List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe
The list below includes all entities falling even partially under any of the various common definitions of Europe, geographical or political. Fifty generally recognised sovereign states, Kosovo with limited, but substantial, international recognition, and five largely unrecognised de facto states with limited to no recognition, are listed with territory in Europe and/or membership in international European organisations. There are eight areas that are not integral parts of a European state or have special political status.
Boundaries of Europe
Geographical boundaries of Europe
Under the commonly used geographic definition, the boundary between the continents of Asia and Europe stretches along the Ural Mountains, Ural River, and Caspian Sea in the east, the Greater Caucasus range and the Black Sea, with its outlets, the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, in the south. Based on such commonly used division of the continents, transcontinental states Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey have territory both in Europe and Asia.The island of Cyprus in Western Asia is proximate to Anatolia, but often considered part of Europe and is a current member of the European Union. Armenia is also entirely in Western Asia but is a member of certain European organisations.
Although the Mediterranean Sea provides a clearer divide between Africa and Europe, some traditionally European islands such as Malta, Sicily, Pantelleria and the Pelagian Islands are located on the African continental plate. The island of Iceland is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, straddling the Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate.
Some territories geographically outside Europe have strong connections with European states. Greenland has socio-political connections with Europe and is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but closer to the continent of North America and usually grouped with it.
Other territories are part of European countries but are geographically located in other continents, such as the French overseas departments, the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the coast of Africa, and the Dutch Caribbean territories of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius.
Political boundaries of Europe
Political boundaries of Europe may vary depending on the political organization. For instance, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights include 47 countries in their definition of Europe. The European Higher Education Area includes 48, while the European Cultural Convention and European Olympic Committees both include 50 countries in their definitions.Sovereign states
A sovereign state is a political association with effective sovereignty over a population for whom it makes decisions in the national interest. According to the Montevideo convention, a state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.UN members and observers
There are 50 sovereign states with territory located within the common definition of Europe and/or membership in international European organisations that are near universally recognised internationally. All are either member or observer states of the United Nations, and all except Belarus, Kazakhstan and Vatican City are members of the Council of Europe. 44 have their capital city within Europe and 27 of these countries have also been member states of the EU, which means they are highly integrated with each other and share their sovereignty with EU institutions.Each entry in the list below has a map of its location in Europe. Territory in Europe is shown in dark-green; territory not geographically in Europe is shown in a lighter shade of green. The lightest shade of green represents other states in the EU and is shown on the maps of all territories within the EU.
| * | = Member of the EU |
Other states
The following six entities in Europe have partial diplomatic recognition by one or more UN member states or have no diplomatic recognition by any UN member state but are defined as states by the declarative theory of statehood. None are members of the UN, Council of Europe or EU.| Flag | Map | English common and formal names | Status | Domestic common and formal names | Capital | Population | Area |
| Abkhazia Republic of Abkhazia | Claimed as an autonomous republic of Georgia. Recognised by five UN states. | Аҧсны Абха́зия | Sukhumi Аҟəа Сухум | 250,000 | |||
| Artsakh Republic of Artsakh | Claimed as part of Azerbaijan. De facto independent state, recognised by 3 non-UN states. | Արցախի Հանրապետություն | Stepanakert Ստեփանակերտ | 141,400 | |||
| Kosovo Republic of Kosovo | Claimed by Serbia. Has been recognized as sovereign by UN member states. | Kosova / Kosovë – Republika e Kosovës Косово – Република Косово, Kosovo – Republika Kosovo | Pristina Prishtina, Prishtinë Приштина, Priština | 1,836,529 | |||
| Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | Claimed as part of the Republic of Cyprus. Recognised by Turkey. | Kuzey Kıbrıs – Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti | North Nicosia Lefkoşa | 294,906 | |||
| South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia | Claimed as part of Georgia. Recognised by five UN states. | Хуссар Ирыстон – Республикӕ Хуссар Ирыстон Южная Осетия – Республика Южная Осетия | Tskhinvali Цхинвал or Чъреба | 70,000 | |||
| Transnistria / Trans-Dniester Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic | Claimed as a territorial unit of Moldova. De facto independent state, recognised by 3 non-UN states. | Nistreană – Republica Moldovenească Nistreană Приднестровье – Приднестровская Молдавская Республика Придністров'я – Придністровська Молдавська Республіка | Tiraspol Tiraspol Тира́споль Тирасполь | 530,000 |