Capital Cities of Europe — All 44 Countries

Europe has 44 sovereign-state entries in the country-and-capital list used here. The count is based on the United Nations M49 Europe region: 43 UN member states plus the Holy See, grouped across Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and Western Europe. Dependent territories and separately treated geographic areas are not included in the 44-country total.

Most European capitals are also the main seat of national institutions, public administration, transport links, culture, and education. A few entries need extra care. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, while The Hague is the seat of government. Bern is Switzerland’s federal city and functions as its de facto capital. The Holy See is the sovereign entity listed in UN M49, while Vatican City is used as the corresponding capital entry in general country-and-capital lists.

Europe’s 44 Countries and Their Capital Cities

The table below lists all 44 entries with their capital cities, European subregion, ISO alpha-2 code, and UN M49 code. These identifiers are useful in geography study, country datasets, map labels, and educational material because they distinguish countries consistently across different data systems.

Country	Capital City	European Subregion	ISO Alpha-2	M49 Code
Albania	Tirana	Southern Europe	AL	008
Andorra	Andorra la Vella	Southern Europe	AD	020
Austria	Vienna	Western Europe	AT	040
Belarus	Minsk	Eastern Europe	BY	112
Belgium	Brussels	Western Europe	BE	056
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo	Southern Europe	BA	070
Bulgaria	Sofia	Eastern Europe	BG	100
Croatia	Zagreb	Southern Europe	HR	191
Czechia	Prague	Eastern Europe	CZ	203
Denmark	Copenhagen	Northern Europe	DK	208
Estonia	Tallinn	Northern Europe	EE	233
Finland	Helsinki	Northern Europe	FI	246
France	Paris	Western Europe	FR	250
Germany	Berlin	Western Europe	DE	276
Greece	Athens	Southern Europe	GR	300
Holy See	Vatican City	Southern Europe	VA	336
Hungary	Budapest	Eastern Europe	HU	348
Iceland	Reykjavík	Northern Europe	IS	352
Ireland	Dublin	Northern Europe	IE	372
Italy	Rome	Southern Europe	IT	380
Latvia	Riga	Northern Europe	LV	428
Liechtenstein	Vaduz	Western Europe	LI	438
Lithuania	Vilnius	Northern Europe	LT	440
Luxembourg	Luxembourg City	Western Europe	LU	442
Malta	Valletta	Southern Europe	MT	470
Monaco	Monaco	Western Europe	MC	492
Montenegro	Podgorica	Southern Europe	ME	499
Netherlands	Amsterdam	Western Europe	NL	528
North Macedonia	Skopje	Southern Europe	MK	807
Norway	Oslo	Northern Europe	NO	578
Poland	Warsaw	Eastern Europe	PL	616
Portugal	Lisbon	Southern Europe	PT	620
Republic of Moldova	Chișinău	Eastern Europe	MD	498
Romania	Bucharest	Eastern Europe	RO	642
Russian Federation	Moscow	Eastern Europe	RU	643
San Marino	San Marino	Southern Europe	SM	674
Serbia	Belgrade	Southern Europe	RS	688
Slovakia	Bratislava	Eastern Europe	SK	703
Slovenia	Ljubljana	Southern Europe	SI	705
Spain	Madrid	Southern Europe	ES	724
Sweden	Stockholm	Northern Europe	SE	752
Switzerland	Bern	Western Europe	CH	756
Ukraine	Kyiv	Eastern Europe	UA	804
United Kingdom	London	Northern Europe	GB	826

Capital Status, Country Names, and Spelling

A capital city is normally the national seat designated by law, constitutional practice, or long-established state usage. In many European countries, the capital is also the largest city. Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Stockholm, and Warsaw are examples of capitals that are also major urban centers.

Capital status does not work identically in every country. Amsterdam is the constitutional capital of the Netherlands while the national government is based in The Hague. Bern is Switzerland’s federal city and de facto capital. In small states such as Monaco and San Marino, the country and capital use the same name.

Country Names and Short Names

Some countries have short names and longer formal names. Czechia is widely used as the short country name, while Czech Republic is still common in education and older materials. Moldova is often written as Republic of Moldova in formal lists. Russia may appear as Russian Federation. The United Kingdom is the short form for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Country-name forms vary by dataset and context. The table uses forms such as Czechia, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, and United Kingdom in ways that remain recognizable in English while aligning closely with UN and ISO country data.

Capital Names With Accents

Several European capital names include accents or special letters. Reykjavík, Chișinău, and Ljubljana are examples that readers may see written in slightly different ways online. Kyiv is now the common English spelling for Ukraine’s capital. Lisbon, Rome, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid rarely create spelling issues, but smaller capitals may require more care.

Correct spellings preserve the accepted modern forms used in maps, datasets, travel documents, and educational material.

