The Commonwealth, which holds its heads of government meeting in Kigali this week, spans much of the globe, looping in a third of the world’s population and a fifth of its landmass.
Established more than 70 years ago, it has the stated aim of upholding democracy, rule of law and good governance around the world.
Here are a few key things to know about it:
Key facts
Full name: Commonwealth of Nations
Member states: 54
Head of the Commonwealth: Queen Elizabeth II (since 1952)
Secretary-General: Patricia Scotland (since 2016)
Population: 2.5 billion
Area: 30 million square kilometres
Foundation of modern Commonwealth: 1949
Headquarters: Marlborough House, London
Focus: Development, democracy, climate change
Landmark events
1926: Balfour Declaration. Declared the UK and the dominions as equal in status as members of “the British Commonwealth of Nations”.
1931: Statute of Westminster. Established legislative independence for the dominions and set the basis for the relationship between Commonwealth realms and the crown.
1949: London Declaration. Birth of the modern Commonwealth. Allowed republics as members, to allow independent India’s continued membership. “British” dropped from title.
1971: First Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Singapore.
1991: Harare Declaration. Sets out Commonwealth’s core values.
2020: The Maldives becomes the Commonwealth’s 54th member after application for re-admission was approved.
Population, area, GDP
Countries drawn from: Africa (19), Caribbean and Americas (13), Pacific (11), Asia (8), Europe (3).
Biggest country by population: India (1.4 billion).
Smallest country by population: Tuvalu (11,000).
Biggest country by area: Canada (9,984,670 square kilometres).
