Are we ready for WWIII? Part I. European Theater

October 10, 2024

Are we ready for WWIII? 

No, we're not. No one is. Hopefully it never happens. A third world war, World War III (WWIII), would be devastating for all nations involved. 

Let's begin a series exploring the world beginning with Europe. In the European Theater of WWIII, Russia would most likely be the main enemy of the west. Depending on the timing of WWIII, the current Russian-Ukrainian war may be seen by future historians as one of the first chapters of WWIII. 

Let's learn, little by little, more about Europe. A typical question is how many countries are in Europe. Believe it or not, there is no consensus on the answer. The range varies from 46 to 51. For our purposes. we follow the United Nations list of 47 countries within Europe. 

1. Albania
2. Andorra
3. Armenia
4. Austria
5. Azerbaijan
6. Belarus
7. Belgium
8. Bosnia and Herzegovina
9. Bulgaria
10. Croatia
11. Cyprus
12. Czech Republic (Czechia)
13. Denmark
14. Estonia
15. Finland
16. France
17. Georgia
18. Germany
19. Greece
20. Hungary
21. Iceland
22. Ireland
23. Italy
24. Kazakhstan (partially in Europe)
25. Latvia
26. Liechtenstein
27. Lithuania
28. Luxembourg
29. Malta
30. Moldova
31. Monaco
32. Montenegro
33. Netherlands
34. North Macedonia
35. Norway
36. Poland
37. Portugal
38. Romania
39. Russia
40. San Marino
41. Serbia
42. Slovakia
43. Slovenia
44. Spain
45. Sweden
46. Switzerland
47. Ukraine

These 47 countries are recognized as sovereign states by the United Nations and are situated either entirely or partially within the continent of Europe. Some countries, like Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Russia, span both Europe and Asia but are considered part of Europe for various political, cultural, and historical reasons.

European Land Mass and Population

Europe covers about 4 million square miles of land, which amounts to about 2% of the entire planet and about 7% of the Earth's total land area. Population is about 745 million, which represents about 9% of the total population of the world.

European Countries by Land Area and Population (Relative to Total Europe)

Country	Land Area (km²)	% of Total Europe Land Area	Population (millions)	% of Total Europe Population
Russia (European part)	3,995,200	40.29%	110.0	14.95%
Ukraine	603,550	6.09%	39.9	5.42%
France	551,695	5.57%	68.0	9.24%
Spain	505,990	5.10%	47.5	6.45%
Sweden	450,295	4.54%	10.5	1.42%
Norway	323,802	3.26%	5.5	0.75%
Germany	357,582	3.60%	84.4	11.47%
Finland	338,455	3.41%	5.6	0.76%
Poland	312,696	3.15%	37.8	5.13%
Italy	301,340	3.04%	59.1	8.03%
United Kingdom	243,610	2.45%	67.5	9.17%
Romania	238,397	2.40%	19.1	2.60%
Belarus	207,600	2.09%	9.2	1.25%
Kazakhstan (European part)	148,000	1.49%	19.1	2.60%
Greece	131,957	1.33%	10.2	1.39%
Bulgaria	110,994	1.12%	6.8	0.93%
Iceland	103,000	1.04%	0.37	0.05%
Hungary	93,030	0.94%	9.6	1.31%
Portugal	92,090	0.93%	10.3	1.40%
Austria	83,879	0.85%	9.0	1.23%
Czech Republic	78,865	0.80%	10.7	1.46%
Serbia	77,474	0.78%	6.6	0.90%
Ireland	70,273	0.71%	5.1	0.69%
Lithuania	65,300	0.66%	2.7	0.37%
Latvia	64,589	0.65%	1.8	0.24%
Croatia	56,594	0.57%	4.0	0.54%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	51,197	0.52%	3.2	0.44%
Slovakia	49,037	0.50%	5.4	0.73%
Estonia	45,227	0.46%	1.3	0.18%
Denmark	43,094	0.43%	5.9	0.80%
Netherlands	41,543	0.42%	17.5	2.38%
Switzerland	41,290	0.42%	8.8	1.20%
Moldova	33,846	0.34%	2.6	0.35%
Belgium	30,528	0.31%	11.8	1.60%
Armenia	29,743	0.30%	2.8	0.38%
Albania	28,748	0.29%	2.8	0.38%
North Macedonia	25,713	0.26%	2.1	0.28%
Slovenia	20,273	0.20%	2.1	0.28%
Montenegro	13,812	0.14%	0.6	0.08%
Kosovo	10,887	0.11%	1.8	0.24%
Luxembourg	2,586	0.03%	0.6	0.08%
Andorra	468	0.005%	0.08	0.01%
Malta	316	0.003%	0.5	0.07%
Liechtenstein	160	0.002%	0.04	0.005%
San Marino	61	0.001%	0.03	0.004%
Monaco	2.02	0.00002%	0.04	0.005%
Vatican City	0.49	0.000005%	0.0008	0.0001%

The percentages above are approximate and rounded for ease of reference. The list focuses on sovereign states and recognized territories. Some countries like Russia and Kazakhstan have only part of their territory in Europe, so only the European portions are considered.

Almost 50% of Europe is Already at War. 

Russia accounts for 40% of European land, and 15% of its population. Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe, accounting for 6% of European land, and 5% of its population. It can be said that 46% of European land and 20% of European population are already at war.  

Alternate potential headlines would be: 

    20% of Europeans are Killing Each Other. Is this the beginning of WWII? 

    20% of Europeans Are Already at War. Did WWIII begin already?

    1 out of every 5 Europeans are at War. Is this the first chapter of WWIII

We don't know. No one knows. 

Later on we'll discuss the wars at the Middle East to see how they fit into the WWIII picture. It takes two to dance. It takes two sides to begin a war. If the United States and China go to war later on, there will be enough fuel to fire a full blown WWIII.

Now you know it. 

Live well. Die better. Enjoy.

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