Capital City Notes That Readers Often Need

Amsterdam and The Hague

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, while The Hague is the seat of government. The Dutch parliament, ministries, Supreme Court, Council of State, and many national institutions are based in The Hague. The two-city arrangement explains why both names frequently appear in descriptions of the Dutch state.

Bern and Switzerland

Switzerland has no formally designated capital in the same sense as many other countries. Swiss federal authorities describe Bern as the federal city; it is the seat of government and functions as the country’s de facto capital.

Holy See and Vatican City

The Holy See appears in UN M49 as a Southern European entry with code 336. Vatican City State is the territorial state established by the Lateran Treaty and is closely linked to the Holy See, but the two terms are not legally identical. General country-and-capital lists commonly pair the Holy See entry with Vatican City.

City-State Capitals

Europe includes several very small countries where the capital name is the same as the country name or nearly the same. Monaco has Monaco as its capital. San Marino has San Marino as its capital. Luxembourg is clearer when written as Luxembourg City, because the country and the capital share the same name in many contexts.

Countries and Capitals By European Subregion

The UN M49 Europe region is divided into four subregions: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, and Western Europe. The 44 entries in this list follow those placements.

Subregion	Countries In This List	Example Capitals
Eastern Europe	10	Minsk, Sofia, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Chișinău, Bucharest, Moscow, Bratislava, Kyiv
Northern Europe	10	Copenhagen, Tallinn, Helsinki, Reykjavík, Dublin, Riga, Vilnius, Oslo, Stockholm, London
Southern Europe	15	Tirana, Andorra la Vella, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Athens, Vatican City, Rome, Valletta, Podgorica, Skopje, Lisbon, San Marino, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Madrid
Western Europe	9	Vienna, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Vaduz, Luxembourg City, Monaco, Amsterdam, Bern

What This 44-Country Count Does Not Include

European capital lists can show more than 44 entries when they use a broader geographic or political scope. The 44-country total here follows the sovereign-state entries derived from the UN M49 Europe region rather than every territory or country sometimes associated with Europe.

That means the list does not add territories such as Gibraltar, the Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man, Åland Islands, or Svalbard and Jan Mayen. These places may have their own local capitals or administrative centers, but they are not counted as separate countries in this 44-country table.

Kosovo is not counted as a separate country in this 44-entry total. Under UN M49, its status is treated in the context of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999), and Kosovo is considered part of Serbia in the standard M49 country table, although code 412 may be used strictly for statistical purposes. Cyprus, Türkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are placed in Western Asia under M49, so they are also outside this Europe table even though some broader geographic or political lists associate them with Europe.

Why Capital Cities Matter In Geography

Capital cities help readers connect a country name to a real place on the map. They also make it easier to understand time zones, transport routes, language patterns, national institutions, and regional location. A capital is not just a name to memorize. It is often the point where maps, education, public records, and travel information meet.

In Europe, capitals are especially useful because many countries are close together. Vienna and Bratislava are near each other. Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius help readers follow the Baltic region from north to south. Madrid and Lisbon make the Iberian Peninsula easier to read. Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Reykjavík give Northern Europe a clear pattern on the map.

European Capitals With Shared Or Similar Names

Several capital names can cause confusion because the country and capital look similar. Luxembourg and Luxembourg City are the main example. Monaco and San Marino also use the same name for the country and capital in general English reference lists. Andorra la Vella is the capital of Andorra, with the country name forming part of the city name.

Other capitals are easy to mix up because of language forms. Kyiv may appear as Kiev in older materials. Chișinău may be written without diacritics as Chisinau. Reykjavík may appear as Reykjavik when accents are removed. These forms are common in search results, but the table keeps the clearer modern spellings.

FAQ About European Capital Cities

How Many Capital Cities Are In Europe?

This list uses 44 capital entries for the 44 sovereign-state entries derived from the UN M49 Europe grouping. Broader lists may add Kosovo, transcontinental countries, or territories, which changes the total.

What Is The Capital Of The Netherlands?

The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam. The Hague is the seat of government and hosts parliament, ministries, and many national institutions, so both cities appear frequently in descriptions of the country’s political system.

What Is The Capital Of Switzerland?

Bern functions as Switzerland’s de facto capital and is officially described as the federal city. It is the seat of the Federal Assembly and Federal Council.

Which European Capital Has The Same Name As Its Country?

Monaco and San Marino use the same name for the country and capital in general English references. Luxembourg also shares its name with its capital, which is often written as Luxembourg City to distinguish the city from the country.

Is Vatican City Included In The 44 European Countries?

The 44-entry list includes the Holy See, which UN M49 places in Southern Europe. General country-and-capital references commonly pair it with Vatican City, while the Holy See and Vatican City State remain distinct legal entities.

Which European Subregion Has The Most Countries In This List?

Southern Europe has the most entries in this 44-country list, with 15 countries. Eastern Europe and Northern Europe each have 10, while Western Europe has 9.