Global influence is often measured by military, political or
economic might, but for some countries, it’s the strength of
the culture – its food, fashion or entertainment – that most
strongly impacts the wider world.

ITALY
Famous for designer brands like Valentino, Armani, Versace
and Gucci, Italy scored a perfect 10 in being both ‘fashionable’
and ‘trendy’, which hardly surprises residents like Lucio
Buffalmano, founder of the ThePowerMoves blog, who
comes from Abruzzo, east of Rome. “It's a cliché, but Italians
do care about what looks nice, and Italians do take more care
than most in looking fashionable,” he said.


FRANCE
‘Modern’, ‘prestigious’ and ‘fashionable’ were all areas where
France scored high, and the French ‘ je ne sais quoi’ is
something that people across the world try to imitate. Lifelong
Paris resident Roobens Fils didn’t even realise how influential
his culture was until he travelled throughout the Middle East
and Asia.

The United States

Scoring highly for being ‘modern’ and ‘influential in entertainment’, the US’ films, music and TV programmes are enjoyed globally. Even when another country does something first, like the reality TV genre that started in the UK, the US is known for making it bigger and more popular worldwide. The country’s tech industry, home to Facebook, Twitter, Google and Amazon, has also left its mark, with billions of people interacting daily with these popular services and social networks.

SPAIN
Once one of the world’s largest conquerors and empires, Spain
has left a lasting mark across geographies from South
America to the East Indies. After Chinese, Spanish is the
second most spoken language in the world when measured by
native speakers, and the strength of its Spanish-speaking
movies, TV and music helped push the country to the top.


The United Kingdom

Ranking high for the ‘prestigious’ label, UK residents take pride
in their ability to combine a strong work ethic, creativity and
an openness to change to produce new innovation. “We have
some of the finest universities in the world, and an
entrepreneurial flair,” said London resident and author Ian
Hawkins. “Don’t forget, machine code, the computer and www
were all invented by Brits.”


www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180701-the-five-countries-that-set-world-culture