Determining the Latin American country most similar to Central 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.
The data from the Index suggests that Argentina is the most similar Latin American country to Central Asia. On the other end of the spectrum, Panama has the least amount of traits in common with Central Asia.
(Central Asian countries defined as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan)
Although Central Asia is extremely distant from Argentina, geography is by far the biggest reason why Argentina is the Latin American country most similar to Central Asia.
Argentina has one of the coldest and driest climates in Latin America. As a result, its landscape resembles Central Asia more than most Latin American countries, which typically have a hotter and more humid climate. The Pampas is known for its grasslands, which are an ideal place for cattle grazing. It is similar to the Eurasian steppe. As a result, beef is the most commonly eaten meat in Argentina and most Central Asian countries. Furthermore, wheat is the most commonly grown crop in all these countries. Argentina and Central Asia tend to be sparsely populated places as well.
The Most Similar Central Asian Country to Argentina
The Country Similarity Index suggests that Turkey is the most similar country in the Central Asia region to Argentina. They have a variety of different climatic conditions, since temperate, mediterranean, and desert climates are in parts of both countries. Unlike most Central Asian countries, Turkey and Argentina are not landlocked. Furthermore, they also fall into the category of middle-income countries.
