The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union. Currently it has 27 members, and most of them are located in Europe. The European Union (EU) was formed in 1993 when the Maastricht Treaty came into effect. Its predecessor, the European Economic Community, was founded in 1958 with 6 members: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and Netherlands.
It is a complex procedure to become the member of European Union (EU), and only countries with the stable democratic government are eligible to submit the application. Since 1958, the membership has grown to 27. The latest membership is Croatia, which joined in July 2013.
The 27 countries cover 4,232,147 square kilometers, or 1,634,034 square miles. The following is the list of members of the European Union (EU).
| # | Country | Capital | Joined | Area (sqkm) | Area (sqmi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austria | Vienna | Jan 01, 1995 | 83,855 | 32,376 |
| 2 | Belgium | Brussels | Jan 01, 1958 | 30,528 | 11,787 |
| 3 | Bulgaria | Sofia | Jan 01, 2007 | 110,994 | 42,855 |
| 4 | Croatia | Zagreb | Jul 01, 2013 | 56,594 | 21,851 |
| 5 | Cyprus | Nicosia | May 01, 2004 | 9,251 | 3,572 |
| 6 | Czech Republic | Prague | May 01, 2004 | 78,866 | 30,450 |
| 7 | Denmark | Copenhagen | Jan 01, 1973 | 43,075 | 16,631 |
| 8 | Estonia | Tallinn | May 01, 2004 | 45,227 | 17,462 |
| 9 | Finland | Helsinki | Jan 01, 1995 | 338,424 | 130,666 |
| 10 | France | Paris | Jan 01, 1958 | 640,679 | 247,366 |
| 11 | Germany | Berlin | Jan 01, 1958 | 357,021 | 137,846 |
| 12 | Greece | Athens | Jan 01, 1981 | 131,990 | 50,961 |
| 13 | Hungary | Budapest | May 01, 2004 | 93,030 | 35,919 |
| 14 | Ireland | Dublin | Jan 01, 1973 | 70,273 | 27,132 |
| 15 | Italy | Rome | Jan 01, 1958 | 301,338 | 116,347 |
| 16 | Latvia | Riga | May 01, 2004 | 64,589 | 24,938 |
| 17 | Lithuania | Vilnius | May 01, 2004 | 65,200 | 25,174 |
| 18 | Luxembourg | Luxembourg City | Jan 01, 1958 | 2,586 | 998 |
| 19 | Malta | Valletta | May 01, 2004 | 316 | 122 |
| 20 | Netherlands | Amsterdam | Jan 01, 1958 | 41,543 | 16,040 |
| 21 | Poland | Warsaw | May 01, 2004 | 312,685 | 120,728 |
| 22 | Portugal | Lisbon | Jan 01, 1986 | 92,390 | 35,672 |
| 23 | Romania | Bucharest | Jan 01, 2007 | 238,391 | 92,043 |
| 24 | Slovakia | Bratislava | May 01, 2004 | 49,035 | 18,932 |
| 25 | Slovenia | Ljubljana | May 01, 2004 | 20,273 | 7,827 |
| 26 | Spain | Madrid | Jan 01, 1986 | 504,030 | 194,606 |
| 27 | Sweden | Stockholm | Jan 01, 1995 | 449,964 | 173,731 |
