Countries of Europe

Due to their large number, as well as a limited size of the continent, European countries tend to be smaller in size than their American or Asian counterparts. However, paradoxically, world's largest country, Russia, is a European country, even though the part that makes is so large lies in Asia. Being a rather diverse continent Europe also hosts World's smallest independent country - Vatican. Covering the surface of 0.44 square kilometres Vatican is a rare example of an absolute monarch still in existence. And speaking of monarchies, if not absolute, there are seven more kingdoms in Euorope - Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Spain. Europe's wealthiest nation is Germany, worth more than 3.3 trillion dollars annually, which makes it the third largest economy in the world. But in terms of per capita figures, however, no other country in the world beats the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg which boasts a gross domestic product of 103,000 dollars per capita. Europe's most visited country is France followed by Spain, Italy, the UK, Germany, Ukraine and Turkey, while the most popular Eruopean city is London. Other favourite European destinations include Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Austria and Switzerland. Twenty seven out of 50 European countries are the members of the EU, a political and economic union with approximately 500 million subjects. It is thanks to the ever greater integration of European nation states that the continent remains one of Earth's wealthiest and most peaceful regions.