50 Countries That Are Part of Europe
When we talk about Europe as a homogenous mass of land, it can get confusing about where we’re talking about in particular. Then you throw into the mix the distinctions like the EU, Schengen, Scandinavia, and more, it can get confusing.
So, I’ve compiled a list of countries that are part of Europe, including some important geographical distinctions and groupings that you might come across.
So, let’s get into it.
How many countries are in Europe?
This varies based on who you ask, but the official answer from the United Nations (UN) is that there are 50 countries in Europe. This includes some of the world’s tiniest nations as well as some countries that straddle the border between Europe and Asia.
As the borders between some of these countries have changed so much over the years, it can be tricky to keep a handle on which countries are in Eastern Europe and which are in Western Asia.
Are some countries in Europe and Asia?
Sometimes referred to as transcontinental countries, several countries are in both Europe and Asia. They are
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Kazakhstan
- Russia
- Turkey
While some have more of a foot in one camp or another, due to differing borders and history over the years, it’s been decided that these countries are both European and Asian.
Some of the countries, like Turkey for example, have clear distinctions between their European and Asian sides of the country. As soon as you cross the Bosphorus River in Istanbul, you’re on a whole other continent.
However, in the majority of transcontinental nations, the distinctions aren’t as clear, so you could be on one of two continents at any given time, and that’s pretty cool!
What are the regions within Europe?
Realistically, Europe is split into four main regions, North, East, South, and West. It’s one of the easiest groupings of countries within Europe and you’ll see that popular itineraries appear as soon as you see the groupings written down.

For instance, enjoying a couple of days exploring Belgium, France, Netherlands, and Germany makes sense geographically and there are plenty of tour operators running trips around these tight-knit areas.
So, let’s get into which countries are a part of each European region. Of course, due to the close borders of many of these countries, they could easily be categorized into two different geographical areas. For instance, Spain is categorized as Southern Europe, but could easily be Western Europe as well.
Northern Europe
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Norway
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Southern Europe
- Albania
- Andorra
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Greece
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Malta
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Turkey
- Vatican City
Western Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- France
- Germany
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
Eastern Europe
- Belarus
- Bulgaria
- The Czech Republic or Czechia
- Hungary
- Moldova
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Slovakia
- Ukraine
Other Categories of European Countries
Although the classic compass point system has its uses for categorizing European countries as a whole, there are a whole host of other smaller labels given to different areas of Europe. There are a lot of different groupings, but here are some of the main ones that you might come across during your visit to Europe.

Scandinavia
- Denmark
- Norway
- Sweden
Nordics
- Åland (Finland)
- Denmark
- Faroe Islands (Denmark)
- Finland
- Greenland (Denmark)
- Iceland
- Norway,
- Sweden
- Svalbard (Norway)
Baltics
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
Balkans
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Kosovo
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- *Some parts of Greece and Turkey
Benelux
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Luxembourg
Central Europe
- Austria
- Czechia
- Germany
- Hungary
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Switzerland
Which countries are in the Schengen Area?
The Schengen Area is the name for the 27 countries where many tourists can travel without a visa for up to 90 days out of 180 days. This includes some of the most popular vacation spots in Europe as well as some of the most sought-after expat destinations.

Here’s a list of the 27 different countries that you can visit on the Schengen visa.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czechia
- Croatia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Which countries are in the European Union (EU)
Another important group of countries in Europe is the EU or European Union. You might have heard a lot about them after the UK decided to leave the EU in a controversial Brexit vote a few years ago.
Essentially, the EU is a block of countries that have agreements about trade, and business, and importantly, have freedom of movement between its members.
This means if you’re a citizen of one of the EU member states, you can live, study, or work in one of the other EU countries without having to get a visa or go through all the red tape that other expats experience. It opens up international learning for a lot of people and makes living abroad a lot more accessible for many people.
The 27 countries that are part of the EU have a lot of overlap with the Schengen Area as the freedom of movement makes the borderless tourist travel that comes with the Schengen visa a lot easier to police.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
Which countries are in the European Economic Area (EEA)
The European Economic Area or EEA is a group of countries that have access to the EU’s single market for trade but aren’t necessarily party to all the other EU benefits, rules, and regulations. So, as standard, all EU member states are part of the EEA, plus a couple of others, which are:
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway

Switzerland has a special agreement where it’s not a part of the EU or EEA, but does have access to the single market and operates similarly to other countries that are part of the EEA but are not EU member states.
What dependencies and territories are in Europe?
There are a ton of autonomous regions, dependencies, and territories in Europe that aren’t designated countries but do have their own rules, regulations, and laws. Some of the more popular ones include:
- Akrotiri and Dhekelia – UK
- Åland – Finland
- Guernsey – UK
- Jersey – UK
- Faroe Islands – Denmark
- Gibraltar – UK
- Greenland – Denmark
- The Isle of Man – UK
- Svalbard – Norway
Are there any De Facto countries in Europe?
So, the term “De Facto Country” is essentially an area or region that’s been subject to a coup, revolution, usurpation, or some other disruption of power that is not in line with the country’s constitution.
This happens quite a lot and is a large reason why so many border wars are happening in Europe, particularly between Russia and Ukraine.
A list of current De Facto countries in Europe includes:
- Abkhazia
- Artsakh
- Donetsk
- Luhansk
- Northern Cyprus
- South Ossetia
- Transnistria
These countries aren’t formally recognized by the UN or international governing bodies but declare themselves as separate from the country that they used to be a part of. Some might become recognized countries in the future like Kosovo did, whereas some will be absorbed back into another country and become a region rather than an autonomous nation.
Is the UK part of Europe?
While the United Kingdom is no longer a part of the European Union due to the Brexit vote in 2016, it is still a part of the continent of Europe. In terms of geographical regions, the UK is a part of Northern Europe.

At the time of writing, the UK also isn’t a part of the EEA, but you can still visit the UK as part of your European trip. Currently, the UK offers six-month tourist visa-free stays to US citizens, so you can check out the UK while you’re on this side of the Atlantic.
How many countries are within the UK?
Technically, there are four countries within the UK. These are England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
There are also a series of dependencies and territories including the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
Is Ireland a part of the EU?
Yes, The Republic of Ireland, referred to as Ireland or Southern Ireland, is a part of the European Union. As it’s a completely separate country from the UK, Ireland remained in the EU regardless of the Brexit vote.
In fact, Ireland uses the Euro, like many EU states, rather than the Pound Sterling which is used in the UK. Despite being separated from the rest of the EU member states by the UK and the English Channel, Ireland remains a part of the EU, and a part of Europe as a continent.
That being said, Brexit has caused a lot of drama for both Ireland and the UK thanks to the Good Friday trade agreement that guarantees freedom of movement and trade across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
As the UK is no longer a part of the EU, realistically, they shouldn’t have freedom of movement between any of the EU member states, however, the Good Friday Agreement is one of the most important pieces of legislation in the UK.
While the border remains open between Ireland and Northern Ireland so that citizens who live on the border can continue to live and work on both sides and trade can continue, it’s caused upset with some Northern Irish Unionists who feel like there’s now a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
It’s a sensitive arrangement and way more complex than I could ever cover in a few paragraphs!