Many people go abroad to travel to see what other countries look like. However, the places all around the world are looking more and more similar. What do you think is the cause of this similarity? Do you think the advantages of this effect outweigh the shortages of it?

It is irrefutable that because of globalization, similarities between countries are more obvious these days than in the past. In this essay I shall discuss the causes of this similarity and also discuss whether this trend has more advantages or disadvantages.

The major reason is that in most countries, land is scarce and consequently it is very valuable. This has led to the construction of tall buildings which occupy only a small area of land while providing lots of floor space where people can live or work. Buildings of this type are made of concrete and steel and can be built comparatively quickly using prefabricated materials. They do not use local materials, such as stone, timber or brick, which used to give cities their individual character. In consequence, many cities now look very much the same and you might not know whether you were in Australia, China or Germany when you are on the street. This has led to a loss of architectural diversity but it is helpful to save the environment because less land and less wood is used.

Another cause of similarity is that the international outlets like Reebok, Nike and Levi’s can be seen everywhere. Food outlets like MacDonald and Starbuck’s etc can be seen in almost all corners of the world. People wearing the same type of clothes can be seen everywhere. Although it is regrettable that countries look similar, I tend to feel that this is unavoidable.

On the whole, the advantages are much more than the disadvantages and when people go to other countries for tourism, they still enjoy a lot because communication is much better nowadays; people understand other cultures much better and have become more open in their outlook of life. Moreover, every place has a few buildings which give that place its own uniqueness.

To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that the advantages of countries looking similar are much more than the disadvantages and the huge rush at the international airports is proof enough that people are not deterred by this similarity among countries.