Otázka: Culture comparison: Austria and New Zealand
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): aneta
I would like to compare culture of Austria and New Zealand. I compare both countries in different areas of culture, such as education, sport, cuisine, religion and their minorities.
Firstly, I mention Austria and some basic characteristics about it. Austria is a landlock country with 8.7 million inhabitans. It is a federal republic. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Hungary and Slovakia to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Liechtenstein and Switzerland to the west. The capital city is Vienna.
Secondly, I introduce New Zealand. New Zealand is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. It has 4.7 million inhabitans. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. Elizabeth II is the head of state. The country includes two landmasses – the North Island and the South Island – and numerous smaller islands. The capital city is Wellington.
The first area, which I compare is education system. Both countries have kindergartens from 3 do 5 (6) years. After that, children have to attend primary school. In Austria lasts only four years, in New Zealand lasts eight years. Secondary education in Austria consists of two main types of schools – the Gymnasium and the Hauptschule. The Gymnasium is for more gifted children and the Hauptchule prepare children for vocational education. Both end with graduation. The system of secondary education in New Zealand is quite different. First two years children study mandatory subjects, next one year they specialize for some subjects and next two years they can choose between three levels of national qualification. Univerzities in New Zeland and Austria are for free for their inhabitans. In Austria it is also free for all EU students.
The next area is sport in these two countries. Due to the mountainous terrain in Austria, alpine skiing, snowboaring and ski jumping are very popular sports there. Also football, hockey and basketball are represented there. In New Zealand is the most popular sport rugby. Adults like also golf, netball, tennis and cricket. On the other hand, teenagers prefer while netball, soccer and rugby. Also, New Zealand is known for its extremes sports, adventure tourism and strong mountaineering tradition.
Another area, which I compare is their cuisine. New Zealand cuisine is inspired by Europe, Asia and Polynesia. It is based on seafood, such as salmon, lobster, dredge oysters, whitebait, paua, mussels, scallops, pipis und tatuas. Austria cusine has been influenced by Hungarian, Bohemia Czech, Jewish, Italian, Balkan and French cuisine. The most famous dishes are Schnitzel, Apfelstrudel, Sachertorte, Knodel und Krapfen. Austria is well known for its schnapps.Schnapps are alcohol drinks, usually made from a variety of fruits, for example apricots and rowanberries. Local soft drinks such as Almdudler are very popular around the country as an alternative to alcoholic beverages. Another popular drink is the so-called „Spetzi“, a mix between Coca-Cola and the original formula of Orange Fanta.
The last two areas, which I compare are religion and minorities. In Austria live three main minorities with long history. First are Slovenians, second are Croats and third are Hungarians. In Austria live more than one million foreigners, which is 15% of all amount of inhabitans. The main minority in New Zealand is group of Maori. They constitute 15% of all inhabitans. Asians and inhabitans from other Pacific Islands represent a large number of the whole New Zealand´s population, too. About 70% of Austrians are Christians, 7% are Muslims and other are either atheists or another religion.Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, too.
In conclusion, I could say that both countries have some similarities and differences. They are more or less similar in religion and in the tertiary education system. Other areas are more different.
