Australia could be argued as being one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world. It is a blend of traditional British, European and Asian sub-cultures that exists within the country. The combination of cultures can be witnessed in areas such as cuisine, where Chinese and Italian restaurants happily exist side by side, as well as brand names and preferences, including Nike, Ford and Toyota. At the sub-cultural level, many local or unique cultural elements are in integral part of an individual's life. For example, within the Vietnamese community relationships and family are an important aspect in an individual's way of living. However at the same time that individual is influenced by international values, such as the need to be individual too, and is reflected in the choice of clothes they wear and brands they purchase. It is this mixture of local and international values each sub-culture enjoys that formulates the typical Australian culture.
On the other hand, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) could be perceived to be a single-cultured country, mostly Arab .
First and foremost Australia can be typified as being a really strong "mateship" country. This means that people will have a tendency to treat others very friendly and respectfully, even if they are virtual strangers they will be viewed as a mate. This is a result of the "Aussie-battler" heritage that Australia was founded on, where success was made possible through helping each other out. The significance of friendship circles is also large. Friends influence the direction and lifestyle individuals take, arguably more so than family. Unlike some cultures where family comes first, Australians treat their friends like other cultures would their immediate family. This means people will drop everything if their friends need assistance, and will go to extraordinary lengths to make sure they are helped out. However on the other side of the coin, Australians have a tendency to need to be independent and individual, even from their close friends.
