Determining the country in the South Pacific most similar to East Asia requires considering various social, cultural, economic, and political factors. One way to answer this complex question is by analyzing the data from the Country Similarity Index. The index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries, using a variety of statistics from five broad categories: demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography.
According to the Index, Samoa is the most similar country in the South Pacific region to East Asia. In contrast, Papua New Guinea has the least amount of traits in common with East Asia.
(South Asian countries are defined as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Pakistan could be considered as either Middle Eastern or South Asian, but is included as well)
In terms of demographics and geography, Samoa has some more traits in common with East Asia than other countries in the South Pacific region.
Demographics
Polynesians, including the people of Samoa, have a genetic heritage that is more closely related to East Asians than Melanesians. In fact, some of their ancestors originated in Taiwan. Furthermore, East Asia is one of the most highly educated regions in the world. Samoans have some of the highest levels of education in the South Pacific region. Its literacy rate is close to 100 percent. In contrast, only about two-thirds of people in Papua New Guinea are literate.
Geography
East Asia is densely populated and developed. Unlike some other islands in the South Pacific that are sparsely populated and heavily forested, Samoa has a higher population density and more developed land. Samoa has over 70 people per square kilometer. Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea have less than half the population density. Many of Samoa’s forests have been cleared agriculture.
The Most Similar East Asian Country to Samoa
The Country Similarity Index suggests that Taiwan is the most similar country in the East Asia region to Samoa. Both countries are located on tropical islands. Furthermore, their governments are democratic. They both have unicameral congresses.
