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Map of Europe
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Map showing the countries of Europe with national capitals and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Map of the regions of Europe Thematic map of Europe showing the distribution of Romance languages, with different colors representing areas where Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Occitan, Provencal, Franco-Provencal, Italian, Sardinian, Romanian, and Rhaetian are spoken. Striped areas indicate regions where bilingualism is common. The map highlights the primary Romance language regions in southwestern, southern, and eastern Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, Switzerland, Romania, and parts of the B Thematic map of Europe displaying the distribution of Germanic languages, with different colors indicating regions where English, German, Netherlandic (Dutch), Frisian, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese are spoken. Striped areas mark regions where bilingualism is common, and language regions cover countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and parts of surrounding countries. Map of Europe showing the geographic distribution of Slavic languages, color-coded by language group: East Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian), West Slavic (Polish, Kashubian, Czech, Slovak, Sorbian), and South Slavic (Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, Macedonian). Striped areas indicate regions where bilingualism is common.
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Map of Europe

Written by
Michael Ray
Michael Ray is an assistant managing editor who has worked at Britannica since 2003. In addition to leading the Geography and History team, he oversees coverage of European history and military affairs....
Michael Ray
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History
Map showing the countries of Europe with national capitals and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea.
Map of Europe showing countries, capitals, and international boundariesPolitical map of Europe.

Europe is the second smallest continent (larger only than Australia) but it is also the second-most densely populated (after Asia). It is home to more than 740 million people, the majority of whom live within the European Union, an international organization that governs the economic, social, and security policies for its 27 member countries.

Cyprus, which has been a member of the European Union since 2004, is closely tied to Europe economically, culturally, and politically, but its location in the eastern Mediterranean Sea puts it geographically outside the traditional regions of Europe.

Regions of Europe

Map of the regions of Europe
Map of the regions of Europe
Countries of Eastern Europe
country capital population
Belarus Minsk (2026 est.) 904,000
Bulgaria Sofia (2026 est.) 6,425,000
Czech Republic Prague (2026 est.) 10,922,000
Hungary Budapest (2026 est.) 9,497,000
Moldova Chișinău (2026 est.) 2,328,000
Poland Warsaw (2026 est.) 37,253,000
Romania Bucharest (2026 est.) 19,089,000
Russia Moscow (2026 est.) 142,557,000
Slovakia Bratislava (2026 est.) 5,408,000
Ukraine Kyiv (2026 est.) 42,459,000
Countries of Northern Europe
country capital population
Denmark Copenhagen (2026 est.) 6,036,000
Estonia Tallinn (2026 est.) 1,363,000
Finland Helsinki (2025 est.) 5,655,000
Iceland Reykjavík (2025 est.) 399,600
Ireland Dublin (2026 est.) 5,653,000
Latvia Riga (2026 est.) 1,838,000
Lithuania Vilnius (2026 est.) 2,898,000
Norway Oslo (2026 est.) 5,633,000
Sweden Stockholm (2026 est.) 10,616,000
United Kingdom London (2026 est.) 69,995,000
Countries of Southern Europe
country capital population
Albania Tirana (2026 est.) 2,319,000
Andorra Andorra la Vella (2026 est.) 89,600
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo (2026 est.) 3,386,000
Croatia Zagreb (2026 est.) 3,872,000
Greece Athens (2026 est.) 9,267,000
Italy Rome (2026 est.) 58,851,000
Kosovo Pristina (2026 est.) 1,574,000
Malta Valletta (2026 est.) 602,600
Monaco not applicable (2026 est.) 38,500
Montenegro Podgorica (2026 est.) 622,900
North Macedonia Skopje (2026 est.) 1,815,000
Portugal Lisbon (2026 est.) 10,916,000
San Marino San Marino (2026 est.) 34,300
Serbia Belgrade (2026 est.) 6,518,000
Slovenia Ljubljana (2026 est.) 2,138,000
Spain Madrid (2026 est.) 49,752,000
Vatican City not applicable (2024 est.) 882
Countries of Western Europe
country capital population
Austria Vienna (2026 est.) 9,255,000
Belgium Brussels (2026 est.) 11,919,000
France Paris (2026 est.) 66,590,000
Germany Berlin (2026 est.) 84,110,000
Liechtenstein Vaduz (2026 est.) 42,300
Luxembourg Luxembourg (2026 est.) 700,800
Netherlands Amsterdam (2026 est.) 18,186,000
Switzerland Bern (2026 est.) 9,239,000

Maps of the languages of Europe

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Michael Ray