What's it Like in Small Countries?

[Wikiy]

Sylphen, what's more barbaric. Keeping someone locked into a room for fifty years, or letting him/her die?

Don't pretend that capital punishment is exercised in America because of mercy. Or that it's a factor in the reasoning as to why it's still there.

[GreatOak]

Don't pretend that capital punishment is exercised in America because of mercy. Or that it's a factor in the reasoning as to why it's still there.

To be fair each state has its own reasons and history for or against capital punishment. My state doesn't have it because we thought the possibility for error was too great, and it wouldn't be worth it if one innocent person was killed.

[Reeve]

Texas is pretty diverse actually. I'm sure someone from Texas can explain it better, but some parts would seem more like New York or Mexico instea of Texas

While it's true that Austin is culturally distinct from Houston, and Inner Loop Houston is culturally distinct from suburban Houston, it's nowhere near the level of cultural distinction seen between say Belgian and German Cities.

[Deleted]

Sylphen, what's more barbaric. Keeping someone locked into a room for fifty years, or letting him/her die?

Is that a new euphemism for "killing"?

[Deleted]

Indeed, accents change in the UK just by going to the next town over. There are dozens, maybe more, of accents in England alone. I won't even try to count Wales Northern ireland and Scotland. All together there must be hundreds.

This ^

Just driving from Leeds to Nottingham (which is about 50min drive) and the accent and attitude change dramitically along with slang terms. Hell driving from Leeds to Wakefield/Bradford (less than 30 mins) and you find a different accent and slang.

[Deleted]

Living in England, I can only describe that I have feeling that it is very hard to escape your roots. On the one hand, I really appreciate the idea of a shared local identity and community, on the other hand it can stifle your individuality. I often think that if I moved to London, I would inevitably meet the friends, or friends of friends, of people who I know already, and this is excarbated ironically enough by internet social media. Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little, I am sure it is difficult to afford to 'escape' to somewhere completely different from your hometown in a larger country, but that's my rather ambivalent take on it.

[arandan]

Either you wanna know what's it like to live in a smaller country than the US, or you just want to praise your nation as the second coming of Christ, make up your mind pal.

Also, for a person coming from such a culturally, intelectually, etc etc country, your way of thinking (ergo - every small country must be homogeneous) is so freaking narrow-minded, it's beyond scary. SURELY, everyone in your state (sic!) MUST be just the SAME (see what I did there, you pseudo-intellectual cretin?)

Infracted: Please refrain from insulting other posters.

[Deleted]

Or devon and cornwall if you like trying to speak to pirates.

Devon accent isn't too bad, most people here dont really have the accent, at least around the coast, in the center its stronger and cornwall is pretty bad. but i grew up with it so i understand it quite well :P

[GreatOak]

Either you wanna know what's it like to live in a smaller country than the US, or you just want to praise your nation as the second coming of Christ, make up your mind pal.

Also, for a person coming from such a culturally, intelectually, etc etc country, your way of thinking (ergo - every small country must be homogeneous) is so freaking narrow-minded, it's beyond scary. SURELY, everyone in your state (sic!) MUST be just the SAME (see what I did there, you pseudo-intellectual cretin?)

Infracted: Please refrain from insulting other posters.

I said nothing that would imply that. You're projecting. I don't know why you're so defensive.

---------- Post added 2013-02-24 at 08:50 PM ----------

Devon accent isn't too bad, most people here dont really have the accent, at least around the coast, in the center its stronger and cornwall is pretty bad. but i grew up with it so i understand it quite well :P

Been there (Cornwall) and it wasn't bad

These are the accents I can't understand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xan2xU-ZFic

[Deleted]

Devon accent isn't too bad, most people here dont really have the accent, at least around the coast, in the center its stronger and cornwall is pretty bad. but i grew up with it so i understand it quite well :P

I was based at HMS Raleigh for a while, the locals all sounded like extras from Treasure island. They did not exactly fill me will confidence about their intellects when they had their annual Onion throwing contest either. They gathered in a very large group, and threw onions into the sea. The one that got his/hers the furthest got to take home a giant sack of onions.

Still not as crazy as cheese rolling though, at least very few die when onion throwing......



Broken limbs? BAH! At least you got a battered dirty cheese to take home.

[Deleted]

You want cultural, linguistic, culinary and geographical diversity? You can fit the whole of Europe in to the USA.

Ehm, what? Europe is bigger than the US.

US:
9,826,675 km2
3,794,101 sq mi

Europe:
10,180,000 km2
3,930,000 sq mi

[Pancha]

Norway is rather small. We do have a population recently surpassing the 5 million mark, but only a couple cities have more than 50 thousand inhabitants. Thousands of small cities or villages are scattered all over the country, and I'm not quite sure if you know how Norway looks like on a map, but it is long and thin. The thinnest part is just a couple kilometers wide. Coast to the Swedish/Finnish/Russian border only takes a couple hours of driving. The border crossings are, on the other hand, scarcely located.

I like living in a small country. Everyone knows everyone (not true, but is often said), and the diversity in dialects is baffling. I live in a tiny city located on the western coast in Norway (Sore-Sunnmore). If I were to drive a couple kilometers in either direction, I would hit yet another small society with a completely different dialect. Therefore, outsiders (foreigners) might have trouble learning proper Norwegian unless they stay in a single area over time. Someone living on the western coast might have trouble understanding someone further south for instance. It is rather interesting.

