Iceland vs Singapore

• Until mid-1900s: physical isolation of Iceland ensures that its population experiences a strong sense of common identity and cultural homogeneity.
• Anthropologists point to tough life early Icelanders experienced in a volcanic and glacial island sited atop the mid-Atlantic Ridge in North Atlantic Ocean.
• Many cultural conditions born of hardship in earlier times in Iceland have survived to present day and help foster community cohesion. E.G people like to share 'rotten shark' at parties.
• 2008: McDonald's closed its restaurants in Iceland as its high prices deterred customers. Empty premises were taken over by locally owned company selling exclusively Icelandic food and ingredients instead - sign of global culture in retreat.
• 99% of Icelanders are connected to the internet, among the highest in the world.
• Island of 365,000 people is swelled by an average of 2 million tourists each year who flock to Iceland to see its geography.
• Ratio of tourists to inhabitants is among the highest in the world and may lead to more visitors wanting to settle there permanently, leading to greater cultural diversity.
• Contrastingly, Singapore is a cultural melting point of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European influences, all of which have intermingled (producing a variant form of English called 'Singlish')
• From 1926-1946, Singapore played major strategic role as a military and trading hub under British administration. The poltical decision to make it a free port (where no taxes were collected), encouraged migration from China, the Indian sub-continent, Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula and the Middle East.
• Following independence, Singapore was becoming a fast-growing 'Asian Tiger' economy and today has a GDP per capita income of $65,000 (2019). Due to this prosperity, it remains a magnet for new waves of migrants who bring their customs, religions and festivals with them.