EU member countries

The EU was not always as big as it is today. When European countries started to
cooperate economically in 1951, only Belgium, Germany, France, Italy,
Luxembourg and the Netherlands participated.
Over time, more and more countries decided to join. The union reached its
current size of 28 member countries with the accession of Croatia on 1 July
2013.
AUSTRIA
Year of EU entry: 1995
Capital city: Vienna
Total area: 83 870 km
Population: 8.3 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1995
Read more about Austria
BELGIUM
Year of EU entry: Founding member (1952)
Capital city: Brussels
Total area: 30 528 km
Population: 10.7 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1985
Read more about Belgium
BULGARIA
Year of EU entry: 2007
Capital city: Sofia
Total area: 111 910 km
Population: 7.6 million
Currency: lev ()
Schengen area: Not a member ofSchengen
Read more about Bulgaria

CROATIA
Year of EU entry: 2013
Capital city: Zagreb
Total area: 56 594 km
Population: 4 398 150
Currency: kuna
Schengen area: Croatia is expected to join the Schengen area by 2015
Read more about Croatia
CYPRUS
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Nicosia
Total area: 9 250 km
Population: 0.8 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 2008 ()
Schengen area: Not a member ofSchengen
Read more about Cyprus
CZECH REPUBLIC
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Prague
Total area: 78 866 km
Population: 10.5 million
Currency: Czech koruna (K)
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Czech Republic
DENMARK
Year of EU entry: 1973
Capital city: Copenhagen
Total area: 43 094 km
Population: 5.5 million
Currency: Danish krone (kr.)
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1996
Read more about Denmark

ESTONIA
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Tallinn
Total area: 45 000 km
Population: 1.3 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 2011 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Estonia
FINLAND
Year of EU entry: 1995
Capital city: Helsinki
Total area: 338 000 km
Population: 5.3 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1996
Read more about Finland
FRANCE
Year of EU entry: Founding member (1952)
Capital city: Paris
Total area: 550 000 km
Population: 64.3 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1985
Read more about France
GERMANY
Year of EU entry: Founding member (1952)
Capital city: Berlin
Total area: 356 854 km
Population: 82 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1985
Read more about Germany

GREECE
Year of EU entry: 1981
Capital city: Athens
Total area: 131 957 km
Population: 11.2 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 2001 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1992
Read more about Greece
HUNGARY
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Budapest
Total area: 93 000 km
Population: 10 million
Currency: forint (Ft)
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Hungary
IRELAND
Year of EU entry: 1973
Capital city: Dublin
Total area: 70 000 km
Population: 4.5 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Not a member ofSchengen
Read more about Ireland
ITALY
Year of EU entry: Founding member (1952)
Capital city: Rome
Total area: 301 263 km
Population: 60 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1990
Read more about Italy

LATVIA
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Riga
Total area: 65 000 km
Population: 2.3 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 2014 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Latvia
LITHUANIA
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Vilnius
Total area: 65 000 km
Population: 3.3 million
Currency: litas (Lt)
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Lithuania
LUXEMBOURG
Year of EU entry: Founding member (1952)
Capital city: Luxembourg
Total area: 2 586 km
Population: 0.5 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1985
Read more about Luxembourg
MALTA
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Valletta
Total area: 316 km
Population: 0.4 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 2008 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Malta

NETHERLANDS
Year of EU entry: Founding member (1952)
Capital city: Amsterdam
Total area: 41 526 km
Population: 16.4 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1985
Read more about the Netherlands
POLAND
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Warsaw
Total area: 312 679 km
Population: 38.1 million
Currency: Zloty (z)
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Poland
PORTUGAL
Year of EU entry: 1986
Capital city: Lisbon
Total area: 92 072 km
Population: 10.6 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1991
Read more about Portugal
ROMANIA
Year of EU entry: 2007
Capital city: Bucharest
Total area: 237 500 km
Population: 21.5 million
Currency: Romanian leu
Schengen area: Not a member ofSchengen
Read more about Romania

SLOVAKIA
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Bratislava
Total area: 48 845 km
Population: 5.4 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 2009 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Slovakia
SLOVENIA
Year of EU entry: 2004
Capital city: Ljubljana
Total area: 20 273 km
Population: 2 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 2007 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 2007
Read more about Slovenia
SPAIN
Year of EU entry: 1986
Capital city: Madrid
Total area: 504 782 km
Population: 45.8 million
Currency: Member of the eurozonesince 1999 ()
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1991
Read more about Spain
SWEDEN
Year of EU entry: 1995
Capital city: Stockholm
Total area: 449 964 km
Population: 9.2 million
Currency: krona (kr)
Schengen area: Member of theSchengen area since 1996
Read more about Sweden

UNITED KINGDOM
Year of EU entry: 1973
Capital city: London
Total area: 244 820 km
Population: 61.7 million
Currency: pound sterling ()
Schengen area: Not a member ofSchengen
Read more about the United Kingdom