Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth of Nations
Flag Logo
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[lower-alpha 1]  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	Mahinda Rajapaksa
Establishment
-	Statute of Westminster	11 December 1931[1]
-	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. ↑ Including one suspended member state, Fiji.

The Commonwealth of Nations, commonly known as the Commonwealth (formerly, the British Commonwealth), is an intergovernmental organisation of 53 member states^[2] that were mostly territories of the former 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.^[3]

The Commonwealth dates back to the mid 20th century with the decolonization 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".^[4] 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.

Member states have no legal obligation one to another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture, and their shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.^[3] These values are enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter^[5] and promoted by the quadrennial Commonwealth Games. On 3 October 2013, after 48 years of membership, The Gambia became the most recent nation to withdraw from this Commonwealth.^[6]

The Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050 km² (11,566,870 sq mi), almost a quarter of the world land area, and spans all the continents. With an estimated population of 2.245 billion, almost a third of the world population,^[7] the Commonwealth in 2012 produced a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $9.767 trillion, representing 15% of the world GDP when measured in purchasing power parity (PPP). This represents the second largest nominal GDP and GDP PPP in the world.

Using the European Union as a template, a movement in some member states seeks to establish a Commonwealth Union^[8] (CU) through the creation of a free trade area,^[9] visa-free travel area,^[10] common foreign policy, and representation at the United Nations and Group of 20.^[11]

History

Origin

In 1884, while visiting Australia, Lord Rosebery described the changing British Empire, as some of its colonies became more independent, as a "Commonwealth of Nations".^[12] Conferences of British and colonial prime ministers occurred periodically from the first one in 1887, leading to the creation of the Imperial Conferences in 1911.^[13]

The Commonwealth developed from the Imperial Conferences. A specific proposal was presented by Jan Smuts in 1917 when he coined the term "the British Commonwealth of Nations" and envisioned the "future constitutional relations and readjustments in essence" at the all-important Versailles Conference of 1919 by delegates from the dominions as well as Britain.^[14][15] The term first received imperial statutory recognition in the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, when the term "British Commonwealth of Nations" was substituted for "British Empire" in the wording of the oath taken by members of parliament of the Irish Free State.^[16]

Dominions

In the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, Britain and its dominions agreed they were "equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations." These aspects to the relationship were formalised by the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which applied to Canada without the need for ratification, but Australia, New Zealand, and Newfoundland had to ratify the statute for it to take effect. Newfoundland never did, as on 16 February 1934, with the consent of its parliament, the government of Newfoundland voluntarily ended and governance reverted to direct control from London. Newfoundland later joined Canada as its 10th province in 1949.^[17] Australia and New Zealand ratified the Statute in 1942 and 1947 respectively.^[18][19]

After World War II ended, the British Empire was gradually dismantled to the 14 British overseas territories still held by the United Kingdom. In April 1949, following the London Declaration, the word "British" was dropped from the title of the Commonwealth to reflect its changing nature.^[20] Burma (also known as Myanmar, 1948) and Aden (1967) are the only states that were British colonies at the time of the war not to have joined the Commonwealth upon independence. Former British protectorates and mandates that did not become members of the Commonwealth are Egypt (independent in 1922), Iraq (1932), Transjordan (1946), British Palestine (part of which became the state of Israel in 1948), Sudan (1956), British Somaliland (which united with the former Italian Somaliland in 1960 to form Somalia), Kuwait (1961), Bahrain (1971), Oman (1971), Qatar (1971), and the United Arab Emirates (1971).

Republics

The ending of Ireland's Commonwealth membership as from 18 April 1949 was recognised after the Irish Republic of Ireland Act 1948 had come into force on that day and the UK Ireland Act 1949 had been passed with retrospective effect.^[21][22]

While Ireland had not actively participated in the Commonwealth since the early 1930s and was content to leave, other dominions wished to become republics without cutting their ties with Britain. The issue came to a head in April 1949 at a Commonwealth prime ministers' meeting in London. Under the London Declaration, India agreed that, when it became a republic in January 1950, it would accept the British Sovereign as a "symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth". Upon hearing this, King George VI told the Indian politician Krishna Menon: "So, I've become 'as such'".^[23] The other Commonwealth countries recognised India's continuing membership of the association. At Pakistan's insistence, India was not regarded as an exceptional case and it was assumed that other states would be accorded the same treatment as India.

The London Declaration is often seen as marking the beginning of the modern Commonwealth. Following India's precedent, other nations became republics, or constitutional monarchies with their own monarchs, while some countries retained the same monarch as the United Kingdom, but their monarchies developed differently and soon became fully independent of the British monarchy. The monarch is regarded as a separate legal personality in each realm, even though the same person is monarch of each realm.

New Commonwealth

As the Commonwealth grew, Britain and the pre-1945 dominions became informally known as the Old Commonwealth and planners in the interwar period, like Lord Davies, who had also taken "a prominent part in building up the League of Nations Union" in the United Kingdom, in 1932 founded the New Commonwealth Society, of which Winston Churchill became the president. ^{[citation needed]} This new society was aimed at the creation of an international air force to be the arm of the League of Nations, to allow nations to disarm and safeguard the peace.

