(Countries on the North American continent defined as Canada, United States of America, Mexico, Bermuda, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Determining the country most similar to North America 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.
Since most countries in North America are Latin American, it is no surprise that the data shows that Panama is the most average country in North America. The country has coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Like the vast majority of nations in the region, its people natively speak Spanish and are mostly Catholic. Panama has a diverse mix of people with Native American, European, and African ancestry. It is neither the one of the poorest nor one of the richest countries on the continent.
On the other end of the spectrum, the country least similar to most nations in North America is Canada. Its climate is much colder than countries in Latin America, since it is the furtherest north. Canada was colonized by France and England, so it developed a different cultural and political landscape. Furthermore, Canada’s infrastructure is significantly more developed than countries in Central America and the Caribbean. Latin America has historically experienced greater economic inequality compared to Canada.
Since most countries in North America are Latin American, it is no surprise that the data shows Colombia is the most similar nation to the continent outside of North America. Among South American countries, it is the furtherest north. The country has coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Like the vast majority of nations in the region, its people natively speak Spanish and are mostly Catholic. Colombia has a diverse mix of people with Native American, European, and African ancestry.
The analysis shows that Afghanistan is the least similar country to the average nation in North America. It is a landlocked country in Asia. The majority of its people are Muslim, however the people of both countries do natively speak Indo-European languages. Still, Afghanistan uses the Arabic script. Its climate is much drier than most countries in North America. North America has a robust infrastructure network, including transportation, communication, and utilities, far surpassing Afghanistan’s limited infrastructure.
