This is a list of all present countries of Europe, sorted by their date of independence or creation.

Note: List is still incomplete and needs a proof-reading

Date of Independence	Country	Mode of creation and predecessors
301	San Marino	S: Roman Empire
843	France	D: Frankish Kingdom
9th century	Russia as Kievan Rus	?
10th century	Poland	?
10th century	Denmark	M
10th century	England	M
1001	Hungary	M: St. Stephen unifies country
1143	Portugal	S: Kingdom of Leon
1278	Andorra	S: France
1297	Monaco	S: Genoa
1512	Spain	M: Castile and Aragon
1523	Sweden	S: Denmark
1581	Netherlands	S: Spain
1603	Kingdom of Great Britain	M: England, Scotland
1648	Switzerland	S: Holy Roman Empire
1801	United Kingdom	M: Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Ireland
1806	Austria-Hungary / Austria	D: Holy Roman Empire
1806	Liechtenstein	D: Holy Roman Empire
1806	Luxembourg	D: Holy Roman Empire
1806	Prussia	D: Holy Roman Empire
1817	Serbia	S: Ottoman Empire
1828	Greece	S: Ottoman Empire
1830	Belgium	S: Netherlands
1861	Italy	M: Modena and Reggio, Parma, Sardinia, Tuscany, Two Sicilies
1871	Germany	M: German Confederation member countries except for Austria, Liechtenstein, Limburg, and Luxembourg
1878	Bulgaria	S: Ottoman Empire
1878	Romania	S: Ottoman Empire
1905	Norway	S: Sweden
1912	Albania	S: Ottoman Empire
1917	Finland	S: Russia
1918	Yugoslavia	S: Austria-Hungary; M: Serbia, Montenegro
1918	Czechoslovakia	S: Austria-Hungary
1918	Hungary	S: Austria-Hungary
1918	Austria	S: Austria-Hungary
1918	Estonia	S: Russia
1918	Iceland	S: Denmark
1918	Latvia	S: Russia
1918	Lithuania	S: Russia
1918	Poland	S:Russia
1920	Republic of Ireland	S: United Kingdom
1922	Soviet Union	Russia
1929	Vatican State	S: Italy
1949	Federal Republic of Germany	S: Occupied Nazi Germany (reunified with East Germany through annexation in 1990)
1990	Bosnia-Hercegovina	S: Yugoslavia
1990	Croatia	S: Yugoslavia
1990	FYR Macedonia	S: Yugoslavia
1990	Slovenia	S: Yugoslavia
1991	Belarus	D: Soviet Union
1991	Moldova	D: Soviet Union
1991	Ukraine	D: Soviet Union
1991	Russia	D: Soviet Union
1993	Czech Republic	D: Czechoslovakia
1993	Slovakia	D: Czechoslovakia

Explanations

A country can come into existence either by splitting off from one existing country (marked by S in the table), or through the merging of several existing countries (M). A special case of a split-off is when a federal country dissolves by dividing up into its constituent states (D). The date of independence of a country is often arguable; independence cannot be defined precisely. Also, whether something is a newly founded country, or whether it is the same as a previously existing one, is often arguable. In general, if a new political entity has mostly the same area as one of its predecessors, it will be considered as the same country as the predecessor.

Times of temporary dependence may present problems. If the dependence on another country is short and the country survives it without major changes in its area and constitution, such as a period of occupation during a war, it will be ignored. Otherwise, the country will be considered a new creation.

This list presents an attempt to give a simple view of a certain aspect of European history. Oversimplifications are unavoidable.