Europe

Europe and Asia together form one vast land mass called Eurasia. Europe itself lies west of the Ural Mountains, to the north of the Caucasus and on the western bank of the Bosporus...

European Union

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states. The EU has developed a single market through new laws that apply to all member states. Passport...

Western Europe

The term "Western Europe" refers to the westernmost countries of Europe, one of the world's most prosperous—and densely populated—regions. Four Western European nations are...

Central and Eastern Europe

Central and Eastern Europe, extending eastwards from Germany and the Alpine regions to the south, is a patchwork of more than 20 countries. The Ural Mountains, Ural River and...

Northern Europe

Europe's northern seas, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, lap the shores of its northernmost countries: the Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Norway and Sweden; the Baltic states of...

European nations: flags and statistics

Europe A-Z

Albania

Albania lies on the east coast of the Adriatic Sea. High, rugged mountains stretch across much of the country, from the Prokletije Alps in the north to the Korab range along the...

Andorra

Andorra lies high in the Pyrenees, the rugged mountains that divide France from Spain. Most people here make a living from the tourist industry: around 10 million people visit...

Armenia

The small, landlocked country of Armenia lies in the Caucasus, a wide neck of land at the border of Europe and Asia, situated between the Black and the Caspian seas. It was once a...

Austria

Austria is dominated by the Alps, the soaring, jagged mountain range that makes up almost two-thirds of the country. In northern and eastern Austria, the land flattens out. The...

Azerbaijan

The oil-rich nation of Azerbaijan lies on the Caspian Sea coast in the southeastern Caucasus, where Europe meets Asia. Its northern border is edged by the Greater Caucasus mountain...

Belarus

Most of Belarus is flat—the result of its land having been smoothed down by glaciers during the most recent Ice Ages. Rising in the centre of the country is a low range of hills...

Belgium

Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (also known as "Benelux") make up the Low countries, so-called because of the low-lying land along the Belgian and Dutch coastline. Most of...

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina (often shortened to just Bosnia) is almost landlocked—it has a tiny strip of coastline measuring just 20 kilometres (12 miles) long. The northern part of...

Bulgaria

In the north of Bulgaria, the River Danube forms a natural border with Romania. Just south of the river, the rolling Danubian Plain stretches out across the northern part of the...

Croatia

For centuries, different European powers have fought for control of Croatia's long Adriatic coastline. Today, this scenic region is one of the most visited in Europe, famous for...

Cyprus

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus has been divided into two since 1974. The southern part, known as the Republic of Cyprus, is largely Greek-speaking, while northern part is known...

Czechia

Czechia (Czech Republic) came into being in 1993. Before then it formed a union with Slovakia in a country called Czechoslovakia. The western part of Czechia, a high, forested...

Denmark

The Scandinavian country of Denmark is made up of the Jutland Peninsula (Jylland) and more than 400 surrounding islands. Smoothed down by glaciers during the last Ice Age...

Estonia

Estonia is the northernmost of the Baltic states, a group of countries including Latvia and Lithuania, which border the Baltic Sea. Around half of Estonia's land area is covered by...

Finland

In the far northeast of Europe lies Finland, a land of forests, peat bogs, islands and thousands of lakes. Much of the country is covered by vast swathes of pine, spruce and birch...

France

France is the largest country in Western Europe. Its landscapes vary enormously, from the gently rolling farmland of the north to the dramatic peaks of the Alps in the southeast...

Georgia

In the north of Georgia, forming the border with Russia, lie the mountains of the Greater Caucasus. To the south are the Lesser Caucasus, a chain of lower mountains. Between the...

Germany

Germany is Europe’s second largest country after Russia by population, and one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Lying in the centre of Europe, it borders nine other...

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is an overseas territory belonging to Britain. It has its own government and makes its own laws, but Britain is responsible for its foreign affairs and defence. It has a...

Greece

Greece is often regarded as the birthplace of Western civilization. Cities began to grow up here 5000 years ago. Greece is a mountainous country: the Pindos range stretches down...

Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in central Europe. Its current borders were set in 1920, after the end of World War I. Most of Hungary’s land is made up of low, rolling plains...

Iceland

The island of Iceland lies between Norway and Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean, just south of the Arctic Circle. In geological terms, Iceland is recent in origin. Made...

Ireland

Ireland is a land of mountains, bogs, pastures and farmland. The island of Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland and the smaller province of Northern Ireland, which is...

