Countries and Associations

Ever wondered what our world would be if handful of associations vanish into thin air? San Francisco = Golden Gate Bridge New York = Statue of Liberty London = Big Ben Paris = Eiffel Tower Berlin = Wall of Berlin Egypt = Pyramids of Giza Africa = Wildlife Middle East = Oil India = Taj Mahal China = Great Wall of China Australia = Down Under The best thing about the above associations is that they are given, given across continents, nations and nationalities. However the most remarkable thing about these associations is that all associations except Australia’s are “Physical” where as Australia’s is “Virtual” yes, virtual. Australia is referred as Down Under or Land Down Under due to its position on Maps which is below most of the countries. Australian continent is the only continent with permanent population which is completely under the equator/ southern hemisphere. Australia itself is a term associated with the continents location on the world map. Australia, as many of us know, is a friendly to human-ear deviation from the Latin word “Australis” meaning “from/ towards the south” or simply southern. Australia is a metaphor which has amalgamated with “mainland” vocabulary so strongly that it takes few minutes for the thought itself to sink in. Go ahead, call your friends from South America and South Africa – Australis American and Asutralis African and start a conversation.