The European Union is a post World War II project designed to secure peace in Europe. It was founded as the European Community for Coal and Steel in 1953 and became the European Economic Community through the Treaty of Rome in 1957. The EC has expanded many times in the last 60 years.
In 2016, the the citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, the first time any member state has done this.
| Country | Size in square km | Population in millions |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | 84 000 | 8.8 |
| Belgium | 30 000 | 11.5 |
| Bulgaria | 111 000 | 7.0 |
| Croatia | 56 000 | 4.0 |
| Cyprus | 9 000 | 0.9 |
| Czech Republic | 79 000 | 10.6 |
| Denmark | 43 000 | 5.9 |
| Estonia | 45 000 | 1.3 |
| Finland | 338 000 | 5.5 |
| France | 640 000 | 67.0 |
| Germany | 357 000 | 83.0 |
| Greece | 132 000 | 10.7 |
| Hungary | 93 000 | 9.7 |
| Ireland | 70 000 | 4.9 |
| Italy | 301 000 | 60.3 |
| Latvia | 64 000 | 1.9 |
| Lithuania | 65 000 | 2.8 |
| Luxembourg | 2 500 | 0,6 |
| Malta | 316 | 0.5 |
| Netherlands | 41 000 | 17.2 |
| Poland | 312 000 | 37.9 |
| Portugal | 92 000 | 10.2 |
| Romania | 238 000 | 19.4 |
| Slovakia | 49 000 | 5.4 |
| Slovenia | 20 000 | 2.1 |
| Spain | 504 000 | 46.9 |
| Sweden | 449 000 | 10.2 |
| United Kingdom | 243 000 | 66.6 |