
Area: 65,300 km2

The flag of Luxembourg: three horizontal bands of red, white and light blue.

LuxembourgLuxembourg is a small landlocked country between Belgium, France and Germany. It is a founding member of the EU and has the highest income per person in the world.

Capital city: Luxembourg
Population: about 670,000
Area: 2,586 km2

The flag of Malta: white on the left and red on the right, with a grey George Cross outlined in red in the top left corner.

MaltaMalta is a small Mediterranean island nation between Sicily and North Africa, packed with prehistoric temples, fortified cities and one of the densest populations anywhere.

Capital city: Valletta
Population: about 540,000
Area: 316 km2

The flag of Moldova: three vertical bands of blue, yellow and red, with the coat of arms and an eagle holding an aurochs shield in the centre.

MoldovaMoldova is a small landlocked country between Romania and Ukraine, with rolling farmland, exceptionally fertile soil and the largest wine cellars in the world.

Capital city: Chisinau
Population: about 2,500,000
Area: 33,846 km2

The flag of Monaco: two horizontal bands, red on top and white below.

MonacoMonaco is a tiny city-state on the French Riviera, the second smallest country in the world and the most densely populated. It has been ruled by the Grimaldi family since 1297.

Capital city: Monaco
Population: about 39,000
Area: 2.08 km2

The flag of Montenegro: a red field with a gold border and the coat of arms, a gold double-headed eagle with a lion on a shield, in the centre.

MontenegroMontenegro is a small Balkan country on the Adriatic with dramatic mountains, the Bay of Kotor and the deepest canyon in Europe.

Capital city: Podgorica
Population: about 620,000
Area: 13,812 km2

The flag of the Netherlands: three horizontal bands of red, white and blue.

NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a low, flat country in western Europe where about a quarter of the land lies below sea level, protected by dykes and reclaimed from the sea.

Capital city: Amsterdam (the government sits in The Hague)
Population: about 18,000,000
Area: 41,850 km2

The flag of North Macedonia: a red field with a stylised yellow sun in the centre sending eight broadening rays to the edges.

North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia is a landlocked country in the southern Balkans, known for ancient Lake Ohrid, mountains and a long dispute with Greece over its name.

Capital city: Skopje
Population: about 1,800,000
Area: 25,713 km2

The flag of Norway: a red field with a blue Nordic cross outlined in white, offset towards the hoist.

NorwayNorway runs along the western edge of Scandinavia. It is famous for its deep fjords, the midnight sun, the northern lights and one of the highest living standards in the world.

Capital city: Oslo
Population: about 5,500,000
Area: 385,207 km2

The flag of Poland: two horizontal bands, white on top and red below.

PolandPoland is a large central European country on the North European Plain. Its borders have shifted repeatedly through history, and it disappeared from the map for 123 years.

Capital city: Warsaw
Population: about 37,000,000
Area: 312,696 km2

The flag of Portugal: a green band at the hoist and a wider red band, with an armillary sphere and shield where they meet.

PortugalPortugal is on the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula. Its sailors led the Age of Discovery, and its language is now spoken by around 260 million people worldwide.

Capital city: Lisbon
Population: about 10,500,000
Area: 92,212 km2

The flag of Romania: three vertical bands of blue, yellow and red.

RomaniaRomania is a country in south-east Europe crossed by the Carpathian Mountains. It contains Transylvania, the Danube Delta and much of Europe's brown bear population.

Capital city: Bucharest
Population: about 19,000,000
Area: 238,397 km2

The flag of Russia: three horizontal bands of white, blue and red.

RussiaRussia is the largest country in the world by area, spanning eastern Europe and northern Asia across 11 time zones, from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

Capital city: Moscow
Population: about 144,000,000
Area: 17,098,200 km2

The flag of San Marino: a white band above a light blue band, with the coat of arms showing three towers on three peaks in the centre.

San MarinoSan Marino is a tiny landlocked republic surrounded by Italy, perched on Mount Titano. It claims to be the oldest surviving republic in the world.

Capital city: San Marino
Population: about 34,000
Area: 61 km2

The flag of Serbia: three horizontal bands of red, blue and white, with the coat of arms and a double-headed eagle towards the hoist.

SerbiaSerbia is a landlocked Balkan country at the crossroads of central and south-eastern Europe, with the Danube flowing through it and Belgrade at its heart.

Capital city: Belgrade
Population: about 6,600,000
Area: 88,361 km2

The flag of Slovakia: three horizontal bands of white, blue and red, with the coat of arms towards the hoist.

SlovakiaSlovakia is a landlocked, mountainous central European country. It has the High Tatras, thousands of caves and more castles per person than anywhere else.

Capital city: Bratislava
Population: about 5,400,000
Area: 49,037 km2

The flag of Slovenia: three horizontal bands of white, blue and red, with the coat of arms showing Mount Triglav towards the hoist.

SloveniaSlovenia is a small central European country with Alps, karst caves, forests and a short Adriatic coast. It is one of the most forested countries in Europe.

Capital city: Ljubljana
Population: about 2,100,000
Area: 20,271 km2

The flag of Spain: a wide yellow band between two red bands, with the national coat of arms on the left side of the yellow band.

SpainSpain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula in south-west Europe. It has a high central plateau, a long Mediterranean coast, and a language spoken across Latin America.

Capital city: Madrid
Population: about 48,000,000
Area: 505,990 km2

The flag of Sweden: a blue field with a yellow Nordic cross, its vertical arm set towards the hoist.

SwedenSweden is the largest Nordic country, covered in forest and dotted with around 100,000 lakes. It is known for design, the Nobel Prizes and a strong welfare state.

Capital city: Stockholm
Population: about 10,600,000
Area: 450,295 km2

The flag of Switzerland: a square red flag with a bold white cross in the centre.

SwitzerlandSwitzerland is a mountainous, landlocked country in the Alps with four official languages. It has been neutral since 1815 and is known for banking, watches and chocolate.

Capital city: Bern
Population: about 8,900,000
Area: 41,277 km2

The flag of Ukraine: two horizontal bands, blue on top and yellow below.

UkraineUkraine is the largest country entirely within Europe. Its exceptionally fertile black soil makes it one of the world's major grain and sunflower oil producers.

Capital city: Kyiv
Population: about 38,000,000
Area: 603,500 km2

The flag of the United Kingdom: overlapping red and white crosses and diagonals on a blue field, combining the crosses of England, Scotland and Ireland.

United KingdomThe United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is an island nation off north-west Europe where the Industrial Revolution began.

Capital city: London
Population: about 68,000,000
Area: 242,495 km2

The flag of Vatican City: a yellow band beside a white band bearing the crossed keys of Saint Peter beneath the papal tiara.

Vatican CityVatican City is the smallest country in the world, a walled enclave inside Rome and the headquarters of the Catholic Church, governed by the Pope.

Capital city: Vatican City (the country is a single city-state)
Population: around 800
Area: 0.49 km2