The Commonwealth (blue = present members, orange = former members, green = suspended members) | ||
Headquarters | Marlborough House, London, United Kingdom | |
Official language | English | |
---|---|---|
Membership | 54 sovereign states (list) | |
Leaders | ||
- | Head of the Commonwealth | Queen Elizabeth II
(since 6 Feb. 1952) |
- | Secretary-General | Kamalesh Sharma
(since 1 Apr. 2008) |
- | Chairperson-in-Office | Patrick Manning
(since 27 Nov. 2009) |
Establishment | ||
- | Balfour Declaration | 18 November 1926 |
- | Statute of Westminster | 11 December 1931 |
- | London Declaration | 28 April 1949 |
Area | ||
- | Total | 31,462,574 km2
12,147,768 sq mi |
Population | ||
- | 2005 estimate | 1,921,974,000 |
- | Density | 61.09/km2
158.2/sq m |
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states, all but two of which were formerly part of the British Empire.