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

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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 ...

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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 Latin Union currently has members from four continents: Español Argentina  |  Bolivia  |  Chile  |  Colombia  |  Costa Rica  |  Cuba  |  Dominican Republic  |  Ecuador  |  Guatemala  |  Honduras  |  Mexico  |  Nicaragua  |  Panama  |  Paraguay  |  Peru  |  Philippines 
...

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Latin Union, Latin Union - Member states

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The Latin Union currently has members from four continents (listed by the Romance language that is spoken there): Spanish (Español) Argentina  |  Bolivia  |  Chile  |  Colombia  |  Costa Rica  |  Cuba  |  Dominican Republic  |  Ecuador  |  Guatemala  |  Honduras  |  Mexico  |  Nicaragua  |  Panama  |  Paraguay ...

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Latin Union, Latin Union - Member states

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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 ...

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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

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 ...

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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

Latin America Latin America is the parts of the Americas where Romance languages derived from Latin are officially or primarily spoken. Alternatively, Latin America is typically contrasted with Anglo-America where English, a Germanic language, predominates. See also Latino, Hispanic, Ibero-America, and Use of the word American. Definitions for what comprises Latin America may vary. From a sociopolitical perspective, including only independent countries, ...

Including:

• Latin America - Etymology
• Latin America - Political Divisions
• Latin America - History
• Latin America - Demographics
• Latin America - Economy
• Latin America - Language
• Latin America - Religion
• Latin America - Music
• Latin America - Film

Read more here: » Latin America: Encyclopedia - Latin America

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 ...

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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 ...

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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

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 ...

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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

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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 ...

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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

Napoleon III brought the term Latin-America over the Spanish, French and Portuguese speaking parts of the Americas, making it an expression equivalent to Latin Europe. Although several peoples of Latin America are not directly connected to the Latium region of Italy or to the Roman Empire, most of the population speaks a Latin-derived language such as Portuguese or Spanish. Important parts of Latin A ...

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Art, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

Read more here: » Latin America: Encyclopedia II - Latin America - Etymology

Europe: European Union (EU) Council of Europe European Free Trade Association European Space Agency European Patent Organisation Asia: Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Gulf Cooperation Council Eurasia: Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Eurasian Econom ...

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International organization, International organization - Examples of global organizations, International organization - Examples of regional organizations, International organization - Organizations formed on miscellaneous membership criteria, International organization - Financial international organizations

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Napoleon III brought the term latin-America over the Spanish, French and Portuguese speaking parts of the Americas, making it an equivalent expression than Latin Europe. Although several peoples of Latin America are not directly connected to the Latium region of Italy or to the Roman Empire, most of the population speak a Latin-derived language, i.e. Portuguese or Spanish and important parts of Latin American society descent from these peoples. There was also the need to differentiate between the south of the northern American continent, the United States of America, and the southern continent itself t ...

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political Divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

Read more here: » Latin America: Encyclopedia II - Latin America - Etymology

The majority of the people in Latin America have some proportion of European origins. However there is a large percentage of the people in Latin America are of mixed origins, the result of racial intermingling among European settlers, African slaves, and American natives. This mixture of backgrounds ("Mestizaje" in Spanish) has profoundly influenced religion, music, and politics, and given rise to a vague identity of those belonging to these mixed cultures; this imprecise cultural heritage is (arguably improperly) called Latinos in Am ...

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Art, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

Read more here: » Latin America: Encyclopedia II - Latin America - Demographics

One of the main characteristics of Latin American music is its diversity; contrary to a widespread misperception, there is not one specific Latin American style of music. The so-called "Latin music" covers generally only the Hispano-Caribbean music (salsa, merengue, bachata, etc.), that is to say the styles of music that have been strongly influenced by African rythms and melodies. It is also possible to find completely different styles of music in Latin America, such as the Argentine tango, Colombian cumbia and vallenato, Mexican ranchera or the various styles of music from Pre-Columbian traditions th ...

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Art, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

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Below is a table showing the Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) prices and the GDP (PPP) of each of the Latin American countries. This can be used as a rough gauge to the relative standards of living in the region. Data are from the year 2005. The Latinamerican G7 is composed of: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. And between them increase commerce in the region, improving t ...

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Art, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

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The predominant language is Spanish in majority of the countries. Portuguese is spoken primarily in Brazil. French is also spoken in smaller countries, in the Caribbean, and French Guiana). Many Caribbean nations have their own African-influenced Creole versions of these languages. Native American languages are spoken in many Latin American nations, mainly Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Mexico. Nahuatl is only one of the 62 native language spoken by indigenous people in Mexico, and officially recognized by the government a ...

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Art, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

Read more here: » Latin America: Encyclopedia II - Latin America - Language

Master Artists from Latin America include: Félix Arauz - Ecuadorian painter Carlos Catasse - Chilean painter Theo Constanté - Ecuadorian painter Camillo Egas - Ecuadorian painter Joaquin Torres Garcia - Uruguayian painter Gunther Gerzso - Mexican painter Oswaldo Guayasamin - Ecuadorian painter Judith Gutierrez - Ecuadorian/Mexican painter Frida Kahlo - Mexican painter Eduardo Kingman - Ecuadorian painter Wifredo Lam - Cuban painter < ...

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Art, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

Read more here: » Latin America: Encyclopedia II - Latin America - Art

Latin America is often seen as encompassing the following countries: Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela And the following dependencies: To France French Guyana Guadeloupe Martinique

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Latin America, Latin America - Etymology, Latin America - Political Divisions, Latin America - History, Latin America - Demographics, Latin America - Economy, Latin America - Language, Latin America - Religion, Latin America - Music, Latin America - Film

Read more here: » Latin America: Encyclopedia II - Latin America - Political Divisions