With a total area of 10,186,000 km² (3,932,836 mi²), Europe is actually smaller than every other continent except Australia/Oceania. However, it is also one of the most densely populated and contains at least 50 countries (depending upon how one counts) as well as several dependent territories. One of those countries, in fact, is the largest in the world. What are the largest countries in Europe? Let's find out:
Top 10 Largest Countries in Europe (by total area):
- Russia - 17,098,246 km² (6,601,670 mi²)
- Ukraine - 603,500 km² (233,000 mi²)
- France - 543,940 km² (210,020 mi²)
- Spain - 505,992 km² (195,365 mi²)
- Sweden - 450,295 km² (173,860 mi²)
- Germany - 357,114 km² (137,882 mi²)
- Finland - 338,425 km² (130,667 mi²)
- Norway - 323,802 km² (125,021 mi²)
- Poland - 312,696 km² (120,733 mi²)
- Italy - 301,339 km² (116,348 mi²)
The largest country in Europe is easily Russia, and by a large margin. This ranking is made more impressive by the fact that Russia is a transcontinental country, with land in both Europe and Asia. In fact, in terms of land area, Russia is also the largest country in Asia and also the largest country in the world. Russia’s population is more than 145.9 million people, which puts it in ninth place on the list of the world's most populous countries.
Territories and transcontinental countries
Russia is not the only country to straddle the line between Europe and Asia. Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cyprus, Turkey, and even Kazakhstan are all considered European by some agencies and Asian by others. When counted as European, Kazakhstan ranks as the second-largest country in Europe at 2,724,900 (1,052,100). Dependent territories are another gray area. Many European countries embraced expansionist policies during the Age of Exploration, and some of those countries oversee external territories to this day. The most relevant of these territories in terms of area is Greenland, whose actual size isn't quite what it appears to be on most maps, but which would still add 2,166,086 km² (836,330 mi²) of area to tiny Denmark 43,094 km² (16,639 mi²). this would make Denmark the second- or third-largest country in Europe (depending upon whether Kazakhstan was included)—despite the fact that Greenland is actually located in North America. However, territories are typically left out of official measurements of a country's area. Europe is also home to many of the world's smallest countries. While most continents include tiny island nations, none but Europe have so many land-locked and/or coastal micronations.
Top 11 Smallest Countries in Europe (by total area):
- Vatican City/Holy See - 0.49 km² (0.19 mi²)
- Monaco - 2.02 km² (0.78 mi²)
- San Marino - 61 km² (24 mi²)
- Liechtenstein - 160 km² (62 mi²)
- Malta - 316 km² (122 mi²)
- Andorra - 468 km² (181 mi²)
- Luxembourg - 2,586 km² (998 mi²)
- Cyprus - 9,251 km² (3,572 mi²)
- Kosovo (partially recognized) - 10,887 km² (4,203 mi²)
- Montenegro - 13,812 km² (5,333 mi²)
- Slovenia - 20,273 km² (7,827 mi²)
The smallest country in Europe is Vatican City, which is .44 km² (.169 mi²). Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, located in Rome, Italy, and has a population of about 1,000 people. Also notable on this list is Kosovo, a territory that has been recognized by more than 100 United Nations members, but has thus far been stonewalled by Russia and China, whose recognition it needs to separate from its parent country, Serbia, and attain full sovereign nation status.