How many countries are there in Europe?

As of 2014, there are 48 countries within Europe when qualifying the United Kingdom as a single entity. If the countries that comprise the United Kingdom are counted separately, there are 51 countries in Europe.

Countries within Europe, including Russia, Iceland, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia, straddle two different continents. Iceland lies between North America and Europe, and the remaining countries straddle Asia and Europe.

Europe encompasses a little more than 3.8 million square miles and accounts for about 6 percent of Earth's total land mass. The most populated country in Europe is Germany, and the least populated is Belarus. The total population of Europe is just over 738 million. In terms of land, the largest country in Europe is Ukraine, while the smallest country in land mass is the United Kingdom, which includes Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Spanish, French and Italian are the most commonly spoken languages throughout Europe.