How Many Countries in Southern Europe
As a region of Europe, Southern Europe is composed of 16 independent countries (Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Holy See, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey) and 1 territory (Gibraltar). See below for the list of South European countries and dependencies by population. Also, you can find all of them in alphabetical order at this end of this page.
1. Albania
Albania is a republic in southern Europe in the Balkans and borders Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Greece. The capital of Albania is Tirana and the official language is Albanian.
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2. Andorra
Andorra is a small principality in southwestern Europe on the border between Spain and France. The capital is Andorra la Vella and the official language is Catalan.
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3. Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a Federal Republic of Southern Europe in the Balkans bordering Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. The country has a little more than 3.8 million residents and is populated by three constitutional ethnic groups: Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats.
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4. Croatia
Croatia, formally the Republic of Croatia, is a republic in Central / Southeastern Europe. Croatia borders Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia to the east, Slovenia to the north, Hungary to the northeast and Montenegro to the south.
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5. Greece
Greece, formally the Republic of Greece, or the Hellenic Republic, is a republic in southern Europe in the Balkans. Greece borders Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the east.
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6. Italy
Italy, formally the Republic of Italy, is a unified parliamentary republic in southern Europe. Here on the country page, there are news, link tips, the latest news from the embassy, travel information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our agents’ contact information, events in the country and the opportunity to contact Swedes living in Italy.
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7. Malta
Malta, formally the Republic of Malta, is an island nation in the central Mediterranean located between Libya in the south and Italy in the north. The country closest to the west is Tunisia and in a straight easterly direction is Greece with the island of Crete.
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8. Montenegro
Montenegro is a republic located on the Adriatic Sea in southern Europe, in the Balkans. Montenegro borders Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the north, Serbia and Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south. The capital is Podgorica.
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9. Northern Macedonia
Macedonia, formally the Republic of Macedonia, has been a republic in southern Europe, in the Balkans, since the collapse of communism in the former Yugoslavia.
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10. Portugal
Portugal is a republic on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe.
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11. San Marino
San Marino, formally the Republic of San Marino, is a republic located on the Apennine Peninsula in southern Europe, completely enclosed by Italy. San Marino is one of Europe’s microstates. Its residents are called sanmarinier.
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12. Serbia
Serbia, officially the Republic of Serbia, is a state in the Balkans in southern Europe.
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13. Slovenia
Slovenia, formally the Republic of Slovenia, is a republic in Central Europe. The country borders Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
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14. Spain
Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country and Member State of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
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15. Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian Peninsula in southwest Asia and Eastern Thrace on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe.
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16. Vatican
Vatican City, is an independent microstat located as an enclave in the Italian capital Rome. Here on the country side, there are news, link tips, the latest news from the embassy, travel information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our agents’ contact information, events in the country and the opportunity to contact Swedes living in the Vatican City.
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List of Countries in Southern Europe and Their Capitals
As noted above, there are 3 independent countries in the Southern Europe. Among them, the largest country is Turkey and the smallest is Holy See. The full list of Southern European countries with capitals is shown in the table below, ranked by latest total population.
| Rank | Independent Country | Current Population | Capital |
| 1 | Turkey | 82,003,882 | Ankara |
| 2 | Italy | 60,375,749 | Rome |
| 3 | Spain | 46,733,038 | Madrid |
| 4 | Greece | 10,741,165 | Athens |
| 5 | Portugal | 10,276,617 | Lisbon |
| 6 | Serbia | 7,001,444 | Belgrade |
| 7 | Croatia | 4,130,304 | Zagreb |
| 8 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3,301,000 | Sarajevo |
| 9 | Albania | 2,862,427 | Tirana |
| 10 | Slovenia | 2,080,908 | Ljubljana |
| 11 | North Macedonia | 2,075,301 | Skopje |
| 12 | Montenegro | 622,359 | Podgorica |
| 13 | Malta | 475,701 | Valletta |
| 14 | Andorra | 76,177 | Andorra la Vella |
| 15 | San Marino | 33,422 | San Marino |
| 16 | Holy See | 799 | Vatican City |
Territories in Southern Europe
| Dependent Territory | Population | Territory of |
| Gibraltar | 33,701 | U.K. |
Map of Countries in Southern Europe
Alphabetical List of Countries and Dependencies in Southern Europe
In summary, there are a total of 17 independent countries and dependent territories in Southern Europe. See the following for full list of Southern European countries and dependencies in alphabetical order: