Nato Countries, Political Map of Europe

Political map of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), published in March 2024 by NGA Analytic Production and Design Center (click to enlarge). NATO promotes collective defense of its members (in blue). It was founded in 1949 by 12 countries. Founded in 1949 by 12 countries, today 32 members, Europe, with a combined population of about 1 billion and 50 % of the world’s economic and military power. NATO's headquarters, the political and administrative political and administrative political and administrative, is located in Brussels, Belgium. Initially based in London, the Headquarters was moved to Paris in 1952 before being transferred to Brussels, Belgium in 1967, relocated from its Parisian home at Porte Dauphine to Brussels from where it continues to serve the Alliance today.

The original 12 members of NATO, all of whom signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington D.C. on April 4, 1949, were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Greece and Turkey joined NATO in 1952. The Federal Republic of Germany joined in 1955. Spain joined in 1982. Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined in 1999. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joined in 2004. Albania and Croatia joined in 2009. Montenegro joined in 2017. North Macedonia joined in 2020.Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Finland became a NATO member in April 2023, followed by Sweden in March 2024.

Throughout the Cold War, NATO's primary purpose was to deter and counter the threat posed by the Soviet Union and its satellite states, which formed the rival Warsaw Pact in 1955. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the alliance adapted, conducting its first major military interventions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995) and Yugoslavia (1999).

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, the signatory members agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all. No country has ever fully left NATO; however, France withdrew from NATO's integrated military command between 1966 and 2009, though it remained a political member. Some countries, like Greece, also temporarily withdrew from the military command structure but later returned.

NATO also maintains relations with 35 non-member countries and a range of international organizations, called NATO partners. This partnership network strengthens security outside NATO territory, which makes NATO itself safer. The Alliance pursues dialogue and practical cooperation with partners on a wide range of political and security-related issues, including global challenges like terrorism, civil emergencies and cyber attacks. NATO’s partnerships are beneficial to all involved and contribute to improved security for the broader international community. Japan is one of NATO's partners in the Indo-Pacific region, together with Australia, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand. The Indo-Pacific is important for the Alliance, given that developments in that region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security. NATO's partnerships with Belarus and Russia are currently suspended following North Atlantic Council decisions related to the security environment.