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The governments of Canada and Australia I believe created there provinces and states respectfully. In the US however, the states were essentially sovereign nations and came together to created the government, similar to what happened in Germany.
The only two provinces that Canada "created" were Alberta and Saskatchewan, which were carved out of the Northwest Territories in 1905.
The other eight provinces were all separate British colonies, and joined Canada willingly. The first four (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) united in 1867. The others all joined later between 1870 and 1949.
In Australia I noticed they didnt have that many American retail chains as you see in other parts of the world, they have their own. They have their own version of Target- it is not affiliated with the US ones. They have Costco, but no Home Depot or Wal-Mart. They have their own department stores like Myer & David Jones, none of the US ones.
Although the scenery in Sydney & Melbourne reminded me of California, the setup of the cities and the housing styles were still notably different. In some ways even remind me of Hawaii (housing styles, etc). Their highway system/ infrastructure is much more basic than the US.
People-wise, very different from the US. No Blacks or Hispanic cultures- way more Asian influences. They have an Aboriginal population. Demographically, more similar to Canada than the US.
Public transit wise- more advanced generally than the US Sunbelt. Sydney and Melbourne have extensive systems and extend into outlying areas. Also, the setup around main transit centers are very different from the US, where there are stores, services, etc combined with the transit stops- reminds me of Europe and Asia.
Food wise, I find quite different from the US. Smaller portions and they eat less fried foods. More lamb, and more exposed to certain types of Asian foods (Malaysian) than in the US.
Also much nicer looking $ bills.
Besides weather and scenery, Australia is actually way more similar to Canada
The governments of Canada and Australia I believe created their provinces and states respectively. In the US however, the states were essentially sovereign nations and came together to create the government, similar to what happened in Germany.
Australia was founded on a kind of hybrid US and Canadian model. The states were colonies that got together to form a federation, and created the Australian Capital territory (canberra). The states all have their own (much older) constitutions, which govern the basic democratic rights of the people.
Canada has provinces due to being a French word and Canada was French centuries before it was English.
Anyway the US and Australia have a lot of similarities. Both, and I know this is going to cause controversy, are rather isolationist and parochial. Both are "islands" socially which creates the classic "island mentality" of seeing things in a less worldly view. Of course the US is not geographically an island but it has the isolationist views common of island nations. England and Japan are other examples of the more isolationist views of island-type countries. This can result in a far fiercer sense of independence. Not necessarily a bad thing but it is unique.
On another note, both countries also have a reputation as having a rather "boisterous" population and society which can add to their humour and character but can also get a tad annoying at times.
Canada was French long before it was British it is true but it was the British who brought the word province here with the Quebec Act of 1774 that created the Province of Quebec (conquered by the British in the 1760s). Britain also used the word province for most of its 13 colonies to the south. They renamed themselves states in 1776.
The only two provinces that Canada "created" were Alberta and Saskatchewan, which were carved out of the Northwest Territories in 1905.
The other eight provinces were all separate British colonies, and joined Canada willingly. The first four (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) united in 1867. The others all joined later between 1870 and 1949.
Australia was founded on a kind of hybrid US and Canadian model. The states were colonies that got together to form a federation, and created the Australian Capital territory (canberra). The states all have their own (much older) constitutions, which govern the basic democratic rights of the people.
Ok thanks. So actually, quite similar. The main difference with the US is that it went the republic route and all the states are also republics and share sovereignty with the federal government.
Australia is an offshoot of the United Kingdom and an extension of its culture in many ways. It's very much in that branch/family when talking influence and culture. Of course it has obviously developed its own brand and today is its own place, of course, but make no mistake on where its foundational pillars came from.
Now Australia and the United States share some superficial similarities with one another. Both predominantly English speaking nations, but that's just the extent of it, superficial similarities, and also are aligned militarily as allies, but not really anything much deeper than that.
The United States after declaring its independence from England diverged into becoming its own thing and did things in its very own way. In contrast Australia and Canada never formally separated from the United Kingdom. The head of state of the United Kingdom is the head of state in Australia and Canada as well. The remnants of influence can be seen everywhere, from pronunciation, spelling, terminology, moral guidelines, ethical codes, government structure, the way immigrants are classified, educational systems and structures, so on and so forth when it comes to Australia-Canada-United Kingdom.
The United States in contrast is its very own thing, like a bubble really.
Pets is another difference between the two countries -Aussies will typically have a pet wallaby or pademelon, while Americans will typically have a pet bear or bald eagle.
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