Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth of Nations An international organization composed of independent states, all of which were part of the British Empire. It was constituted by the Statute of Westminster, in which the British Dominions (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Newfoundland, Eire) were recognized as ‘autonomous communities’, bound together by the British Crown. Since 1947, when India chose to remain within the Commonwealth, it has consisted of an increasing number of republics, so that the role of the British monarch, who is the head of only seventeen out of a total of fifty-three member states, is confined to that of head of the Commonwealth. Given that its member states have little in common apart from a historical tie to the UK, it has rarely been able to influence world affairs, except perhaps for its leadership on the international imposition of sanctions upon South Africa (which only the UK opposed). Of the former members of the British Empire, Burma did not join upon gaining independence, Ireland left in 1949, South Africa in 1961 (but rejoined in 1994), Pakistan in 1972 (rejoined in 1989), and Fiji in 1987. In 2002, its unity was tested over whether to impose sanctions on Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe. Despite its relatively loose structure, the regular meeting of the heads of state, representing 30 per cent of the world's population, served as a unique global forum for industrialized and developing nations.

http://www.thecommonwealth.org

Table 4. Commonwealth of Nations

Date joined	Country
†indicates non-sovereign states
1931	Anguilla†
1931	Australia
1931	Bermuda†
1931	British Antarctic Territory†
1931	British Virgin Islands†
1931	Canada
1931	Cayman Islands†
1931	Channel Islands†
1931	Cook Islands†
1931	Falkland Islands and Dependencies†
1931	Gibraltar†
1931	Hong Kong†
1931	Isle of Man†
1931	Montserrat†
1931	New Zealand
1931	Niue†
1931	Norfolk Islands†
1931	Pitcairn Islands†
1931	Ross Dependency†
1931	St Helena†
1931	South Africa (left 1961)
1931	Tokelau†
1931	Turks and Caicos Islands†
1931	United Kingdom
1936	Australian Antarctic Territory†
1947	India
1947	Pakistan (left 1972)
1948	Sri Lanka
1957	Ghana
1957	Malaysia
1960	Nigeria
1961	Cyprus
1961	Sierra Leone
1961	Tanzania
1962	Jamaica
1962	Trinidad and Tobago
1962	Uganda
1963	Kenya
1964	Malawi
1964	Malta
1964	Zambia
1965	British Indian Ocean Territory†
1965	Gambia
1965	Singapore
1966	Barbados
1966	Botswana
1966	Guyana
1966	Lesotho
1968	Mauritius
1968	Nauru
1968	Swaziland
1970	Fiji (expelled 1978)
1970	Tonga
1970	Western Samoa
1972	Bangladesh
1973	Bahamas
1974	Grenada
1975	Papua New Guinea
1976	Seychelles
1978	Dominica
1978	Solomon Islands
1978	Tuvalu
1979	Kiribati
1979	St Lucia
1979	St Vincent and the Grenadines
1980	Vanuatu
1980	Zimbabwe (suspended from 2002)
1981	Antigua and Barbuda
1982	Belize
1982	Maldives
1983	St Christopher and Nevis
1984	Brunei
1989	Pakistan (re-entry)
1990	Namibia
1994	South Africa (re-entry)
1995	Cameroon
1995	Mozambique