The term New Commonwealth has been used in Great Britain (especially in the 1960s and 1970s) to refer to recently decolonised countries, predominantly non-white and developing. It was often used in debates about immigration from these countries.^[24]

Structure

Head of the Commonwealth

Under the formula of the London Declaration, Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the Commonwealth, a title that is by law a part of Elizabeth's royal titles in each of the Commonwealth realms,^[25] the 16 members of the Commonwealth that recognise the Queen as their monarch. However, when the monarch dies, the successor to the crown does not automatically become Head of the Commonwealth.^[26] The position is symbolic, representing the free association of independent members,^[25] the majority of which (33) are republics, and five have monarchs of different royal houses.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

The main decision-making forum of the organisation is the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), where Commonwealth heads of government, including (amongst others) prime ministers and presidents, assemble for several days to discuss matters of mutual interest. CHOGM is the successor to the Meetings of Commonwealth Prime Ministers and, earlier, the Imperial Conferences and Colonial Conferences, dating back to 1887. There are also regular meetings of finance ministers, law ministers, health ministers, etc. Members in arrears, as special members before them, are not invited to send representatives to either ministerial meetings or CHOGMs.^[25]

The head of government hosting the CHOGM is called the Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office and retains the position until the following CHOGM.^[27] After the most recent CHOGM, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 10–17 November 2013 Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, became the Chairperson-in-Office and will continue to hold the title until the next CHOGM in Mauritius in 2015.

Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965, is the main intergovernmental agency of the Commonwealth, facilitating consultation and cooperation among member governments and countries. It is responsible to member governments collectively. The Commonwealth of Nations is represented in the United Nations General Assembly by the secretariat as an observer. The secretariat organises Commonwealth summits, meetings of ministers, consultative meetings and technical discussions; it assists policy development and provides policy advice, and facilitates multilateral communication among the member governments. It also provides technical assistance to help governments in the social and economic development of their countries and in support of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values.

The secretariat is headed by the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is elected by Commonwealth heads of government for no more than two four-year terms. The secretary-general and two deputy secretaries-general direct the divisions of the Secretariat. The present secretary-general is Kamalesh Sharma, from India, who took office on 1 April 2008, succeeding Don McKinnon of New Zealand (2000–2008), and was re-elected in 2011 to his second term in 2012. The first secretary-general was Arnold Smith of Canada (1965–75), followed by Sir Shridath Ramphal of Guyana (1975–90) and Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria (1990–99).

Commonwealth citizenship and High Commissioners

In recognition of their shared heritage and culture, Commonwealth countries are not considered to be "foreign" to each other.^[28][29][30] When engaging bilaterally with one another, Commonwealth governments exchange High Commissioners instead of ambassadors. Between two Commonwealth realms, they represent the Head of Government rather than the Head of State. Outside of bilateralism, but some Commonwealth states consider other members to be foreign for certain purposes. For example, the High Court of Australia ruled, in Sue v Hill, that the United Kingdom is a foreign power for the purpose of Section 44 of the constitution of Australia.

In addition, some members treat resident citizens of other Commonwealth countries preferentially to citizens of non-Commonwealth countries. Britain and several others, mostly in the Caribbean, grant the right to vote to Commonwealth citizens who reside in those countries. Some states, such as Canada and New Zealand, have abolished such preferences. In non-Commonwealth countries in which their own country is not represented, Commonwealth citizens may seek consular assistance at the British embassy. ^{[citation needed]}

Membership

Criteria

The criteria for membership of the Commonwealth of Nations have developed over time from a series of separate documents. The Statute of Westminster 1931, as a fundamental founding document of the organisation, laid out that membership required dominionhood. The 1949 London Declaration ended this, allowing republican and indigenous monarchic members on the condition that they recognised the British monarch as the "Head of the Commonwealth".^[31] In the wake of the wave of decolonisation in the 1960s, these constitutional principles were augmented by political, economic, and social principles. The first of these was set out in 1961, when it was decided that respect for racial equality would be a requirement for membership, leading directly to the withdrawal of South Africa's re-application (which they were required to make under the formula of the London Declaration upon becoming a republic). The 14 points of the 1971 Singapore Declaration dedicated all members to the principles of world peace, liberty, human rights, equality, and free trade.^[32]

These criteria were unenforceable for two decades,^[33] until, in 1991, the Harare Declaration was issued, dedicating the leaders to applying the Singapore principles to the completion of decolonisation, the end of the Cold War, and the end of apartheid in South Africa.^[34] The mechanisms by which these principles would be applied were created, and the manner clarified, by the 1995 Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programme, which created the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which has the power to rule on whether members meet the requirements for membership under the Harare Declaration.^[35] Also in 1995, an Inter-Governmental Group was created to finalise and codify the full requirements for membership. Upon reporting in 1997, as adopted under the Edinburgh Declaration, the Inter-Governmental Group ruled that any future members would have to have a direct constitutional link with an existing member.^[36]

In addition to this new rule, the former rules were consolidated into a single document. These requirements are that members must accept and comply with the Harare principles, be fully sovereign states, recognise the monarch of the Commonwealth realms as the Head of the Commonwealth, accept the English language as the means of Commonwealth communication, and respect the wishes of the general population with regard to Commonwealth membership.^[36] These requirements had undergone review, and a report on potential amendments was presented by the Committee on Commonwealth Membership at the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.^[37] New members were not admitted at this meeting, though applications for admission were considered at the 2009 CHOGM.^[38]

New members must "as a general rule" have a direct constitutional link to an existing member. In most cases, this is due to being a former colony of the United Kingdom, but some have links to other countries, either exclusively or more directly (e.g. Samoa to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea to Australia, and Namibia to South Africa). The first member to be admitted without having any constitutional link to the British Empire or a Commonwealth member was Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony, in 1995 following its first democratic elections and South Africa's re-admission in 1994. Mozambique's controversial entry led to the Edinburgh Declaration and the current membership guidelines.^[39] In 2009, Rwanda became the second Commonwealth member admitted not to have any such constitutional links. It was a Belgian trust territory that had been a German colony until World War I.^[40] Consideration for its admission was considered an "exceptional circumstance" by the Commonwealth Secretariat.^[39]

Members

The Commonwealth comprises 53 countries (including one currently suspended member), across all six inhabited continents. The members have a combined population of 2.1 billion people, almost a third of the world population, of which 1.17 billion live in India and 94% live in Asia and Africa combined.^[41] After India, the next-largest Commonwealth countries by population are Pakistan (180 million), Nigeria (170 million), Bangladesh (156 million), the United Kingdom (63 million) and South Africa (52 million). Tuvalu is the smallest member, with about 10,000 people.^[42]

