The US being the third most populated country has so many people that each state has the proximate population of an entire country. I bet South Dakota wishes they had more in common than population with Fiji right about now...
FL is close to Australia and TX is larger. Just FYI. Australia's landmass however equates closely to that of the lower 48.
Yes, I think we are close to Canada. I never compared Texas to Madagascar before. I'm embarrassed to say I know almost nothing about it at all other than it hangs next to East Africe and geneticists say it was originally settled by Burma. For all I know, they have flying carnivorous armadillos and turkey mosquitos.
Idaho (1.9M) is closest to Latvia (1.8m) in population. I never made it to the Baltic states but did meet lots of people from there when the Wall came down. Nice people!
Ireland = Alabama! I spent a week in Ireland many years ago, lovely place and people. I would like to go back and see the rest of the country, also the Highlands and Islands of Scotland too. Lots of Irish of both types in Alabama, but mostly Ulster Scots. There was something about Ireland, nobody wanted immigrants from there Catholics or Protestants.
AK as one of the Islands - seems about right. The Tongan and Soman gangs are all over and in the summer, raise hell. They, as a group, have made parts of Utah uninhabitable for non-PI folks.
I met and had lunch with the King of Tonga in the 90's. He was a happy guy. Then I learned about 100,000 had disappeared off the island.
I did NOT choose Death by Bongo Bongo. It was a business lunch my boss brought me to at a popular steakhouse of the day. Not a State Dinner. The King was visiting a son that ran an industrial painting company. Water towers, in this case. He said "you can call me AL" I love that song and remember him every time I here it.
Australia's population clock reached 27 Million today, it is anticipated that the population should reach 28 million by August 2025. Australia's population hits 27 million, nearly two decades ahead of forecast