Now for a lighter perspective, I found this map of Australian-US comparison. It is as if place A is transported to B (although I should stress Tasmania is like Oregon and Washington, and Sydney is more moderate than New York, compararively speaking):
The United States as Australia, by David Bratman
I've never even been to Australia, but I've read enough descriptions of the country intended for American visitors which would, for example, explain the difference in local style between Melbourne and Sydney by saying that the one was like Boston and the other like New York, that it seemed worthwhile to collect such comparisons and illustrate them in this manner, by putting Australian names on a U.S. map in the place of their equivalents.
Various conversations I've had with Australians in the U.S. have added items to this list. Yes, Queensland is like the Deep South and Western Australia is like Texas, except for Perth which is like San Diego, but nothing else in Australia is like California at all, they said. (Even the Gold Coast? Well, they didn't mention that. Nor did they say what the equivalents of Southern Australia and Adelaide might be, so I just left them off.)
Hope you can see the dynamics and comparisons. :-)
