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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Lowenna Waters

What countries are in the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth Games 2022 is well underway, but there are still more medals up for grabs, and memories to be made at Birmingham before the closing ceremony on Monday, August 8.

The 12-day sporting event kicked off with the opening ceremony on Thursday, July 28, with events taking place across the West Midlands in the following days.

The Commonwealth Games are held every four years, and were last held in the UK in Glasgow in 2014. The first games were held in 1930, with the aim of promoting relations between member countries, and celebrating their shared sporting and cultural heritage.

This year, team England gave another strong effort on Tuesday across all sports, with the day crowned by swimming superstar Adam Peaty, who battled back from a shock failure to snatch the men’s breaststroke 50m gold medal.

Elsewhere, Jake Jarman won his fourth gold so far in the vault final.

But, what is the Commonwealth, which countries are in it, and when was it established?

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the British Commonwealth and how many countries are in it?

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule.

It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries, with 32 of the members being small states, including island nations.

Dating back to the early part of the 20th century, it was originally created as the British Commonwealth of Nations before being formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as “free and equal”.

The head of the Commonwealth is currently Queen Elizabeth II. Although the position is not hereditary, it has been decided that Prince Charles will be her successor.

The administration of the colonies evolved in different ways, in order to reflect the different circumstances of each territory.

After becoming independent in 1947, India was the first country that decided it wanted to be a republic, but also wanted to remain in the Commonwealth.

Member governments agree to shared goals like development, democracy and peace, and the values of the Commonwealth are agreed and expressed in the Commonwealth Charter.

The Commonwealth’s roots go back to the British Empire. However, today any country can join, with the two most recent countries to join being Gabon and Togo in 2022.

The 56 countries in the Commonwealth are:

  1. Antigua and Barbuda
  2. Australia
  3. Bahamas
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Barbados
  6. Belize
  7. Botswana
  8. Brunei
  9. Cameroon
  10. Canada
  11. Cyprus
  12. Dominica
  13. Eswatini
  14. Fiji
  15. Gabon
  16. Gambia
  17. Ghana
  18. Grenada
  19. Guyana
  20. India
  21. Jamaica
  22. Kenya
  23. Kiribati
  24. Lesotho
  25. Malawi
  26. Malaysia
  27. Maldives
  28. Malta
  29. Mauritius
  30. Mozambique
  31. Namibia
  32. Nauru
  33. New Zealand
  34. Nigeria
  35. Pakistan
  36. Papua New Guinea
  37. Rwanda
  38. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  39. Saint Lucia
  40. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  41. Samoa
  42. Seychelles
  43. Sierra Leone
  44. Singapore
  45. Soloman Islands
  46. South Africa
  47. Sri Lanka
  48. Tanzania
  49. Togo
  50. Tonga
  51. Trinidad and Tobago
  52. Tuvalu
  53. Uganda
  54. United Kingdom
  55. Vanuatu
  56. Zambia

What is the Commonwealth Realm?

The Commonwealth Realm is used to indicate the former British Colonies that still consider the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II to be their official monarch.

All 14 Commonwealth Realms belong to the Commonwealth of Nations, but the other 40 members of the Commonwealth of Nations are not, in fact, Commonwealth Realms.

  1. Antigua and Barbuda
  2. Australia
  3. Bahamas
  4. Canada
  5. Grenada
  6. Jamaica
  7. New Zealand
  8. Papua New Guinea
  9. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  10. Saint Lucia
  11. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  12. Solomon Islands
  13. Tuvalu
  14. United Kingdom

Which countries compete in the Commonwealth Games?

Despite there being 56 countries in the Commonwealth, there are 72 teams competing at Birmingham 2022.

The 72 nations competing in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are:

  1. Anguilla
  2. Antigua and Barbuda
  3. Australia
  4. Bahamas
  5. Bangladesh
  6. Barbados
  7. Belize
  8. Bermuda
  9. Botswana
  10. British Virgin Islands
  11. Brunei
  12. Cameroon
  13. Canada
  14. Cayman Islands
  15. Cook Islands
  16. Cyprus
  17. Dominica
  18. England
  19. Eswatini
  20. Falkland Islands
  21. Fiji
  22. The Gambia
  23. Ghana
  24. Gibraltar
  25. Grenada
  26. Guernsey
  27. Guyana
  28. India
  29. Isle of Man
  30. Jamaica
  31. Jersey
  32. Kenya
  33. Kiribati
  34. Lesotho
  35. Malawi
  36. Malaysia
  37. Maldives
  38. Malta
  39. Mauritius
  40. Montserrat
  41. Mozambique
  42. Namibia
  43. Nauru
  44. New Zealand
  45. Nigeria
  46. Niue
  47. Norfolk Island
  48. Northern Ireland
  49. Pakistan
  50. Papua New Guinea
  51. Rwanda
  52. Saint Helena
  53. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  54. Saint Lucia
  55. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  56. Samoa
  57. Scotland
  58. Seychelles
  59. Sierra Leone
  60. Singapore
  61. Soloman Islands
  62. South Africa
  63. Sri Lanka
  64. Tanzania
  65. Tonga
  66. Trinidad and Tobago
  67. Turks and Caicos Islands
  68. Tuvalu
  69. Uganda
  70. Vanuatu
  71. Wales
  72. Zambia

When was the Commonwealth established and what is its history?

The original British Commonwealth was founded with the signing of the Balfour Declaration in 1926 and included Australia, Canada, the Irish Free State, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and the United Kingdom.

Although the majority of Commonwealth members are former British colonies, most are now independent. Given this independence—and the fact that most Commonwealth member countries are geographically located far from Britain—the decision was made to adopt a more appropriate name.

Thus, the British Commonwealth became the Commonwealth of Nations in 1949.

Over time, membership has expanded. Today, the Commonwealth includes fifty-six countries, largely in Asia and Africa, including nearly all of the world’s English speaking countries.

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