The Commonwealth of NationsJakub Peštál

General factsOfficial language

EnglishHead of the Commonwealth

Queen Elizabeth II.Number of member states

53Date of establishment

1949

HistoryThe Commonwealth’s roots go back to the

British Empire. Britain was sovereign over many nations

(colonies) in the 16th, 17th, 18th and early 19thcenturies; at one point covering a quarter of the world’s land area and population

1867 – Canada was transformed into selfgoverning Dominion

After that other parts of the empire became Dominions too

History1931 – under the Statute of Westminster – 5 initial

members – United Kingdom, Canada, Irish Free State, Newfoundland and the Union of South Africa - founded The British Commonwealth of Nations

After the Second World War empire began changing

1947 -India and Pakistan gained independence

-many colonies became sovereign states

History1949 – London Declaration – word

“British” removed form the title = all members independent and equal

Over the next few decades independence was granted to most of the countries of the old British Empire; many chose to join the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth of NationsA voluntary associationQueen Elizabeth II is the head of the

CommonwealthSome members of the Commonwealth

recognise the Queen as their head of state=> Commonwealth Kingdoms(16)

The majority of the Commonwealth are republics (32)

The remaining members are kingdoms with their own monarchs (5)

The Commonwealth of NationsOrganisation in which countries with diverse

economic backgrounds have an opportunity for close and equal interaction

The primary activities:-create an econommic co-operation between member nations-promote democracy, human rights and good governance in those nations

The Commonwealth of NationsMembership is open to countries which:

- accept the association‘s basic aims

- have a present or past link to a Commonwealth member

Some countries have never shown an interest in joining the Commonwealth

=> Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Oman

Member States

Member StatesCommonwealth Realms:

United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda,

Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,

Grenada, Jamaica, Canada, New Zealand,

Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, St Kitts and

Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines,

Solomon Islands and Tuvalu

Member States

Realms with their own monarchs:Brunei, Lesotho, Malaysia, Swaziland and Tonga

Member StatesRepublics:

Bangladesh, Botswana, Cameroon, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mosambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Zambia

InfoArea: almost 30 milion km2

Population: 2.328 billionMany CN share certain identifiable traditions

and customsThe Commonwealth Games – “Friendly

games” every 4 years (2014 Glasgow) Commonwealth Day – second Monday of

March

InfoThe four largest CN by population:

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria

The three largest CN by area:

Canada, Australia and India

The four largest economies: India, UK,

Canada and Australia

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