The land area of the Commonwealth nations is about 31,500,000 km² (12,200,000 sq mi), or about 21% of the total world land area. The three largest Commonwealth nations by area are Canada at 9,984,670 km² (3,855,100 sq mi), Australia at 7,617,930 km² (2,941,300 sq mi), and India at 3,287,263 km² (1,269,219 sq mi).^[43] The Commonwealth members have a combined gross domestic product of over $9 trillion, 78% of which is accounted for by the four largest economies: United Kingdom ($2.4 trillion), Canada ($1.8 trillion), India ($1.8 trillion) and Australia ($1.5 trillion).^[44]

The status of "Member in Arrears" is used to denote those that are in arrears in paying subscription dues. The status was originally known as "special membership", but was renamed on the Committee on Commonwealth Membership's recommendation.^[45] There are currently no Members in Arrears. The most recent Member in Arrears, Nauru, returned to full membership in June 2011.^[46] Nauru has alternated between special and full membership since joining the Commonwealth, depending on its financial situation.^[47]

Applicants

In 1997 the Commonwealth Heads of Government agreed that in order to become a member of the Commonwealth, an applicant country should, as a rule, have had a constitutional association with an existing Commonwealth member; that it should comply with Commonwealth values, principles and priorities as set out in the Harare Declaration; and that it should accept Commonwealth norms and conventions.^[48]

South Sudan is currently (2013) the only country specifically expressing an interest in joining the Commonwealth.^[49] Some commentators have suggested that Israel and Palestine have considered applying for membership,^[50] but there has been no formal approach."^[50]

Other eligible applicants could be any of the remaining inhabited British overseas territories, Crown dependencies, Australian external territories and Associated States of New Zealand if they become fully independent.^[51] Many such jurisdictions are already directly represented within the Commonwealth, particularly through the Commonwealth Family.^[52] There are also former British possessions that have not become independent, for example, Hong Kong, which still participates in some of the institutions within the Commonwealth Family. All three Crown dependencies regard the existing situation as unsatisfactory and have lobbied for change. The States of Jersey have called on the UK Foreign Secretary to request that the Commonwealth Heads of Government "consider granting associate membership to Jersey and the other Crown Dependencies as well as any other territories at a similarly advanced stage of autonomy". Jersey has proposed that it be accorded "self-representation in all Commonwealth meetings; full participation in debates and procedures, with a right to speak where relevant and the opportunity to enter into discussions with those who are full members; and no right to vote in the Ministerial or Heads of Government meetings, which is reserved for full members".^[53] The States of Guernsey and the Government of the Isle of Man have made calls of a similar nature for a more integrated relationship with the Commonwealth,^[54] including more direct representation and enhanced participation in Commonwealth organisations and meetings, including Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings.^[55] The Chief Minister of the Isle of Man has said: "A closer connection with the Commonwealth itself would be a welcome further development of the Island’s international relationships"^[56]

At the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956, in the face of colonial unrest and international tensions, French Prime Minister Guy Mollet proposed to British Prime Minister Anthony Eden that their two countries be joined in a "union". When that proposal was turned down, Mollet suggested that France be allowed to join the Commonwealth, with "a common citizenship arrangement on the Irish basis." ^{[citation needed]} In 1957, after both proposals had been rejected, France signed the Treaty of Rome with West Germany and the other founding nations of the Common Market, later to become the European Union (EU), which the United Kingdom joined in 1973. The other European members of the Commonwealth (Malta and Cyprus) joined the EU in 2004.

Suspension

In recent years, the Commonwealth has suspended several members "from the Councils of the Commonwealth" for "serious or persistent violations" of the Harare Declaration, particularly in abrogating their responsibility to have democratic government.^[57] This is done by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which meets regularly to address potential breaches of the Harare Declaration. Suspended members are not represented at meetings of Commonwealth leaders and ministers, although they remain members of the organisation. Currently, there is one suspended member, Fiji.^[58]

Nigeria was suspended between 11 November 1995 and 29 May 1999,^[59] following its execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa on the eve of the 1995 CHOGM.^[60] Pakistan was the second country to be suspended, on 18 October 1999, following the military coup by Pervez Musharraf.^[61] The Commonwealth's longest suspension came to an end on 22 May 2004, when Pakistan's suspension was lifted following the restoration of the country's constitution.^[62] Pakistan was suspended for a second time, far more briefly, for six months from 22 November 2007, when Musharraf called a state of emergency.^[63] Zimbabwe was suspended in 2002 over concerns regarding the electoral and land reform policies of Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF government,^[64] before it withdrew from the organisation in 2003.^[65]

Wikinews has related news: Fiji fully suspended from the Commonwealth after failure to call election

The declaration of a Republic in Fiji in 1987, after military coups designed to deny Indo-Fijians political power, was not accompanied by an application to remain. Commonwealth membership was held to have lapsed until 1997, after discriminatory provisions in the republican constitution were repealed and reapplication for membership made.^[66][67] Fiji has since been suspended twice, with the first imposed from 6 June 2000^[68] to 20 December 2001 after another coup.^[64] Fiji was suspended yet again in December 2006, following the most recent coup. At first, the suspension applied only to membership on the Councils of the Commonwealth.^[66][69] After failing to meet a Commonwealth deadline for setting a date for national elections by 2010, Fiji was "fully suspended" on 1 September 2009.^[66][69] The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Kamalesh Sharma, confirmed that full suspension meant that Fiji would be excluded from Commonwealth meetings, sporting events and the technical assistance programme (with an exception for assistance in re-establishing democracy). Sharma stated that Fiji would remain a member of the Commonwealth during its suspension, but would be excluded from emblematic representation by the secretariat.^[66]

