Located in Europe

geographic coordinates: 
   
 

Number of Members:
25 Member States

Applicant States:
3

Area:
 

Land use:

Climate: Temperate

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Capital:
Brussels

The European Union (EU) is not a federation like the United States. Nor is it simply an organisation for co-operation between governments, like the United Nations. It is, in fact, unique. The countries that make up the EU (its "member states") pool their sovereignty in order to gain a strength and world influence none of them could have on its own.

Pooling sovereignty means, in practice, that the member states delegate some of their decision-making powers to shared institutions they have created, so that decisions on specific matters of joint interest can be made democratically at European level.