Location:
Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to the east

Map references:
Europe

Area:
total: 4,324,782 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]

Area - comparative:
less than one-half the size of the US

Land boundaries:
total: 13,271 km
border countries (17): Albania 212 km, Andorra 118 km, Belarus 1,176 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 956 km, Holy See 3 km, Liechtenstein 34 km, Macedonia 396 km, Moldova 683 km, Monaco 6 km, Montenegro 19 km, Norway 2,375 km, Russia 2,435 km, San Marino 37 km, Serbia 1,353 km, Switzerland 1,729 km, Turkey 415 km, Ukraine 1,324 km
note: data for European continent only
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
65,992.9 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
NA

Climate:
cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south

Terrain:
fairly flat along Baltic and Atlantic coasts; mountainous in the central and southern areas

Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border between France and Italy

Natural resources:
iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish

Irrigated land:
154,539.82 sq km (2011 est.)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
2,057.76 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Natural hazards:
flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic

Environment - current issues:
various forms of air, soil, and water pollution; see individual country entries

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds