Determining the country in the South Pacific region most similar to the Middle East and North Africa 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 Index suggests that Fiji is the most similar country in the South Pacific region to the Middle East. On the other end of the spectrum, the data suggests that Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands are the least similar. However, it is important to note that these two regions are some of the least similar in the world.
(Middle Eastern countries are defined as Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen)
Fiji has a higher standard of living and its infrastructure is more developed than many other countries in the South Pacific region. Compared to some other South Pacific nations, Fiji has achieved a degree of economic stability and development. Therefore, it is more similar to Middle Eastern countries. Furthermore, many Arabian countries have a large population of people with South Asian ancestry, due to recent immigration. Fiji also has a high percentage of people from South Asia, since many of its people came to Fiji to work as indentured laborers in the country’s sugar plantations. As a result, Fiji also has the higher percentage of Muslims of any country in the South Pacific region.
The Most Similar Middle Eastern Country to Fiji
The Country Similarity Index suggests that Pakistan is the most similar Middle Eastern country to Fiji. This is because a large percentage of Fijians have South Asian ancestry. Furthermore, Pakistan drives on the left like Fiji and unlike other Middle Eastern countries. In addition, Pakistan is a democracy, while many other Middle Eastern countries have authoritarian governments.