Most recently, international pressure has been mounting to suspend Sri Lanka from the Commonwealth, citing grave human rights violations by the host country. There were also calls to change the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013 from Sri Lanka to another member country. Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper threatened to boycott the event, but was instead represented at the meeting by Deepak Obhrai. The UK Foreign Affairs Committee called upon Prime Minister David Cameron to boycott the event, however, he chose to attend.^[70][71]

Termination

As membership is purely voluntary, member governments can choose at any time to leave the Commonwealth. Pakistan left on 30 January 1972 in protest at the Commonwealth's recognition of breakaway Bangladesh, but rejoined on 2 August 1989. Zimbabwe's membership was suspended in 2002 on the grounds of alleged human rights violations and deliberate misgovernment, and Zimbabwe's government terminated its membership in 2003.^[72] The Gambia left the Commonwealth on 3 October 2013.^[6]

Although heads of government have the power to suspend member states from active participation, the Commonwealth has no provision for the expulsion of members. Until 2007, Commonwealth realms that became republics automatically ceased to be members, until (like India in 1950) they obtained the permission of other members to remain in the organisation. This policy has been changed, so if any current Commonwealth realms were to become republics, they would not have to go through this process.^[73]

Ireland had withdrawn its participation in the Commonwealth in the 1930s, attending its last Commonwealth governmental heads' meeting in 1932. However it continued to be regarded by the Commonwealth as a Commonwealth member until it declared itself a republic, on 18 April 1949. It is the only country whose membership terminated without any declaration withdrawing from the organisation. Instead, it was (with its own tacit support) excluded from the organisation under the rules then applicable.

South Africa was prevented from continuing as a member after it became a republic in 1961, due to hostility from many members, particularly those in Africa and Asia as well as Canada, to its policy of apartheid. The South African government withdrew its application to remain in the organisation as a republic when it became clear at the 1961 Meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers that any such application would be rejected. South Africa was re-admitted to the Commonwealth in 1994, following the end of apartheid earlier that year.

The Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997 ended the colony's ties to the Commonwealth through the United Kingdom. The government of Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of China, did not pursue membership. Hong Kong has nevertheless continued to participate in some of the organisations of the Commonwealth family, such as the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel.^[74][75]

Politics

Objectives and activities

The Commonwealth's objectives were first outlined in the 1971 Singapore Declaration, which committed the Commonwealth to the institution of world peace; promotion of representative democracy and individual liberty; the pursuit of equality and opposition to racism; the fight against poverty, ignorance, and disease; and free trade.^[76] To these were added opposition to discrimination on the basis of gender by the Lusaka Declaration of 1979,^[32] and environmental sustainability by the Langkawi Declaration of 1989.^[77] These objectives were reinforced by the Harare Declaration in 1991.

The Commonwealth's current highest-priority aims are on the promotion of democracy and development, as outlined in the 2003 Aso Rock Declaration,^[78] which built on those in Singapore and Harare and clarified their terms of reference, stating, "We are committed to democracy, good governance, human rights, gender equality, and a more equitable sharing of the benefits of globalisation."^[79] The Commonwealth website lists its areas of work as: Democracy, Economics, Education, Gender, Governance, Human Rights, Law, Small States, Sport, Sustainability, and Youth.^[80]

Through a separate voluntary fund, Commonwealth governments support the Commonwealth Youth Programme, a division of the Secretariat with offices in Gulu (Uganda), Lusaka (Zambia), Chandigarh (India), Georgetown (Guyana) and Honiara (Solomon Islands).

Competence

In recent years, the Commonwealth has been accused of not being vocal enough on its core values. Allegations of a leaked memo from the Secretary General instructing staff not to speak out on human rights were published in October 2010.^[81]

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2011 considered a report by an Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group panel which asserted that the organisation had lost its relevance and was decaying due to the lack of a mechanism to censure member countries when they violated human rights or democratic norms.^[82] The panel made 106 "urgent" recommendations including the adoption of a Charter of the Commonwealth, the creation of a new commissioner on the rule of law, democracy and human rights to track persistent human rights abuses and allegations of political repression by Commonwealth member states, recommendations for the repeal of laws against homosexuality in 41 Commonwealth states and a ban on forced marriage.^[83][84] The failure to release the report, or accept its recommendations for reforms in the area of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, was decried as a "disgrace" by former British Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a member of the EPG, who told a press conference: "The Commonwealth faces a very significant problem. It's not a problem of hostility or antagonism, it's more of a problem of indifference. Its purpose is being questioned, its relevance is being questioned and part of that is because its commitment to enforce the values for which it stands is becoming ambiguous in the eyes of many member states. The Commonwealth is not a private club of the governments or the secretariat. It belongs to the people of the Commonwealth." ^{[citation needed]}

In the end, two-thirds of the EPG's 106 urgently recommended reforms were referred to study groups, an act described by one EPG member as having them "kicked into the long grass". There was no agreement to create the recommended position of human rights commissioner, instead a ministerial management group was empowered with enforcement: the group includes alleged human rights offenders. It was agreed to develop a charter of values for the Commonwealth without any decision on how compliance with its principles would be enforced.^[82]

The result of the effort was that a new Charter of the Commonwealth was signed by Queen Elizabeth on 11 March 2013 at Marlborough House, which opposes "all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds".^[85][86]

Economy

Internal market

Although the Commonwealth does not have a common market, research by the Royal Commonwealth Society has shown that trade with another Commonwealth member is up to 50% more than with a non-member on average.^[87] There is a significant movement in the United Kingdom to increase trade in the Commonwealth,^[88] with some suggesting a Commonwealth Union as an alternative to its membership in the European Union.^[89]

