Commonwealth of Nations A map of the world, highlighting the member states of the Commonwealth (dark blue) Headquarters Marlborough House London, United Kingdom Official language English Membership 53 states[a][show] Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Cameroon Canada Cyprus Dominica Fiji (suspended) Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka Swaziland Tanzania Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom Vanuatu Zambia Leaders - Head Queen Elizabeth II - Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma - Chairperson-in-Office Tony Abbott Establishment - London Declaration 28 April 1949 Area - Total 29,958,050 km2 (1st) 11,566,870 sq mi Population - 2012 estimate 2.245 billion (1st) - Density 75/km2 194/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate - Total $13.123 trillion (2nd) - Per capita $5,844 (76th) GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate - Total $9.767 trillion (2nd) - Per capita $4,350 (73rd) Website thecommonwealth.org Note: Rankings exclude the member states. a.Jump up ^ Including one suspended member state, Fiji. The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states[1] that were mostly territories of the British Empire. The Commonwealth operates by intergovernmental consensus of the member states, organised through the Commonwealth Secretariat, and non-governmental organisations, organised through the Commonwealth Foundation.[2] The Commonwealth dates back to the late 19th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories. It was formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as free and equal.[3] The symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth, a wholly symbolic position. The Queen is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as realms. The other members of the Commonwealth have different persons as head of state: 32 members are republics and five members are monarchies.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Oct 2013 06:05:55 +0000
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