The European Continent Explained
Unlike the European Union 🇪🇺, the Eurozone 💶, or even the Schengen Area or European Economic Commission, the European continent is not about national and international politics as much as about the geographic features associated with the continent. While Iceland 🇮🇸 is technically at the fault line dividing the European and North American plates, the entire nation is often identified by society as entirely European. On the contrary is Greenland 🇬🇱, technically claimed by the Kingdom of Denmark with a relatively higher level of autonomy than the subdivisions of the Danish mainland. Though Denmark 🇩🇰 is firmly located within the European continent, Greenland is physically located within North America. The Faroe Islands 🇫🇴, also claimed by the Kingdom of Denmark, however, are firmly located within the European continent, as with the nearby Shetland and Orkney Islands of Scotland 🏴.
Insular European Countries
The insular nations of the European continent, including the different portions of the continent, include the open Atlantic countries of Iceland 🇮🇸, Ireland 🇮🇪, and the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, the last of which includes England 🏴, Scotland 🏴, Wales 🏴, and Northern Ireland. While not technically included within the United Kingdom proper, the British Crown Dependencies are Jersey 🇯🇪, Guernsey 🇬🇬, and the Isle of Man 🇮🇲. In the case of Guernsey 🇬🇬, Sark 🇨🇶 is a separate isle that is included within the Channel Islands crown dependency.
Within the Mediterranean Sea, the nations most commonly associated with Europe include Malta 🇲🇹 and Cyprus 🇨🇾, the latter of which is disputed with the United Nations 🇺🇳 Buffer Zone on Cyprus, Northern Cyprus, and the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
Northern Europe
The Scandinavian and greater Nordic regions of the European continent include, but are not limited to, the peninsular countries of Norway 🇳🇴 and Sweden 🇸🇪. While Denmark 🇩🇰 is not on the Scandinavian Peninsula, the nation is often considered part of the region nonetheless, with a shared heritage and centuries of cultural similarities with the former two.
Though not part of Scandinavia proper, the Nordic country of Finland 🇫🇮 is also typically included and the three Baltic nations—Estonia 🇪🇪, Latvia 🇱🇻, and Lithuania 🇱🇹—are also often included as such nations prefer to avoid association with Russia, the enemy nation to the east.
In addition to the above countries, the insular Nordic countries are also often considered within Northern Europe, namely Iceland 🇮🇸 and the Faroe Islands 🇫🇴 (within Denmark).
Western Europe
Apart from the British Isles and much of Northwest Europe already mentioned, the countries often mentioned and taught about first in the western world, and especially from a British-centric (or even Americanist) perspective include Portugal 🇵🇹, Spain 🇪🇸, France 🇫🇷, Germany 🇩🇪, Switzerland 🇨🇭, Austria 🇦🇹, and Italy 🇮🇹. Also within the region, though much less commonly known or taught about, are the microstates, though Belgium 🇧🇪 and the Netherlands 🇳🇱 are not considered microstates. The true microstates of the region include Andorra 🇦🇩, Monaco 🇲🇨, Vatican City 🇻🇦, San Marino 🇸🇲, Luxembourg 🇱🇺, and Liechtenstein 🇱🇮.
Southern Europe
Located to the east of Italy are numerous South Slavic nations, many descended from the former Yugoslavia, as well as Greece 🇬🇷 further to the south. The Slavic nations in question include Slovenia 🇸🇮, Croatia 🇭🇷, Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦, Serbia 🇷🇸, Kosovo 🇽🇰 (disputed; claimed as Serbian territory by Serbia), Montenegro 🇲🇪, North Macedonia 🇲🇰, and Bulgaria 🇧🇬. Bulgaria was never included within Yugoslavia, though the other South Slavic nations have been included.
Central Europe
At the crossroads of numerous separate yet clearly related cultural traits, such as the eastern edge of Catholicism and the western end of the Slavs, include such nations as Poland 🇵🇱, Czechia 🇨🇿, Slovakia 🇸🇰, Hungary 🇭🇺, and Romania 🇷🇴. Though only the first three are truly Slavic nations, Romania in particular is identified as part of the Slavic sprachbund, with influence to the Romance language of the nation from numerous Slavic nations, both to the north and to the south.
Eastern Europe
Within the eastern edge of the European continent is an undefined regional definition, with the most westerly of the listed nations firmly considered European while many others are disputed with Asia in particular. Such nations include Moldova 🇲🇩, Belarus 🇧🇾, Ukraine 🇺🇦, Russia 🇷🇺, and Türkiye 🇹🇷 and may reasonably also include the nations of Kazakhstan 🇰🇿, Georgia 🇬🇪, Armenia 🇦🇲, and Azerbaijan 🇦🇿, though even that specific area can get particularly complicated.
What about the Overseas Territories?
The British Overseas Territories are generally located within different continental definitions, with the Cayman Islands 🇰🇾, the Turks and Caicos Islands 🇹🇨, the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla 🇦🇮, Montserrat 🇲🇸, and Bermuda 🇧🇲 considered North America; the British Indian Ocean Territory 🇮🇴 possibly considered Africa; and Gibraltar 🇬🇮 and Akrotiri and Dhekelia firmly considered part of the European continent.
For the French Overseas Territories, not a single territory outside of “Metropolitan” France 🇫🇷 can be considered part of Europe, and even Corsica is considered part of France itself (Sardinia is a nearby island considered part of Italy 🇮🇹 itself similarly). The territories in North America include Saint Pierre and Miquelon 🇵🇲, Guadeloupe 🇬🇵, Martinique 🇲🇶, and Saint Martin, while French Guiana 🇬🇫 is firmly located within the South American continent (though identifying as Caribbean internally). Mayotte 🇾🇹 and Réunion 🇷🇪 remain possessions within insular Africa, and numerous other islands are also claimed within Oceania. The collectivities within Oceania that continue to be identified as French are New Caledonia 🇳🇨 and French Polynesia 🇵🇫.
Though the Netherlands today represent the European continent, the Dutch continue to claim numerous possessions within insular North America, namely Aruba 🇦🇼, Curaçao 🇨🇼, Bonaire 🇧🇶, Sint Maarten 🇸🇽, and Sint Eustatius.
Territories of Iberian Nations
Within the nations of Portugal and Spain are associated claims of territories to either nation. While neither nation is known for continuing to claim overseas collectives to this day, Portugal 🇵🇹 remains notable for claiming Madeira and the Azores Islands while Spain 🇪🇸 remains notable for claiming the Canary Islands 🇮🇨. In either case, however, the islands are more often considered African than European, or at least islands off the coast of Africa first. Morocco 🇲🇦 and Western Sahara 🇪🇭 are often nearby, though the latter remains involved in a border dispute commonly represented on the map of Africa. Spain also claims the possessions of Ceuta (opposite the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar 🇬🇮) and Melilla, both located on the African continent and often contested with neighboring Morocco.
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