Economies of the Commonwealth of Nations
Member states Population[90] (thousands) GDP (nominal)[91] (millions) GDP (nominal)[92] per capita GDP (PPP)[93] (millions) GDP (PPP)[94] per capita Realm  Antigua and Barbuda 89 1,176 12,480 1,778 18,492 Yes  Australia 22,684 1,520,608 61,789 1,008,547 41,974 Yes  Bahamas, The 372 8,149 22,431 11,765 31,978 Yes  Bangladesh 154,695 115,610 743 291,299 1,777 No  Barbados 283 3,685 13,453 — — Yes  Belize 324 1,448 4,059 2,381 6,672 Yes  Botswana 2,004 14,411 8,533 34,038 14,746 No  Brunei 412 16,954 40,301 21,992 51,760 No  Cameroon 21,700 24,984 1,260 50,820 2,359 No  Canada 34,880 1,821,424 50,344 1,489,165 40,420 Yes  Cyprus 1,129 22,981 30,670 26,720 32,254 No  Dominica 72 480 7,154 906 13,288 No  Ghana 25,366 40,710 1,570 51,943 1,871 No  Grenada 105 790 7,780 1,142 10,837 Yes  Guyana 795 2,851 3,408 2,704 — No  India 1,236,687 1,841,717 1,509 4,793,414 3,650 No  Jamaica 2,712 14,840 5,335 — — Yes  Kenya 43,178 37,229 808 76,016 1,710 No  Kiribati 101 176 1,649 248 2,337 No  Lesotho 2,052 2,448 1,106 4,027 1,691 No  Malawi 15,906 4,264 365 14,344 893 No  Malaysia 29,240 303,526 9,977 501,249 16,051 No  Maldives 338 2,222 6,405 3,070 8,871 No  Malta 418 8,722 21,380 12,138 27,504 No  Mauritius 1,291 10,492 8,755 20,210 14,420 No  Mozambique 25,203 14,588 533 25,805 975 No  Namibia 2,259 12,807 5,383 16,918 6,801 No  Nauru — — — — — No  New Zealand 4,433 139,768 36,254 139,640 31,082 Yes  Nigeria 168,834 262,606 1,502 449,289 2,533 No  Pakistan 179,160 231,182 1,189 517,873 2,745 No  Papua New Guinea 7,167 15,654 1,845 20,771 2,676 Yes  Rwanda 11,458 7,103 8,874 15,517 1,282 No  Saint Kitts and Nevis 54 748 13,144 966 17,226 Yes  Saint Lucia 181 1,186 7,154 2,016 11,597 Yes  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 109 713 6,291 1,202 10,715 Yes  Samoa 189 677 3,485 853 4,475 No  Seychelles 88 1,032 12,321 2,371 25,788 No  Sierra Leone 5,979 3,796 496 8,125 1,131 No  Singapore 5,312 274,701 46,241 328,323 60,688 No  Solomon Islands 550 1,008 1,517 1,718 2,923 Yes  South Africa 51,189 384,313 8,070 585,625 10,960 No  Sri Lanka 20,328 59,421 2,835 126,993 5,582 No  Swaziland 1,231 3,747 3,831 6,458 6,053 No  Tanzania 47,783 28,249 532 74,269 1,512 No  Tonga 105 472 4,152 527 4,886 No  Trinidad and Tobago 1,337 23,986 16,699 35,638 25,074 No  Tuvalu 10 37 3,636 — — Yes  Uganda 36,346 19,881 487 49,130 1,345 No  United Kingdom 63,228 2,435,174 38,974 2,264,751 35,598 Yes  Vanuatu 247 785 3,094 1,139 4,379 No  Zambia 14,075 20,678 1,425 24,096 1,621 No  Commonwealth 2,243,688 9,766,209 3,844 13,119,929 4,035 —  Commonwealth (realms) 137,181 5,966,408 43,493 4,945,842 36,053 —
Note: Figures are in US dollars.

Commonwealth Family

Commonwealth countries share many links outside government, with over a hundred Commonwealth-wide non-governmental organisations, notably for sport, culture, education, law and charity. The Association of Commonwealth Universities is an important vehicle for academic links, particularly through scholarships, principally the Commonwealth Scholarship, for students to study in universities in other Commonwealth countries. There are also many non-official associations that bring together individuals who work within the spheres of law and government, such as the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

Commonwealth Foundation

The Commonwealth Foundation is an intergovernmental organisation, resourced by and reporting to Commonwealth governments, and guided by Commonwealth values and priorities. Its mandate is to strengthen civil society in the achievement of Commonwealth priorities: democracy and good governance, respect for human rights and gender equality, poverty eradication and sustainable, people-centred and sustainable development, and to promote arts and culture.

The Foundation was established by the Heads of Government in 1965. Admittance is open to all members of the Commonwealth and in December 2008 stood at 46 out of the 53 member countries. Associate Membership, which is open to associated states or overseas territories of member governments, has been granted to Gibraltar. 2005 saw celebrations for the Foundation's 40th Anniversary. The Foundation is headquartered in Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London. Regular liaison and cooperation between the Secretariat and the Foundation is in place. The Foundation continues to serve the broad purposes for which it was established as written in the Memorandum of Understanding.^[95]

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event, is held every four years; the 2010 Commonwealth Games were held in New Delhi, India, in 2010, and the next in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014, and the next after that in Gold Coast, Australia, in 2018. As well as the usual athletic disciplines, as at the Summer Olympic Games, the games include sports particularly popular in the Commonwealth, such as bowls, netball, and rugby sevens. Started in 1930 as the Empire Games, the games were founded on the Olympic model of amateurism, but were deliberately designed to be "the Friendly Games",^[96] with the goal of promoting relations between Commonwealth countries and celebrating their shared sporting and cultural heritage.^[97]

