Countries of Europe

Europe is the landmass comprising the westernmost peninsulas of Eurasia, situated entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bounded by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Conventionally, Europe is separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains, the watershed of the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the waterways of the Turkish Straits.

Europe covers approximately 10.18 million km² (3.93 million sq mi), or about 2% of the Earth’s surface (6.8% of its land area), making it the second-smallest continent by land area. Politically, Europe is divided into around fifty sovereign states, of which Russia is the largest, spanning 39% of the continent’s territory and accounting for 15% of its population. In 2021, Europe’s total population was roughly 745 million people (about 10% of the world’s population). Europe’s climate is largely influenced by warm Atlantic currents, which moderate winter and summer temperatures across much of the continent, even at latitudes where the climates of Asia and North America are harsher. Further inland, seasonal temperature variations are more pronounced than along the coasts.