Commonwealth of Nations is a worldwide association of nations and their
dependencies, whose members share a common commitment to promoting human rights,
democracy, and economic development. All members accept the British monarch as the
symbolic head of the Commonwealth. All but one, Mozambique, were once associated in
some constitutional way with either the former British Empire or with another member
country. The association was formerly known as the British Commonwealth of Nations, but
today is referred to simply as the Commonwealth.
About 1.7 billion people live in the 54 independent nations and the more than 20
dependencies that make up the Commonwealth. Commonwealth members share many
customs and traditions as a result of their association with Britain. Many have parliamentary
systems of government on the British model, and their judicial and educational institutions
are often similar to those in Britain. English is an official language of many members of the
Commonwealth. Since 1977 the second Monday in March has been celebrated as
Commonwealth Day; on that day the British monarch, as the head of the Commonwealth,
presents an annual message to all member countries.
Almost all members of the Commonwealth were once ruled by Britain as part of the
British Empire. Some of them, such as Australia and Canada, were largely settled by British
people. Others, such as India and Nigeria, were areas where British administrators governed a
large non-British population.
During the first half of the 19th century the British government granted settlers of
European origin in the colonies of Canada and Australia some self-government. At first, self government was limited to local affairs, but it was gradually extended. In the 19th and early
20th centuries a number of areas under British control gained almost full independence and
became known as dominions, rather than colonies. These included the Irish Free State,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. In 1926 dominions became defined as
free and equal countries within the British Empire. The Statute of Westminster, enacted by
the British Parliament in 1931, officially proclaimed the Commonwealth a free association of
self-governing dominions united by a common allegiance to the Crown. As such,
Commonwealth members were entitled to join international organizations as independent
nations.
In 1949 Commonwealth prime ministers issued the London Declaration. The
declaration changed membership in the Commonwealth from one based on common
allegiance to the British Crown to one in which members agreed to recognize the British
monarch as a symbol of their association, and thus head of the Commonwealth.
Commonwealth nations were no longer required to recognize the Crown as their head of
state. India became the first republican member with its own president as head of state. Today
the British monarch is considered the head of state in only 16 Commonwealth countries,
which are now formally called realms. Realms include Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
The other members recognize the Crown only as head of the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth consists of 54 independent nations, their dependencies, and two
special members—the independent island nations of Nauru and Tuvalu. As special members,
Nauru and Tuvalu contribute to the organization’s budget on a voluntary basis and receive aid
from the Commonwealth, but do not participate in the meetings attended by heads of
governments. Only independent nations can be considered full members; they are all fully
sovereign and in no way subordinate to Britain. Dependencies of Commonwealth nations are
also included in the Commonwealth, although not as full members, and can participate in
many Commonwealth activities. English is an official language of many members of the
Commonwealth. These fully sovereign states recognize the monarch of the Commonwealth
realms as the Head of the Commonwealth and accept the English language as the means of
Commonwealth communication.
Mostly due to their history of British rule, 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, and widespread use of the English language and
designation of English as an official language. The English language is recognized 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 use of the English language in most member countries of the Commonwealth of
Nations was inherited from British colonization. English is spoken as a first or second
language in most of the Commonwealth. In a few countries, such as Cyprus and Malaysia, it
does not have official status, but is widely used as a lingua franca. Mozambique is an
exception - although English is widely spoken there, it is a former Portuguese colony which
joined the Commonwealth in 1996. Many regions, notably Canada, Australia, India, New
Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore and the Caribbean, have developed their own
native varieties of the language. As such, generalizations cannot be made about the various
forms of English used by the various member nations of the Commonwealth. Written English
as used in the Commonwealth generally favours British as opposed to American spelling,
with some exceptions in Canada and Australia. The report of the Inter-Governmental Group
on Criteria for Commonwealth Membership states that English is a symbol of
Commonwealth heritage and unity.
Titany answered the question on May 11, 2022 at 12:21