The games are the Commonwealth's most visible activity^[96] and interest in the operation of the Commonwealth increases greatly when the Games are held.^[98] There is controversy over whether the games—and sport generally—should be involved in the Commonwealth's wider political concerns.^[97] The 1977 Gleneagles Agreement was signed to commit Commonwealth countries to combat apartheid through discouraging sporting contact with South Africa (which was not then a member), whilst the 1986 games were boycotted by most African, Asian, and Caribbean countries for the failure of other countries to enforce the Gleneagles Agreement.^[99]

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is responsible for maintaining the war graves of 1.7 million service personnel that died in the First and Second World Wars fighting for Commonwealth member states. Founded in 1917 (as the Imperial War Graves Commission), the Commission has constructed 2,500 war cemeteries, and maintains individual graves at another 20,000 sites around the world.^[100] The vast majority of the latter are civilian cemeteries in Great Britain. In 1998, the CWGC made the records of its buried online to facilitate easier searching.^[101]

Commonwealth war cemeteries often feature similar horticulture and architecture, with larger cemeteries being home to a Cross of Sacrifice and Stone of Remembrance. The CWGC is notable for marking the graves identically, regardless of the rank, country of origin, race, or religion of the buried.^[101] It is funded by voluntary agreement by six Commonwealth members, in proportion to the nationality of the casualties in the graves maintained,^[100] with 75% of the funding coming from Britain.^[101]

Commonwealth of Learning

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is an intergovernmental organisation created by the Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education knowledge, resources and technologies. COL is helping developing nations improve access to quality education and training.

Commonwealth Business Council

The Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) was formed at 1997 CHOGM. 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 co-operation between business and government, concentrating efforts on these specific areas enhancing trade, facilitating ICT for Development, mobilising investment, promoting corporate citizenship, and public private partnerships. The CBC has a dedicated team, CBC Technologies, based in London and is focused on the international technology and global services industry throughout the Commonwealth.

Culture

Many Commonwealth nations possess traditions and customs that are elements of a shared Commonwealth culture. Examples include common sports such as cricket and rugby, driving on the left, the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy, common law, widespread use of the English language, designation of English as an official language, military and naval ranks, and the use of British rather than American spelling conventions (see English in the Commonwealth of Nations).

Sport

Many Commonwealth nations play similar sports that are considered quintessentially "British" in character, rooted in and developed under British rule or hegemony, including cricket, rugby, and netball.^[102] This has led to the development of friendly national rivalries between the main sporting nations that have often defined their relations with each another. Indeed, said rivalries preserved close ties by providing a constant in international relationships, even as the Empire transformed into the Commonwealth.^[103] Externally, playing these sports is seen to be a sign of sharing a certain Commonwealth culture; the adoption of cricket at schools in Rwanda is seen as symbolic of the country's move towards Commonwealth membership.^[104][105]

Besides the Commonwealth Games, other sporting competitions are organised on a Commonwealth basis, through championship tournaments such as the Commonwealth Judo Championships, Commonwealth Rowing Championships, Commonwealth Sailing Championships, Commonwealth Shooting Championships and Commonwealth Pool Lifesaving Championships. The Commonwealth Boxing Council has long maintained Commonwealth titles for the best boxers in the Commonwealth. ^{[citation needed]}

Literature

The shared history of British presence has produced a substantial body of writing in many languages, known as Commonwealth literature.^[106][107] The Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies, with nine chapters worldwide and an international conference is held every three years.

In 1987, the Commonwealth Foundation established the annual Commonwealth Writers' Prize "to encourage and reward the upsurge of new Commonwealth fiction and ensure that works of merit reach a wider audience outside their country of origin". Prizes are awarded for the best book and best first book in the Commonwealth, as well as regional prizes for the best book and best first book from each of four regions. Although not officially affiliated with the Commonwealth, the prestigious Man Booker Prize is awarded annually to an author from a Commonwealth country or the three former members, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and the Gambia. This honour is one of the highest in literature.^[108]

Political system

Due to their shared constitutional histories, most countries in the Commonwealth have similar legal and political systems. The Commonwealth requires its members to be functioning democracies that respect human rights and the rule of law. Half of Commonwealth countries have the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association facilitates cooperation between legislatures across the Commonwealth, and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum promotes good governance amongst local government officials. Most Commonwealth members use common law, modelled on English law. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the supreme court of 14 Commonwealth members.

Symbols

The Commonwealth has adopted a number of symbols that represent the association of its members. The English language is recognised as a symbol of the members' heritage; as well as being considered a symbol of the Commonwealth, recognition of it as "the means of Commonwealth communication" is a prerequisite for Commonwealth membership.

The flag of the Commonwealth consists of the symbol of the Commonwealth Secretariat, a gold globe surrounded by emanating "rays", on a dark blue field; it was designed for the second CHOGM in 1973, and officially adopted on 26 March 1976. 1976 also saw the organisation agree to a common date on which to commemorate Commonwealth Day, the second Monday in March, having developed separately on different dates from Empire Day celebrations.

Recognition

A poll in seven member countries on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the founding of the Commonwealth in 2009 commissioned by the Royal Commonwealth Society found that most people in all countries were largely ignorant of the Commonwealth's functions and indifferent towards its future. In Canada one third of respondents said they would not care if Canada left the Commonwealth, half could not describe what it does, and Canadians were four times more likely to support closer ties to the United States. Support was also weak in other wealthier Commonwealth realms but much stronger in poorer Commonwealth republics. Nearly one fifth of Australian respondents said they would be "delighted" or "pleased" if their country left the Commonwealth.^[109][110]

See also

• Anglosphere
• Commonwealth
• Commonwealth unification movement
• English-speaking world
• List of economic communities
• Military of the Commonwealth of Nations
• Representatives of the Commonwealth of Nations
• Propaganda in the Rhodesian Bush War

Notes

1. ^ The Commonwealth of Nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States are also called the "British Commonwealth" and the "Russian Commonwealth" respectively to differentiate between them.^[111]

References

Further reading

• N Mansergh, The Commonwealth in the World, University of Toronto Press, 1982. ISBN 0-8020-2492-0.
• R J Moore, Making the New Commonwealth, Clarendon Press, 1988. ISBN 0-19-820112-5.
• (French) C A Auplat, Les ONG du Commonwealth contemporain: rôles, bilans et perspectives, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2003. ISBN 2-7475-5513-5.
• Timothy M Shaw, Commonwealth: Inter- and Non-State Contributions to Global Governance, Routledge, 2008. ISBN 978-0-415-35120-1 (hbk); ISBN 978-0-415-35121-8 (pbk).
• K C Wheare, The Constitutional Structure of the Commonwealth, Clarendon Press, 1960. ISBN 0-313-23624-0.
• W D McIntyre, A Guide to the Contemporary Commonwealth, Palgrave, 2001. ISBN 0-333-96310-5.

