There are 30 countries that make up NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which is an international alliance that includes countries from Europe and North America. On April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed, establishing NATO. 

Who Were the Founding Countries of NATO?

The twelve founding countries of NATO are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Greece and Turkey joined the Alliance in 1952, West Germany in 1955, and Spain joined in 1982. NATO expanded to include East Germany in 1990, following the country’s reunification.

The Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue Initiative, and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council was established between 1994 and 1997 as new regional cooperation platforms between NATO and its neighbors.

Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland were among the countries invited to join NATO in 1997. It was in May 2000 that the Vilnius group of Baltics and seven East European countries were founded to work together and press for NATO expansion.

A total of seven of these nations became members of the European Union as part of the fifth round of expansion in 2004. The Adriatic States Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia joined the EU in 2009, 2017, and 2020, respectively.