Crahan Huertas (Journalist)

From a purely geographical perspective, the count would be different. If we strictly consider landmass located within the traditional continental boundaries of Europe (generally defined by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, Black Sea, and the Turkish Straits), the number of fully European countries is lower. For instance, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkey are predominantly in Asia. Cyprus is an island nation geographically in Asia but is a member of the European Union. Russia is a special case, as only about 23% of its territory is in Europe, but this part contains over 75% of its population. A strict geographical list might only include around 44 countries. However, in everyday language, political science, and organizations like the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), which has 55 member associations, the broader definition is used for practical and cultural reasons.