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article: British Nationality Act (1981 c 61) Annex B - The territories forming part of the Commonwealth

• Commonwealth Secretariat
• Commonwealth Foundation
• Commonwealth English Literature Forum

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Links to related articles v t e Members of the Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states 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 St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. 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 Dependencies Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands Australian Antarctic Territory Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Coral Sea Islands Heard Island and McDonald Islands Norfolk Island New Zealand Cook Islands Niue Ross Dependency Tokelau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Montserrat Pitcairn Islands St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Source: Commonwealth Secretariat - Member States v t e Territories of the British Empire and the United Kingdom Legend Current territory Former territory * Now a Commonwealth realm Now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations   Europe 1708–1757 Minorca Since 1713 Gibraltar 1763–1782 Minorca 1798–1802 Minorca 1800–1813 Malta (Protectorate) 1813–1964 Malta (Colony) 1807–1890 Heligoland 1809–1864 Ionian Islands 1878-1960 Cyprus 1921–1937 Irish Free State   North America 17th century and before 18th century 19th and 20th century 1579 New Albion 1583–1907 Newfoundland 1605–1979 *Saint Lucia 1607–1776 Virginia Since 1619 Bermuda 1620–1691 Plymouth Colony 1623–1883 Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1624–1966 *Barbados 1625–1650 Saint Croix 1627–1979 *Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1628–1883 Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis) 1629–1691 Massachusetts Bay Colony 1632–1776 Maryland since 1632 Montserrat 1632–1860 Antigua (*Antigua & Barbuda) 1636–1776 Connecticut 1636–1776 Rhode Island 1637–1662 New Haven Colony 1643–1860 Bay Islands Since 1650 Anguilla 1655–1850 Mosquito Coast (protectorate) 1655–1962 *Jamaica 1663–1712 Carolina 1664–1776 New York 1665–1674 and 1702–1776 New Jersey Since 1666 British Virgin Islands Since 1670 Cayman Islands 1670–1973 *Bahamas 1670–1870 Rupert's Land 1671–1816 Leeward Islands 1674–1702 East Jersey 1674–1702 West Jersey 1680–1776 New Hampshire 1681–1776 Pennsylvania 1686–1689 Dominion of New England 1691–1776 Massachusetts 1701–1776 Delaware 1712–1776 North Carolina 1712–1776 South Carolina 1713–1867 Nova Scotia 1733–1776 Georgia 1762–1974 *Grenada 1763–1978 Dominica 1763–1873 Prince Edward Island 1763–1791 Quebec 1763–1783 East Florida 1763–1783 West Florida 1784–1867 New Brunswick 1791–1841 Lower Canada 1791–1841 Upper Canada Since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands 1818–1846 Columbia District/Oregon Country1 1833–1960 Windward Islands 1833–1960 Leeward Islands 1841–1867 Province of Canada 1849–1866 Vancouver Island 1853–1863 Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands 1858–1866 British Columbia 1859–1870 North-Western Territory 1860–1981 *British Antigua and Barbuda 1862–1863 Stikine Territory 1866–1871 Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1867–1931 *Dominion of Canada2 1871–1964 British Honduras (*Belize) 1882–1983 *Saint Kitts and Nevis 1889–1962 Trinidad and Tobago 1907–1949 Dominion of Newfoundland3 1958–1962 West Indies Federation 1. Occupied jointly with the United States. 2. In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. See Canada's name. 3. Gave up self-rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949.   South America 1651–1667 Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1670–1688 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands4 1831–1966 British Guiana (Guyana) Since 1833 Falkland Islands5 Since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands5 4. Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia. 5. Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982.   Africa 17th and 18th centuries 19th century 20th century Since 1658 Saint Helena14 1792–1961 Sierra Leone 1795–1803 Cape Colony Since 1815 Ascension Island14 Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha14 1806–1910 Cape Colony 1807–1808 Madeira 1810–1968 Mauritius 1816–1965 The Gambia 1856–1910 Natal 1868–1966 Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874–1957 Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882–1922 Egypt 1884–1966 Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884–1960 British Somaliland 1887–1897 Zululand 1890–1962 Uganda 1890–1963 Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891–1964 Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891–1907 British Central Africa Protectorate 1893–1968 Swaziland 1895–1920 East Africa Protectorate 1899–1956 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 1900–1914 Northern Nigeria 1900–1914 Southern Nigeria 1900–1910 Orange River Colony 1900–1910 Transvaal Colony 1906–1954 Nigeria Colony 1910–1931 South Africa 1914–1954 Nigeria Colony and Protectorate 1915–1931 South West Africa (Namibia) 1919–1960 Cameroons (Cameroon)6 1920–1963 Kenya 1922–1961 Tanganyika (Tanzania)6 1923–1965 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)7 1924–1964 Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1954–1960 Nigeria 1979–1980 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)7 6. League of Nations mandate. 7. Self-governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 (as Rhodesia) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003.   