Italy

Bordered on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea, Italy is shaped like a boot about to kick a stone—the rugged island of Sicily. Rising in the far north are the high peaks of the...

Kosovo

Kosovo is a landlocked country—not yet recognized as an independent nation by all countries—situated in the Balkan Peninsula of southeastern Europe. It is surrounded by...

Latvia

Latvia, along with Estonia and Lithuania, is a Baltic state. The land was smoothed out by glaciers during the last Ice Ages leaving behind a largely flat landscape, with a...

Liechtenstein

The tiny Alpine state of Liechtenstein lies in the Rhine Valley, on the border between Switzerland and Austria. The western part is a region of rolling, green farmland. Farmers...

Lithuania

Lithuania is the largest and most populous of the Baltic states—a group of countries including Latvia and Estonia, which border the Baltic Sea. It was ruled by Russia and the...

Luxembourg

Luxembourg lies sandwiched between Belgium, France and Germany. Northern Luxembourg, a hilly, forested region, is part of the Ardennes plateau which extends into Belgium and...

Malta

Lying just south of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea is the island nation of Malta. For centuries, its strategic position has made it an irresistible target for major empires...

Moldova

Sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine is the landlocked nation of Moldova. Most of the country is made up of gently rolling hills and lowlands. Central Moldova is a highland...

Monaco

Surrounded by France, Monaco lies on the southeast Mediterranean coast, close to the Italian border. For more than 700 years it has been ruled by princes and princesses of the...

Montenegro

Montenegro is one of Europe’s newest countries: it became independent again in 2006 when its people voted for it to become separate from Serbia. It was previously independent in...

Netherlands

The Netherlands is sometimes known as Holland (although this name really refers only to part of the country). Much of the land is so low-lying that large areas have had to be...

North Macedonia

The landlocked country of North Macedonia (its official name since February 2019, following an agreement with Greece which had disputed its previous name, "Macedonia") lies in the...

Norway

The mountainous country of Norway makes up the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Mountains rise steeply from the western and northern coasts, descending to flatter...

Poland

Much of Poland is low-lying and agricultural. The northern coast is flat and features sand dunes, spits and lagoons. Inland lie low hills and the lake districts of Masuria (Mazury)...

Portugal

Portugal lies on the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with Spain. It the westernmost country of mainland Europe. The northern part of the country is rugged...

Romania

The Carpathian Mountains arc around a central rugged plateau region of central Romania called Transylvania. The rest of the country is made up of low, rolling hills, forests and...

Russia

Spanning two continents, Europe and Asia, Russia is the largest country by area in the world. The Ural Mountains form a natural border between European Russia to the west and...

San Marino

The tiny state of San Marino lies in the Apennine Mountains, surrounded by Italian territory. It was founded by a group of monks in 301 and grew to become a powerful city-state...

Serbia

Serbia came into existence in its own right in 2006 when Montenegro split away from it. For much of the 20th century (1929–91) it was united with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina...

Slovakia

Much of the Slovakia’s land is mountainous. The Tatra Mountains, part of the great Carpathian range, form a border with Poland in the north. Further south are forested highlands...

Slovenia

The mountainous country of Slovenia lies at the junction of the Alps and the Dinaric Alps, which run down the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. The Julian and Karavanke ranges...

Spain

Spain shares the Iberian peninsula with Portugal. The Pyrenees mountain range forms a natural border with France. Off Spain's southern tip is the Strait of Gibraltar, where the...

Sweden

Sweden is one of three Scandinavian countries. The others are Norway and Denmark. Sweden has borders with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast, and is connected to the...

Switzerland

Much of Switzerland lies in the Alps. The highest peaks, many over 4000 metres (13,000 ft), are in the west, where the valley of the River Rhône cuts through the Berner Oberland...

Ukraine

Ukraine is the largest country situated entirely in Europe. Around three-quarters of its land is flat, rolling plains, or steppes—natural grassland. With their fertile, dark...

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom (UK) consists of England, Scotland and Wales (which together make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland. The country is often called "Britain" instead. In the...

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands, also known by their French name Îles Anglo-Normandes, are an archipelago in the English Channel, lying off the coast of Normandy. The total area of the...

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. Mann, as it is known to the islanders, is just 52 kilometres (33 miles) long and 22 kilometres (13 miles)...

Vatican City State

The Vatican City is the smallest independent state in the world. It lies in the middle of the Italian capital city of Rome. The Vatican City is ruled by the Pope, the head of the...