Flag of the Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as The Commonwealth, is an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. It was once known as the British Commonwealth of Nations or British Commonwealth, and some still call it by that name, either for historical reasons or to distinguish it from the other commonwealths around the world, such as the ...

Including:

• Commonwealth of Nations - Origins
• Commonwealth of Nations - Membership
• Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members
• Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension
• Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership
• Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives
• Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns
• Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links
• Commonwealth of Nations - Literature
• Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council
• Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia - Commonwealth of Nations

Queen Elizabeth II is the nominal Head of the Commonwealth. Some members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth Realms, also recognize the Queen as their head of state. However, the majority of members are republics, and a handful of others are indigenous monarchies. The Queen's position as Head of the Commonwealth is not hereditary, and when and if the present Prince of Wales becomes King, it will be for Commonwealth Heads of Govern ...

See also:

Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth of Nations - Origins, Commonwealth of Nations - Membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members, Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension, Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives, Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns, Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links, Commonwealth of Nations - Literature, Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia II - Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives

Although performing a vastly different function, the Commonwealth is the successor of the British Empire. In 1884, whilst visiting Adelaide, South Australia, Lord Rosebery described the changing British Empire, as its former colonies became more independent, as a "Commonwealth of Nations". The formal organisation of the Commonwealth has its origins in the Imperial Conferences of the late 1920s (conferences of British and colonial Prime Ministers had occurred periodically since 1887), where the independence of the self-governing colonies and ...

See also:

Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth of Nations - Origins, Commonwealth of Nations - Membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members, Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension, Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives, Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns, Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links, Commonwealth of Nations - Literature, Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia II - Commonwealth of Nations - Origins

The Commonwealth encompasses a population of approximately 1.8 billion people, making up about 30% of the world's total. India is the most populous member, with a billion people at the 2001 census, while Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria each contain more than 100 million people; Tuvalu, by contrast, is the smallest, with only 11,000 inhabitants. The land area of the Commonwealth nations equals about a quarter of the world's land area, with Australia, Canada (the world's second-largest nation by area), and India each having more than 3.2 ...

See also:

Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth of Nations - Origins, Commonwealth of Nations - Membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members, Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension, Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives, Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns, Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links, Commonwealth of Nations - Literature, Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia II - Commonwealth of Nations - Membership

The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) was formed at the Edinburgh CHOGM in 1997. The aim was to utilise the global network of the Commonwealth more effectively for the promotion of global trade and investment for shared prosperity. The CBC acts as a bridge for cooperation between business and government, concentrating efforts on these specific areas: Enhancing Trade Mobilising Investment Promoting Corporate Citizenship Fac ...

See also:

Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth of Nations - Origins, Commonwealth of Nations - Membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members, Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension, Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives, Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns, Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links, Commonwealth of Nations - Literature, Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia II - Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council

The Commonwealth has often been likened to an English gentlemen's club, and the issue of membership - who is and who is not a member of the organisation - often seems to be more important, and certainly attracts much more attention, than what the organisation actually does. This is because the main benefit of membership is the opportunity for close and relatively frequent interaction, on an info ...

See also:

Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth of Nations - Origins, Commonwealth of Nations - Membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members, Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension, Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives, Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns, Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links, Commonwealth of Nations - Literature, Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia II - Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns

Tongue in cheek, Charles de Gaulle twice suggested that France, although it had never been a member of the British Empire (even if for centuries English/British monarchs claimed the title 'King of France'), should apply for Commonwealth membership; this idea was never realised, but might be seen as a follow-up to a proposal made by Churchill to join the British and legitimate French governments during World War II, in opposition to the puppet regime of Vichy France. David Ben-Gurion suggested that Israel join the Commonwealth, but this propo ...

See also:

Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth of Nations - Origins, Commonwealth of Nations - Membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members, Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension, Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives, Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns, Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links, Commonwealth of Nations - Literature, Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia II - Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members

The Commonwealth is also useful as an international organisation that represents significant cultural and historical links between wealthy first-world countries and poorer developing nations with diverse social and religious backgrounds. The common inheritance of the English language and literature, the common law, and British systems of administration all underpin the club-like atmosphere of the Commonwealth. Mostly as a result of their history of British rule, many Commonwealth nations share certain identifiable traditions and custo ...

See also:

Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth of Nations - Origins, Commonwealth of Nations - Membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Non-members, Commonwealth of Nations - Suspension, Commonwealth of Nations - Termination of membership, Commonwealth of Nations - Organisation and objectives, Commonwealth of Nations - Benefits of membership and contemporary concerns, Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links, Commonwealth of Nations - Literature, Commonwealth of Nations - Commonwealth Business Council, Commonwealth of Nations - List of Commonwealth members

Read more here: » Commonwealth of Nations: Encyclopedia II - Commonwealth of Nations - Cultural Links