(Countries on the European continent defined as Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine)
Determining the country most similar to the European continent 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 data, the most average country in Europe is Croatia. It is at the crossroads between Southern, Eastern, and Central Europe. The country was once part of Austria-Hungary before becoming part of Yugoslavia. Like many countries in Europe it has many Catholics. Furthermore, like most of Eastern Europe, its people speak Slavic languages. While its coastline has a Mediterranean climate, its inland portions have a Continental climate. The country is also part of the European Union. Croatia’s high average is due in part to having many extremely similar countries to it that were once part of Yugoslavia.
Among countries considered to be part of the European continent, Iceland is the least similar to the average European nation. It is isolated in the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Continental Europe. Its climate is much colder than the average European nation. Furthermore, it does not have nearly as high a percentage of agricultural land or forested land as most European countries. Another difference is that Iceland is not in the European Union and does not use the Euro as currency. Unlike Europe, over 90% of Icelandic homes are heated using geothermal energy. It also lacks robust public transportation.
Among countries not considered to be part of the European continent, Cyprus is the most similar to the average European nation. Cyprus is considered to be part of the Asian continent, despite being on an island located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the European Union and the country uses the Euro. Even further back in history, it was part of the Greek and Roman Empires. Furthermore, the country is predominately Christian and most of its native people speak an Indo-European language, unlike most countries in Asia. In addition, Cyprus has a fairly high level of development.
Furthermore, the data shows that Somalia is the least similar country to the European continent. Geographically, Somalia is located in the Sahel region of Africa and it has an extremely dry climate, in contrast to European countries. It is a predominately Muslim country with extremely conservative laws. Politically, Somalia suffers from prolonged instability and lacks a strong central government, unlike the stable democracies of Europe. Economically, it is one of the poorest countries globally. Ongoing violence, including terrorism, plague Somalia. Basic infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, and water supply, is severely lacking.
