# Foreign countries - which US states do they resemble? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808 "2011-02-27T17:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/21 "2011-02-28T16:46:11Z")
Atlantic Canada looks a lot like New England, and to an extent, historic or quaint seaside towns elsewhere on the Eastern Seaboard (e.g. some areas of the NJ shore). ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/22 "2011-02-28T16:48:53Z")
According to an old travelogue from the 16th century, Virginia’s climate resembles that of Persia/Iran. [http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=etas](http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=etas) ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/23 "2011-02-28T16:57:22Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I was in Wisconsin and it reminded me of Ireland, especially Ulster. Yes, but Wisconsin doesn’t _always_ have those mass protests in the streets, you know. Come back when they’re over then let us know. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/24 "2011-02-28T19:59:07Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Australia pretty much looks like most of America. From Snow capped mountains to broad deserts, to tropical rainforests to temperate rainforest and everything in between. > > Oh except for Alaska, we don’t have that. I think not. Much of the Boomerang Coast is similar to the Southern California coast. The southern inlands are much drier than America while the northern tropics are considerably more wet. The Red Center is similar to the Mojave Desert, except for the cacti (US) and bloody red color (Oz). And everywhere it’s flat, compared to the US. I’ll take a drive across Kansas anyday over a drive across the Hay Plains or up the middle between Adelaide anmd Darwin. Then there are the crows. Aussie crows have a definite accent compared to American crows. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/25 "2011-03-01T00:18:33Z")
The hillier parts of Connecticut and Western Mass remind me a lot of Wales. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/26 "2011-03-01T00:30:22Z")
Oh, I’ll tell you what, I thought Tuscany looked a lot like Northern California, too. Standing at the back of the Pitti Palace in Florence, looking over the hillsides all covered in vineyards, I thought _this looks just like home_. But with more palaces. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/27 "2011-03-01T08:10:36Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > Yes, but Wisconsin doesn’t _always_ have those mass protests in the streets, you know. > > Come back when they’re over then let us know. 😃 I was of course referring to the [drumlins](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumlin) and the cattle rather than the civil unrest. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/28 "2011-03-01T10:38:57Z")
Visiting San Francisco almost turned me into a pool of goo… the climate and land are similar enough to Pamplona’s that the wildflowers are the same. Go 100km further south, to the Bardenas, and you’ll think you’re somewhere near Mesa Verde; of course Almería (on the other end of the country) as been called “Arizona”, “Texas” or “(New) Mexico” in more movies than I care to count. We have a mix of mountains from two different geological periods: some of the old ones (mostly the hills on our northern coast, from the end of the Pyrinees to Finisterra) look similar to the Smoky Mountains, the newer ones are more Rockies-like. Where it doesn’t have mountains, the Central Mesa (basically the two Castilles) tends toward “flat and rolling”, but the cultivars are different from those in the flat and rolling parts of the US: here it’s mostly wheat, sunflowers and very short grapevines, with some areas specializing in olive trees (often with wheat or similar cereals growing in the same field). > [@Alessan](#): > > Israelis tend to find New Yorkers a bid too polite 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/29 "2011-03-02T03:12:08Z")
Have heard that two regions that very much resemble each other geographically are the Washington San Juan Islands and the Greek Aegean Islands. Have never been to the latter, so can’t say how accurate this is. However, looking on a map there does seem to be significant similarities, allthough the San Juans look to be more densly situated. ---
**Author:** ![alexandra2345s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@alexandra2345s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra2345s)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/30 "2015-01-28T20:46:36Z")
As someone who has a lot of contact with Greeks, and Italians; they claim that Northern California resembles Greece, and Southern California resembles Italy. My Greek friends say when they land in Northern California it’s like coming home, including the craggy hills of Amador County.:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/31 "2015-01-29T00:26:54Z")
> [@alexandra2345s](#): > > As someone who has a lot of contact with Greeks, and Italians; they claim that Northern California resembles Greece, and Southern California resembles Italy. > [@Nava](#): > > Visiting San Francisco almost turned me into a pool of goo… the climate and land are similar enough to Pamplona’s that the wildflowers are the same. > [@Ponch8](#): > > Israel is another place that somewhat resembles Southern California. There’s a reason why they named the Mediterranean Sea after California’s Mediterranean climate. 😃 When I visited Spain’s Costa del Sol, the similarity to So.Cal was so great, it was almost eerie. Even the architecture’s somewhat similar in places. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/32 "2015-01-29T01:03:10Z")
St. Augustine, Florida looks a lot like Spain. ---
**Author:** ![kurtisokc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kurtisokc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kurtisokc)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/33 "2015-01-29T01:18:54Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Atlantic Canada looks a lot like New England, and to an extent, historic or quaint seaside towns elsewhere on the Eastern Seaboard (e.g. some areas of the NJ shore). I’m sorry, but I think we should exclude comparisons of regions which actually border on each other. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/34 "2015-01-29T01:38:10Z")
From Archer, season 2: **Anka(?)** Age of consent in Germany is 14. **Archer** What is it? The Alabama of Europe? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/35 "2015-01-29T03:15:45Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > There’s a reason why they named the Mediterranean Sea after California’s Mediterranean climate. 😃 The climate of Pamplona and San Francisco is not Mediterranean, it’s Atlantic. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/36 "2015-01-29T03:23:43Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The climate of Pamplona and San Francisco is not Mediterranean, it’s Atlantic. San Francisco, CA? If so, that’s silly since it’s on the Pacific Coast. It most definitely has a Mediterranean climate, as does most of coastal CA up to about Mendocino or so. Tuscany in Italy reminded me a lot of CA. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/37 "2015-01-29T04:48:17Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Much of the Boomerang Coast I’ve never heard that term before. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/38 "2015-01-29T06:12:49Z")
From personal experience… Parts of South Africa feel a bit like Southern California. Parts of central Iran feel like central Nevada. Parts of Mauritius feel like Hawaii. This of course is mostly about scenery and climate… ignoring language, culture, food, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/39 "2015-01-29T09:32:06Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Parts of South Africa feel a bit like Southern California. That would be the Western Cape - same climate (Mediterranean) and similar veg ([chaparral](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaparral) / [maquis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maquis_shrubland) / [fynbos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fynbos)), great beaches, bit more laid back. Some parts are more like Central Cali, I’m told - the winelands, the [Garden Route](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_Route) has resemblances to [Big Sur](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Sur)… The dry interior of South Africa ([Karroo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karoo), [Kalahari](https://www.google.com/search?q=kalahari&num=30&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=D_3JVLezBIyP7AbJw4GIAw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAw&biw=1366&bih=563), [Bushveld](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushveld)) either resembles the Southwest or the desert parts of California. The tropical Kwazulu-Natal province would be something like a combo of Hawaii and the Gulf states… ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2015, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808/40 "2015-01-29T23:53:20Z")
In some ways, the South Island of NZ reminded me of the Pacific Northwest. But that is mainly in the general climate and geology. When you get to details like native plants and animals, they’re very different. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-countries-which-us-states-do-they-resemble/572808.md?page=3)