We love a good factoid. There is so much history, culture, and interesting geography in Europe. It is endless the amounts of interest there is to find on this continent.
To get you inspired to travel and explore Europe we have put together a fun list of interesting facts about Europe for you to enjoy. Here are 50 interesting facts about Europe, one for each European country.
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50 Interesting Facts About Europe
1. ALBANIA
In some areas on the country, Albanians nod their heads to indicate “no” and shake their heads for “yes.”
2. ANDORRA
Andorra has no airport or train station, making it accessible only by road.
3. ARMENIA
Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD.
4. AUSTRIA
In Austria the Alps mountain range covers about 62% of the country.
5. AZERBAIJAN
Azerbaijan is known as the Land of Fire due to its natural burning gas vents.
6. BELARUS
Belarus has the world’s largest population of European bison, also known as wisent.
7. BELGIUM
Brussels, Belgium, is home to the European Union and NATO headquarters.
8. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
The Stari Most (Old Bridge) in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and symbol of unity after the Bosnian War.
9. BULGARIA
The Cyrillic alphabet, used by many Eastern European countries, was created in Bulgaria during the 9th century.
10. CROATIA
Croatia has the world’s smallest town, Hum, with a population of around 30 people.
11. CYPRUS
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus is geographically closer to Asia and Africa but is politically and culturally considered part of Europe.
12. CZECH REPUBLIC
The Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world.
13. DENMARK
Denmark is frequently ranked as one of the world’s happiest countries.
14. ESTONIA
Estonia has the highest number of meteorite craters per land area in the world.
15. FINLAND
Finland has the most lakes in Europe, with approximately 188,000 lakes.
16. FRANCE
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France was initially meant to be a temporary structure for the 1889 World’s Fair.
17. GEORGIA
Georgia claims to be the birthplace of wine, with a winemaking history dating back over 8,000 years.
18. GERMANY
Germany has the most zoos in the world, with over 400 zoos and animal parks.
19. GREECE
The Olympic Games originated in ancient Greece in 776 BC.
20. HUNGARY
Hungary is home to the world’s largest thermal water cave system.
21. ICELAND
Iceland is one of the few countries in the world with no mosquitoes.
22. IRELAND
Halloween’s origins can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in Ireland.
23. ITALY
Italy has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with over 50 locations.
24. KOSOVO
Kosovo is the youngest country in Europe, declaring independence from Serbia in 2008.
St Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna in Austria25. LATVIA
Latvia has one of the world’s highest rates of forest coverage, with approximately 50% of the country covered by forests.
26. LIECHTENSTEIN
Liechtenstein is one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world, along with Uzbekistan. (Doubly landlocked means that all their neighbours are also landlocked).
27. LITHUANIA
Lithuania was the last European country to convert to Christianity, in the late 14th century.
28. LUXEMBOURG
Luxembourg is the only Grand Duchy in the world, with a Grand Duke as its head of state.
29. MALTA
Malta‘s Hypogeum is a unique underground prehistoric temple dating back to around 3600 BC.
30. MOLDOVA
Moldova is home to the largest wine cellar in the world, Milestii Mici, which spans over 200 kilometres.
31. MONACO
Citizens of Monaco are, by law, banned from gambling.
32. MONTENEGRO
The Bay of Kotor in Montenegro is one of the world’s deepest and longest fjord-like bays.
33. NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands is the world’s biggest flower exporter.
34. NORTH MACEDONIA
North Macedonia is the only country to gain independence from Yugoslavia without any bloodshed.
35. NORWAY
Norway is home to the longest road tunnel in the world, the Lærdal Tunnel, measuring 15.2 miles (24.5 km).
36. POLAND
Poland has the world’s largest castle by land area, it is known as the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork.
The Duoro River, Porto in Portugal37. PORTUGAL
Portugal is one of the world’s top cork producers, responsible for over 50% of global cork production. (Read more about our time in Portugal here)
38. ROMANIA
Romania is home to Europe’s largest virgin forests.
39. RUSSIA
Russia‘s Lake Baikal is the world’s deepest and oldest freshwater lake, containing around 20% of the Earth’s unfrozen fresh surface water.
40. SAN MARINO
San Marino is the world’s oldest republic, founded in AD 301.
41. SERBIA
Serbia‘s capital, Belgrade, has been fought over in 115 wars and razed to the ground 44 times throughout history.
42. SLOVAKIA
Slovakia has more than 6,000 caves, including the remarkable ice caves of the Slovak Paradise National Park.
43. SLOVENIA
Slovenia is home to the Postojna Cave, the largest show cave in Europe, which has a unique train ride for visitors.
Sunset at Caravaca de la Cruz in Spain44. SPAIN
Spain is home to the world’s oldest restaurant, Sobrino de Botín, established in 1725. (Read more about our time in Spain here)
45. SWEDEN
In the capital of Sweden, Stockholm, the metro system also doubles as an art gallery, with 90% of metro stations decorated.
46. SWITZERLAND
Switzerland is famous for its neutrality and has not been involved in any wars since 1815.
47. TURKEY
Istanbul, Turkey, is the only city in the world that straddles two continents, Europe and Asia.
48. UKRAINE
The Tunnel of Love, a picturesque railway track in Ukraine, is a popular spot for romantic walks and photo sessions.
49. UNITED KINGDOM
Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom is the oldest and longest-occupied palace by a monarch in the world. (Read more about our time in UK here.)
50. VATICAN CITY
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, both by area and population, and is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
That’s 50 super interesting facts about Europe. Hope you enjoyed those fun tidbits of European knowledge.
Fancy testing your European countries knowledge? Check out our European Countries Quiz.