More often than not, countries that are populated with people that share the same race are somewhat similar. However, there are a few pairs of countries that have little else in common, aside from most of their people having similar ancestry. A list of these countries was developed by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index, that weighs equally five major aspects of countries: their demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
NETHERLANDS-YEMEN
Most of the people in the Netherlands and Yemen are considered to be part of the Caucasian race, despite the fact that Dutch people tend to have a lighter complexion. Their people have ancestry that is distantly related, since both Middle Easterners and Europeans have their origins in Southwest Asia.
However, the Netherlands and Yemen are far different countries. Interestingly enough, the Dutch have the highest average height in the world, while Yemenis are the shortest. Their people natively speak unrelated languages and they use different writing systems. The Netherlands is mostly Christian, while Yemenis are predominately Muslim. Dutch people tend to be far less religious as well. Yemen also has much more conservative laws than the Netherlands. It does not allow prostitution, alcohol, same sex marriage, or abortion. The infrastructure in the Netherlands is far more advanced than Yemen, since the country has struggled due to civil war. Furthermore, the Netherlands is much more densely populated than Yemen and far less mountainous. It has a colder climate with far more rainfall as well.
Luxembourg–Yemen and Belgium–Yemen are two other pairs of countries that have mostly Caucasian people, which are far different in most other aspects.
BAHAMAS-MALI
The vast majority of the people in the Bahamas and Mali have Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The ancestors of most Bahamians originate in West Africa, since they were once shipped by Europeans to the Caribbean to become slaves.
However, the Bahamas and Mali are very different countries. The people in the Bahamas tend to be wealthier and more educated. Their people natively speak unrelated languages as well. The Bahamas is mostly Christian, whereas Mali is predominately Muslim. The government of the Bahamas is also more democratic than Mali’s. While the Bahamas was a British colony, Mali was once a French colony. As a result, their technology standards are far different as well. The Bahamas drives on the left and uses a different electrical outlet than Mali. Furthermore, Mali is a landlocked country in Africa that is mostly desert. The Bahamas is a group of tropical islands in the Atlantic Ocean.
Bahamas–Chad and Bahamas–Niger are two other pairs of countries that have mostly Sub-Saharan African ancestry, which are far different in most other aspects.
CAMBODIA-JAPAN
Most of the people native to Cambodia and Japan are considered to have East Asian ancestry. It is theorized that their ancestors originated in eastern China, before spreading out to more southern and northern locations.
However, Japan and Cambodia are vastly different countries. The people in Japan tend to be wealthier and more educated. Their native languages and writing systems are completely unrelated. The Japanese also tend to be far less religious than Cambodians. Recently, Japan has done relatively well at the Olympics, while Cambodia has never won a medal. Moreover, the Japanese are more interested in baseball. Japan is also more democratic than Cambodia’s government that is dominated by a single party. Their infrastructure is far different as well. Japan is far more developed. In addition, Japan drives on the left and uses a different railroad track gauge. Furthermore, Japan has a colder climate than Cambodia since it is at more northern latitudes. It is also far more mountainous and has a much lower percentage of farmland.
Japan–Laos and Mongolia–Singapore are two other pairs of nations with predominately East Asian ancestry that have little else in common.
Do you agree with this list? Any other pairs of countries that you would add?
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