4million km² (approx.) · European Russia
Short answer: Russia is the largest country in Europe: its European part alone covers about 4 million km². Among countries that lie entirely in Europe, Ukraine is the largest at more than 600,000 km², followed by France and Spain.
Russia: partly Europe, partly Asia
The Ural Mountains form the traditional border between Europe and Asia. West of them lies European Russia, with cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg. That part alone is larger than any other European country. Turkey and Kazakhstan also have a small part of their territory in Europe.
The largest countries entirely in Europe
Rounded areas, including inland water:
- Ukraine: about 604,000 km²
- France: about 552,000 km² (excluding overseas territories)
- Spain: about 506,000 km²
- Sweden: about 450,000 km²
- Germany: about 357,000 km²
- Finland: about 338,000 km²
- Norway: about 324,000 km² (excluding Svalbard)
- Poland: about 313,000 km²
- Italy: about 302,000 km²
France
France is the largest country in the European Union. Including overseas territories such as French Guiana, it is considerably larger still. French rivers such as the Ardèche and the Dordogne feature in our article on the most beautiful rivers in Europe.
The smallest country in Europe
The smallest country in Europe, and in the world, is Vatican City: read more about the smallest countries in the world.
Final edit: Jan Willem Beumer, editor-in-chief of Mindbogglingmedia