Asia 17th and 18th century 19th century 20th century 1685–1824 Bencoolen (Sumatra) 1702–1705 Con Dao 1757–1947 Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762–1764 Manila and Cavite 1786-1946 Penang 1795–1948 Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796–1965 Maldives 1812–1824 Banka (Sumatra) and Billiton (Sumatra) 1819–1826 British Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore) 1826–1946 Straits Settlements 1839–1967 Colony of Aden 1839–1842 Afghanistan 1841–1997 Hong Kong 1841–1946 Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia) 1848–1946 Crown colony of Labuan 1858–1947 British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1879–1919 Afghanistan 1882–1963 British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885–1946 Unfederated Malay States 1888–1984 Sultanate of Brunei 1888–1946 Sultanate of Sulu 1891–1971 Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892–1971 Trucial States 1895–1946 Federated Malay States 1898–1930 Weihai Garrison 1878–1960 Cyprus 1907-1949 Bhutan (protectorate) 1918–1961 Kuwait protectorate 1920–1932 Iraq8 1921–1946 Transjordan8 1923–1948 Palestine8 1945–1946 South Vietnam 1946–1963 Sarawak (Malaysia) 1946–1963 Singapore 1946–1948 Malayan Union 1948–1957 Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) Since 1960 Akrotiri and Dhekelia (before as part of Cyprus) Since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory (before as part of Mauritius and the Seychelles) 8 League of Nations mandate. Iraq's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty   Oceania 18th and 19th centuries 20th century 1788–1901 New South Wales 1803–1901 Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807–1863 Auckland Islands9 1824–1980 New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824–1901 Queensland 1829–1901 Swan River Colony/Western Australia 1836–1901 South Australia since 1838 Pitcairn Islands 1841–1907 Colony of New Zealand 1851–1901 Victoria 1874–1970 Fiji10 1877–1976 British Western Pacific Territories 1884–1949 Territory of Papua 1888–1901 Cook Islands9 1889–1948 Union Islands (Tokelau)9 1892–1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands11 1893–1978 British Solomon Islands12 1900–1970 Tonga (protected state) 1900–1974 Niue9 1901–1942 *Commonwealth of Australia 1907–1953 *Dominion of New Zealand 1919–1942 Nauru 1945–1968 Nauru 1919–1949 Territory of New Guinea 1949–1975 Territory of Papua and New Guinea13 9. Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand. 10. Suspended member. 11. Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu. 12. Now the *Solomon Islands. 13. Now *Papua New Guinea.   Antarctica and South Atlantic Since 1658 Saint Helena14 Since 1815 Ascension Island14 Since 1816 Tristan da Cunha14 Since 1908 British Antarctic Territory15 1841-1933 Australian Antarctic Territory (Transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia) 1841-1947 Ross Dependency (Transferred to the Realm of New Zealand) 14. Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922—) and Tristan da Cunha (1938—) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena. 15. Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). v t e International organizations Intergovernmental organizations Non-cultural IGOs International Criminal Court International Monetary Fund International Seabed Authority Inter-Parliamentary Union Interpol United Nations World Bank Group World Trade Organization Cultural IGOs Commonwealth of Nations La Francophonie Latin Union Community of Portuguese Language Countries v t e Countries and languages lists   Countries By languages Spoken Countries by spoken languages Official Countries by the number of recognized official languages Arabic Chinese English French German Portuguese Romanian Russian Spanish Endonyms Countries and capitals in native languages Exonyms Country names in various languages A–C D–I J–P Q–Z Languages of the European Union   Languages Constructed languages Language families Official languages by state Languages without official status Of (continent) Africa Americas North South Asia East South Europe Oceania By (speakers) total number of speakers number of native speakers By (other) first written accounts institution (official) writing system widely spoken Language-based geopolitical organizations Arab League (Arabic) Dutch Language Union (Dutch) The Commonwealth (English) La Francophonie (French) Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Portuguese) Latin Union (Romance) Turkic Council (Turkic) v t e Queen Elizabeth II Born (1926-04-21) 21 April 1926 Monarchies Queen of Antigua and Barbuda Queen of Australia Queen of the Bahamas Queen of Barbados Queen of Belize Queen of Canada Queen of Grenada Queen of Jamaica Queen of New Zealand Queen of Papua New Guinea Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis Queen of Saint Lucia Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Queen of the Solomon Islands Queen of Tuvalu Queen of the United Kingdom Ancestry Ancestry Descent from William the Conqueror Kinship with other European monarchs Wedding Wedding to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Wedding dress Family George VI (father) Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (mother) Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (sister) Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (husband) Charles, Prince of Wales (son) Anne, Princess Royal (daughter) Prince Andrew, Duke of York (son) Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (son) Godchildren Accession and coronation Treetops Hotel Proclamation of accession Coronation Participants in the coronation procession Coronation gown Coronation Medal Reign States headed Head of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Personality and image Canadian constitutional patriation Annus horribilis Royal Proclamation of 2003 Titles and honours List of titles and honours List of things named for Queen Elizabeth II Royal Family Order Queen's Official Birthday Symbols Coats of arms Flags Personal Australia Barbados Canada Jamaica New Zealand United Kingdom Malta Mauritius Trinidad and Tobago Sierra Leone Jubilees Silver Jubilee Events Medal Honours Golden Jubilee Prom at the Palace Party at the Palace Medal Honours Diamond Jubilee Diamond Jubilee Pageant Armed Forces Parade and Muster Thames Pageant Gloriana MV Spirit of Chartwell Concert Gibraltar Flotilla Medal Honours State visits Outgoing visits Commonwealth visits made Tours of Canada Tours of Australia Official openings State visits made State visit to Ireland Ships used SS Gothic (1947) HMY Britannia Incoming visits State visits received First Papal state visit Cultural depictions Documentaries Royal Journey (1951) A Queen Is Crowned (1953) The Queen in Australia (1954) Royal Family (1969) Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen (1992) Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (2007) The Queen (2009 docudrama) The Diamond Queen (2012) Films The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! 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