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Known as the "British Commonwealth", the original and therefore earliest members were Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
All Commonwealth members have an equal say regardless of size or wealth. Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies and priorities. Every two years, they meet at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting .
Canada, Australia and New Zealand have a history of working together in the United Nations (UN) on issues ranging from security to development to human rights, including through an informal grouping known as CANZ. Canada, like Australia, is an active member of the Commonwealth.
- It's home to almost one-third of the world's population. About 2.5 billion people - out of a global population of eight billion - live in the 56 Commonwealth countries.
- The King isn't the head of state in most Commonwealth countries. King Charles is the head of state in 14 Commonwealth countries - or realms - in addition to the UK.
- Some members were never part of the British Empire. Rwanda and Mozambique became members in 2009 and 1995 respectively, although neither were colonised by the British.
- It's big. The Commonwealth makes up a quarter of the world's land mass. The giant of the group is Canada, the world's second largest country by area. India and Australia are huge too.
The 56 member states of the Commonwealth, which is also called Commonwealth of Nations, encompass the United Kingdom and 55 of its former dependencies. After becoming independent, these 55 states have chosen to work with one another and with the United Kingdom in cooperation while also recognizing.
- John P. Rafferty
Australia is represented on the Commonwealth Secretariat's Board of Governors, and its Executive Committee, by the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Australia supports the Commonwealth to promote human rights, democratic norms and good governance among member countries.
Australia is committed to the Commonwealth. It is one of the oldest international organisations and includes 53 member countries with 30 per cent of the world’s population and 20 per cent of the world’s land mass.
