Australia vs New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand are two countries located in the Oceania in the Southern Hemisphere. Both countries used to have ties with the British Colony which in turn gave them eerily similar flags, quite similar but culturally different.
Australia
Australia was founded to be a penal colony and is a very large country with lengthy distances from one place to another. The immigrants inhabiting Australia nowadays are mostly from Lebanon, Italy and Greece. As for the government, Australia maintains one in each State but still has the prevailing Federal government. In terms of education, schooling varies from state to state in Australia.
New Zealand
New Zealand was founded to be a religious colony. It is a land filled with glaciers, very fertile soil and lakes. The immigrants in New Zealand mostly came from the Pacific Islands but have recently been getting immigrants from different parts of Asia. Government-wise, this country only has one which is parliamentary democracy. In New Zealand, there is a national curriculum being followed in all of their schools.
Difference between Australia and New Zealand
Two countries in close proximity, one might think they all have nothing but similarities. Think again. Australia’s educational system is different from state to state. On the other hand, New Zealand has a lone curriculum that all school in their nation follows. There are long spanning droughts in Australia, New Zealand has droughts that only last for a short period of time. The immigrants in Australia mostly came from European countries; the ones in New Zealand came from the Pacific Islands. While there is a government in each state of Australia, New Zealand only has one.
These differences aside, these two neighboring countries are very friendly to each other. They have differences but not so much as to be THAT much different from each other.
| Australia | New Zealand | |
| Population | 21.5 million (approx) | 4.25 million (Approx) |
| Area | 7.74 million sq. km (6th largest in the world)
Deserts cover large part of the area and population concentrated along Eastern and Southeastern coast |
267,710 sq. km
Mountainous with coastal plains |
| Economy | GDP per capita $41,300 (2010) World rank 17
Export – 29% of global coal |
GDP per capita $28,000 (2010) World rank 51
Export – Dairy product, meat |
| Exchange Rate | 1AUD =1.115 USD (2010) | 1NZD =0.713 USD (2010) |
| Climate | temperate in South & East, tropical in North | temperate, earthquakes are common |
| Ethnic proportion | White 92%, Asian 7%, Aboriginal & other 1% | White 56.8%, Asian 8%, Maori 7.4%, Pacific Islanders 4.6%, |
| Migrants | World rank 14
Mainly from Lebanon, Italy, Greek and South East Asia |
World rank 37
Mainly from Pacific Islands |
| Language | English (specific accent) | English, Maori |
| Government | State Governments and Federal Government with Constitutional Monarchy | Single Parliamentary democracy with Constitutional Monarchy |
| Culture | Multi cultural society, modest, place high value on relationship, direct in dealings, | Friendly, extend hospitality, reserved initially, concerned about environment, Egalitarian |