Countries in Europe: the list of all 44 European countries and their capitals
There are 44 countries in Europe under the United Nations M49 standard: 43 UN member states and the Holy See (Vatican City), a UN observer state. Russia is counted in Europe; Turkey, Kazakhstan, Cyprus and the three Caucasus states are counted in Asia. Wider definitions reach 50 countries.
How many countries are in Europe, and what are their capitals? The answer depends on where you draw the line between Europe and Asia, so this guide states its rule first: the M49 standard of the United Nations Statistics Division. Then it writes out all 44 European countries with their capitals, region by region, explains the capitals that catch people out, and shows how to learn the list in a free world capitals trainer.
Key ideas
- Under UN M49, Europe has 44 countries: 43 UN members plus the Holy See; territories such as Gibraltar or the Faroe Islands are not counted.
- Each country sits in one region only: Russia in Eastern Europe, while Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and Cyprus are in Asia.
- Other lists give 50 states with territory in Europe or membership in European bodies; the Council of Europe has 46 members and the EU 27.
- Tricky capitals: Amsterdam (government in The Hague), Bern (capital in practice), Podgorica, Valletta, Bratislava versus Ljubljana.
How many countries are in Europe?
There are 44 countries in Europe if you use the M49 standard, the list of world regions that the United Nations Statistics Division keeps for its statistics. Its Europe region contains 43 of the 193 UN member states and the Holy See, which takes part in the UN as a non-member observer state. M49 also places seven territories in Europe that are not countries: the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Svalbard and Jan Mayen. They have their own codes, but they are not in the count of 44.
Countries that span two continents are placed whole in one region. The usual line between Europe and Asia runs along the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus and the Turkish Straits, so Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia have land on both sides. M49 counts Russia in Eastern Europe: most of its land lies in Asia, but its capital and the great majority of its people are in the European part. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia go to Western Asia and Kazakhstan to Central Asia, together with Armenia and Cyprus, which lie entirely in Western Asia but belong to several European organisations. Egypt reaches into Asia through the Sinai, yet it is counted in Africa.
Other counts exist, so a different number is not necessarily a mistake. A list of every state with territory in Europe or membership in European organisations reaches 50, because it adds Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey to the 44; Kosovo, recognised by many countries but not by all, would make 51. The Council of Europe has 46 member countries and the European Union 27. M49 itself says its groupings are made for statistical convenience and imply nothing about politics. It is used here because it puts every country in exactly one continent, so the four continent lists add up without overlaps.
List of European countries and their capitals
Here are all 44, alphabetically within each M49 sub-region. Northern Europe, 10 countries: Denmark — Copenhagen, Estonia — Tallinn, Finland — Helsinki, Iceland — Reykjavík, Ireland — Dublin, Latvia — Riga, Lithuania — Vilnius, Norway — Oslo, Sweden — Stockholm, United Kingdom — London.
Western Europe, 9 countries: Austria — Vienna, Belgium — Brussels, France — Paris, Germany — Berlin, Liechtenstein — Vaduz, Luxembourg — Luxembourg, Monaco — Monaco, Netherlands — Amsterdam, Switzerland — Bern.
Southern Europe, 15 countries: Albania — Tirana, Andorra — Andorra la Vella, Bosnia and Herzegovina — Sarajevo, Croatia — Zagreb, Greece — Athens, Italy — Rome, Malta — Valletta, Montenegro — Podgorica, North Macedonia — Skopje, Portugal — Lisbon, San Marino — San Marino, Serbia — Belgrade, Slovenia — Ljubljana, Spain — Madrid, Vatican City (Holy See) — Vatican City.
Eastern Europe, 10 countries: Belarus — Minsk, Bulgaria — Sofia, Czechia — Prague, Hungary — Budapest, Moldova — Chișinău, Poland — Warsaw, Romania — Bucharest, Russia — Moscow, Slovakia — Bratislava, Ukraine — Kyiv. Russia is counted here with its whole territory, Siberia included.
Which European capitals are tricky?
A handful of European capitals are not the city people expect. The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, but The Hague hosts the monarch, the government ministries, the judiciary and the foreign embassies. Switzerland’s capital in practice is Bern, not Zurich or Geneva. Germany’s capital is Berlin, while Bonn, the capital of West Germany, stayed the seat of government until 1999 and still hosts six ministries. Montenegro’s capital is Podgorica, and Cetinje carries the title of Old Royal Capital and is the seat of the president.
Some pairs are easy to swap. Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and Ljubljana of Slovenia; from north to south, the Baltic capitals are Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia) and Vilnius (Lithuania). Four small states share their name with their capital: Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. Monaco’s constitution names no capital at all, but its single commune covers the whole country. Malta’s capital is Valletta and Andorra’s is Andorra la Vella. And although Turkey is counted in Asia here, it is worth remembering that its capital has been Ankara, not Istanbul, since 1923.
How to learn the capitals of Europe
The fastest way to learn the capitals of Europe is region by region and in both directions. First take one sub-region, about ten countries, and learn country → capital until you get them all. Then turn the question around, capital → country, because recognising Vilnius as Lithuania is a different skill from recalling it. After that, mix the regions, and go back over the countries you got wrong rather than repeating the ones you already know.
The free world capitals tool at VITON13 SCHOOL is built for exactly this. It has a searchable list of all 195 countries, the 193 UN members and the 2 observer states, with their capitals; filter it by continent to see only Europe. Then open the trainer, choose Europe, pick country → capital or capital → country, answer by typing or with multiple choice and watch your score. At the end of a round, start a “repeat my mistakes” round made only of the ones you missed. To see where each country lies, play the find-the-country quiz on the interactive world map.
In everyday language
Imagine the world as a school with one classroom per continent. The UN’s M49 list is the seating plan: every country gets exactly one desk. Russia’s land runs into the next room, but its desk is in Europe; Turkey’s desk is in Asia. The Europe room has 44 desks, and the capital is the name written on each one.
Try it yourself
Open the world capitals tool, filter the list to Europe and count the countries. Then start the trainer for Europe, country → capital, with typed answers, and finish one round followed by a “repeat my mistakes” round.
Expected result
Forty-four countries in the Europe filter, a score at the end of the first round, and a second, shorter round made only of the capitals you missed.
Check your answer: Slovakia and Slovenia: which one has Bratislava as its capital and which one Ljubljana?
Slovakia — Bratislava, Slovenia — Ljubljana. A memory hook: Slovenia and Ljubljana both contain the letter n, while Slovakia and Bratislava have none.
Questions
Is Russia in Europe or Asia?
Both. Most of Russia’s land is in Asia, but its capital, Moscow, and most of its people are in Europe, so the UN M49 standard and most lists count Russia as a European country.
Is Turkey a European country?
Turkey has land on both sides of the Turkish Straits. The UN M49 standard counts it in Western Asia, while lists based on European organisations include it among the 50 European states. Its capital is Ankara.
Europe has 44 countries under the UN M49 count and 50 under the widest definition. Learn their capitals one region at a time in the free VITON13 SCHOOL world capitals trainer, in both directions, and end every session with a round of your own mistakes.