# compare american states and european countries **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2002, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297 "2002-12-17T09:20:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/1 "2002-12-17T09:20:04Z")
For American dopers: Which European country you think is most like your state (one of fifty you live in) and why (is it people, climate, geography, history, religion, etc)? For European dopers: Vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/2 "2002-12-17T10:07:26Z")
Sweden - Minesota ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/3 "2002-12-17T10:18:02Z")
rather obviously England-Mass. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/4 "2002-12-17T10:20:51Z")
Hawaii - Malta A little out of the way island with a tourism based economy. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/5 "2002-12-17T10:37:42Z")
Wyoming-Argentina. What? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/6 "2002-12-17T10:41:23Z")
Since the country I am from is large (population-wise) and diverse, culture-wise, I couldn’t really compare the entire country with a US state. Off the top of my head, South Downs =\> Vermont. Scottish highlands =\> Montana. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/7 "2002-12-17T10:43:33Z")
And of course Cheddar Gorge =\> Grand Canyon. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/8 "2002-12-17T10:45:24Z")
I thought this question was interesting, since by size and population, Europe is comparable to the United States. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/9 "2002-12-17T10:53:24Z")
From England which is perhaps closest to the New England area Although I live in London which is obviously New York, and the bit I live in would be closest to an upmarket suburb of that city. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/10 "2002-12-17T10:56:40Z")
Europe’s population is about 35% bigger. The EU’s population is currently [379.6 million](http://www.itv.com/news/Related1428225.html), while the US is [280.6 million](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html). This is, of course, before we add all those extra countries in 2004. ---
**Author:** ![ctr22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@ctr22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctr22)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/11 "2002-12-17T11:54:41Z")
There is no country in Europe like California, in fact it’s a world of it’s own. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/12 "2002-12-17T12:05:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ctr22 \* > \*\*There is no country in Europe like California, in fact it’s a world of it’s own. 😉 \*\* Shows How much you know. Spain is, in many ways, like California. Just to mention one I’ll say the climate s are remarkably similar. ---
**Author:** ![ctr22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@ctr22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctr22)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/13 "2002-12-17T13:02:35Z")
In the sense that Spain’s med climate is mostly coastal then yes California’s climate is similar. California’s desert and northern region climate is nothing like Spain Actually California could be like Italy. Most of Europe doesn’t experience the type of seismic activity that CA and Italy have. California is the largest state population-wise though our 34 million aren’t exactly close to Italy’s 57 million. ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/14 "2002-12-17T13:39:50Z")
i lived in new jersey but i would not say that is equivalent to my present home county in england…somerset not haveing too much experience of the usa i would have to go for a flat rural area near the sea where farming and livestock are around and a temperate winter my guess is delaware or maryland? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/15 "2002-12-17T13:55:47Z")
Illinois is like… uh, well… In terms of culture, [some very high percentage] of the people of Illinois speak the same language and/or worship the same God as [some equally high percentage] of the people of England. In terms of climate, our summers are brutally hot (daytime highs in the upper 90’s(F)) and humid (relative humidity in the upper 90‰ range), so I guess that makes us like a southern European city such as, I dunno, Rome? Our winters are brutally cold (it can get as cold as -20F here sometimes, but winter daily highs usually range between 5F-25F during the coldest stretches). So I guess that makes us like some northern European city like, I dunno, London? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/16 "2002-12-17T13:56:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ctr22 \* > \*\*In the sense that Spain’s med climate is mostly coastal then yes California’s climate is similar. California’s desert and northern region climate is nothing like Spain \*\* Never been to Basque country, have you? And if we’re talking nightlife, culture and diversity - I suggest a visit to Barcelona or Madrid. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/17 "2002-12-17T14:00:14Z")
Texas really has no European analouge, but… In Arkansas, they have a saying: “Thank God for Mississippi”. We have something similar in Texas: “Thank God for Singapore”. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/18 "2002-12-17T14:12:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rastahomie \* > \*\*Illinois is like… uh, well… > In terms of culture, [some very high percentage] of the people of Illinois speak the same language and/or worship the same God as [some equally high percentage] of the people of England. > > In terms of climate, our summers are brutally hot (daytime highs in the upper 90’s(F)) and humid (relative humidity in the upper 90‰ range), so I guess that makes us like a southern European city such as, I dunno, Rome? Our winters are brutally cold (it can get as cold as -20F here sometimes, but winter daily highs usually range between 5F-25F during the coldest stretches). So I guess that makes us like some northern European city like, I dunno, London? \*\* Not London. It never gets that cold here and snow is quite unusuall. For temperatures like that you need central Europe eg Czech Republic, Poland etc. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/19 "2002-12-17T14:15:48Z")
Also, AFAIK, we are very less religious than Illinois. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2002, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297/20 "2002-12-17T15:22:08Z")
Washington DC – Luxembourg [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-american-states-and-european-countries/143297.md?page=2)