The cultural diversity is present, but surely not as bad in for instance Oslo. The smaller communities rarely have large groups of certain minorities. There are often immigrants, but not large groups whereas in Oslo you'll only see foreigners in certain parts of town (almost ghetto areas).

[Deleted]

What do you class as a small country?
England,France, Spain or Germany?
Belgium, Holland?
Monaco, Gibraltar?

The whole issue (at least in the EU) is slightly pointless due to ease of movement. Its not like there are border checks at every crossing.The only limit on rate of movement is UK-Europe due to ferries/train. It's near enough the same as living in states.

How can you live in a large country?You cover multiple time zones that must be really off putting. Surely you must spend half you time travelling because you cover such a large area? Intended to be sarcastic/naive

Comes down to what you are used to and cultures.

[GreatOak]

What do you class as a small country?
England,France, Spain or Germany?
Belgium, Holland?
Monaco, Gibraltar?

The whole issue (at least in the EU) is slightly pointless due to ease of movement. Its not like there are border checks at every crossing.The only limit on rate of movement is UK-Europe due to ferries/train. It's near enough the same as living in states.

How can you live in a large country?You cover multiple time zones that must be really off putting. Surely you must spend half you time travelling because you cover such a large area? Intended to be sarcastic/naive

Comes down to what you are used to and cultures.

I consider anything under 100000 sq km to be small

[Mihalik]

Well the thing is that first it depends what you understand by a small country?

Do you consider Spain a small country? Slovenia or Romania? Switzerland or the Netherlands?

Spain is a country of about 47 million people. The country is a fairly decentralized Parlimentary Monarchy with 17 autonomous regions. 5 official languages Castillian (Standard Spanish) Basque (otherwise knowns as Euskera, and extremly ancient language that pre-dates the Indo European group and predates it, keep in mind that Indo European is one of the two oldest known language groups), Catalonian that is similar to a bridge language betwen Spanish and French, Galician and Occitan which are as about as disimilar from Spanish as is Portugese. Also there are 3 partially recognised minority languages Aragonese, Asturian and Leonese.

It has 860.000 Romanian, 770.000 Morocan and 390.000 British residents. They form large comunities, have their own cultural venues, speak their own language etc. In total the country is host to 7.000.000 immigrants at any given time with a great deal of variety from Sub-Saharan to Asian. (These immigration statistics are common or similar across much of the EU.)

Other exemple would be Romania.

Eastern European EU member country. Population 19 million with several more million living abroad. It has two sizeable minorities and is composed of 3 culturally distinct regions that before 1918 where either different countries or part of other countries. The country is also host to a Hungarian minority of about 1.2 million whom have held strongly to their historical culture and language, having their own educational infrastructure and are a major part of national politics trough their swing vote power. The 3 regions of the country are also culturally distinct. Transilvania having been part of Hungary or Austro-Hungary for much of its history has a strong central/western European cultural and historic influence, with strong presence of minorities and Protestant religous groups. Other regions are Moldavia with a long running Eastern Slav/Ukrainian influence and Wallachia which has history running back to Roman Empire and for much of its history existed as an Eastern Christian buffer state for the Ottoman Empire, with Bulgarian and Turkish influences.

Then you have places like the Switzerland.

The worlds oldest continous Democracy. A federal state formed in 1291. Much of the population is either of Germanic, French or Italian origin linguisitically. The country is split in 26 Cantons and to this date practices a Direct democracy which is aided by a Parlimentary system on a federal level. Citizens can directly propose nation wide laws if they gather 100.000 votes out of total population of 8.000.000.

Their culture is a blend of influences that evolved in high Alps region where the country is situated.

The issue is that when people from places such as the US look at the maps of places like European countries they imagine largely homogenous communities separated by borders (line on a map). That is completly untrue. Europe is a place with TREMENDOUS amounts of history. It has been at different times of its history been united by great empires spaning half or more of the continent, uniting people trough culture, trade and politics and then it has been fragmented into tiny states or rival powers seeking to isolate themselves culturally or politically, but still interconected by trade and often religion. Yet often cultures evolved and developed in relative geographic isolation. But at other times Europe was the center of planet wide Empires such as the Spanish or British empires, dominated Africa and reached far into Asia across Siberia, bringing back not just resources but goods, foods and ideas, but also people. Immigrants arrived to Europe from across the world and they continue to due so.

Other issue is that population density of the Europe. Europe is a densly populated place where often the furthest city or large village is often only couple of hours of walk away from one an other.

P.S Europeans usually prefer taking intercity rail for mid range distances (3 hour train rides) and fly longer ones. So driving is not really a measurement of distance.

[Catta]

I consider anything under 1000 sq km to be small

In Europe only Monaco, Lichtenstein, Andorra, Malta and the Vatican are small then.

[GreatOak]

In Europe only Monaco, Lichtenstein, Andorra, Malta and the Vatican are small then.

Sorry, meant 100,000

[Cybran]

Sorry, meant 100,000

Damn we are 110 000 sq km... Disregard my posts

[GreatOak]

Damn we are 110 000 sq km... Disregard my posts

Well, I figured anything around 1/10 the size of America would be considered a small country. Then again, maybe countries about the size of Canada and mine are just really big and all of the others are normal.

[Catta]

Sorry, meant 100,000

Moving the goal posts now, aren't we.

Regardless - Iceland is the smallest country still larger than that.