14 Differences Between New Zealand and Iceland

Iceland and New Zealand do have some similarities to one another. Because of this fact, the two countries are occasionally mistaken for one another or confused in other ways. However, it's time to clear the record and point out the differences between the two nations.

Iceland

Image via Flickr by bsmethers
Iceland was discovered by Vikings during a period between 860 and 875 AD. The above image is a prime example of the chilly beauty that characterizes much of this country. While there are relatively cold areas of New Zealand, Iceland wins the contest of which country gets chillier. Iceland is also a few smaller country than New Zealand is, being only a little under 40,000 square miles in size.

New Zealand

Image via Flickr by cubagallery
New Zealand was discovered by the Maori around 1300 AD, and then rediscovered by the Dutch in 1642. With some of the most dramatic examples of different landforms and climates of any one country on earth across its 139,000 square miles of landmass, New Zealand is a hard place to pin down. However, it is most definitely not the same as Iceland.

Child Differences

Children are an important part of any population, and as such present an important contrast between the two countries. People in Iceland have a 33.81% lower likelihood of dying while they're infants than do people in New Zealand. Those who survive to adulthood tend to produce 3.26% less children of their own.

Efficiency Differences

The cold has a definite impact on how resources are used in Iceland. The difference in latitude may also contribute to using more light. They consume 77.58% more oil than do the kiwi people. Icelanders also utilize 5.8 times as much electricity overall as do New Zealanders.

Money Differences

Money is a major factor for most societies, and these two are no different in that regard. Both are countries based on capitalism. However, the differences between the two are plentiful.
Icelanders are comparatively wealthy, earning on average 45.05% more money than do people in New Zealand. This is intriguing, since an Icelander is 12.33% more likely to be unemployed than his or her New Zealand counterpart. However, Icelanders who are employed tend to work 5.1% more hours during the year. There is also a 22.65% smaller difference in wealth distribution among the population, leading to a far smaller level of class division. Of course, Icelanders also spend 31% more of their money on caring for their health.

Health Differences

Health can be impacted by a lot of variables. If you've ever stayed in New Zealand hotels, you know that since much of the country is located near beaches, fitness is a common trait of the local people. But there are many dissimilarities between the two nations that go beyond geography. An individual in Iceland is more likely to have HIV or AIDS than a New Zealander by a factor of two. Notwithstanding this disadvantage, Icelanders have .31 years -- roughly 113 extra days -- of lifespan versus their kiwi counterparts.
There are some things in common between these two island nations. However, there are more than enough differences to make them easy to tell apart.