TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Do you know what the British Commonwealth of Nations is? Before discussing further, it would be good for us to first understand what is meant by a commonwealth country.

The Commonwealth, is an association consisting of sovereign countries that have historical relations with the United Kingdom.

This organization was formed from a number of former British colonies or dependencies which decided to maintain friendly relations and cooperation in various fields, both economic, political and social.

In addition, these countries recognize the British king or queen as the symbolic leader of this association, although each country remains an independent government.

So, what exactly is a British commonwealth? What is the purpose of forming this association, and which countries are members of it? To gain a deeper understanding of the commonwealth, let's look at the following complete information.

The British Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth, also known as the Commonwealth of Nations, is an international association consisting of many countries throughout the world.

Although initially this association was formed from countries that had historical ties to the British Empire, now any country, regardless of its past with British colonialism, can apply to become a member of the Commonwealth. To date, the Commonwealth consists of 54 countries, including the United Kingdom.

This association, previously known as the British Commonwealth of Nations in the period 1930-1949, played an important role in establishing relations between its members.

One important aspect of the Commonwealth of Nations is its shared history, language, and legal system with roots in England. This similarity facilitates cooperation in various fields such as trade, politics and sports.

In addition to practical cooperation, the Commonwealth also provides a forum for its members to discuss global issues such as climate change, global health, and international trade.

Most of the member states were originally British colonies which were later given greater autonomy to become self-governing sovereign states.

Despite this, they maintained ties with England and in some cases, made economic contributions to England.

The countries that make up the Commonwealth recognize the king or queen of England as the symbolic head of this association.

The Commonwealth itself is divided into two main categories, namely the British Commonwealth countries and the Commonwealth Realms.

Countries that are part of the Commonwealth Realms recognize the British king or queen as their head of state, while Commonwealth countries only consider the king or queen as the symbolic head of the Commonwealth without recognizing them as head of state.

At first, members of the Commonwealth were still under the control of the British Empire. However, as time went by, the British Empire gave these countries more freedom to rule themselves.

Eventually, many of the Commonwealth member states achieved full independence and formed their own governments, but continued to collaborate closely within the framework of the Commonwealth.

List of British Commonwealth Countries

The Commonwealth consists of countries that vary in size, wealth, and level of development. The complete list of member countries of the British Commonwealth and their years of joining include:

1. Canada (1931)

2. Australia (1931)

3. New Zealand (1931)

4. South Africa (1931, left in 1961 and rejoined in 1994)

5. India (1947)

6. Pakistan (1947, left in 1972 and rejoined in 1989)

7. Sri Lanka (1948)

8. Ghana (1957)

9. Malaysia (1957)

10. Nigeria (1960)

11. Cyprus (1961)

12. Sierra Leone (1961)

13. Tanzania (Tanganyika in 1961, Tanzania in 1964 after joining Zanzibar which became a member in 1963)

14. Jamaica (1962)

15. Trinidad and Tobago (1962)

16. Uganda (1962)

17. Kenya (1963)

18. Malawi (1964)

19. Malta (1964)

20. Zambia (1964)

21. Gambia (1965, left in 2013 and rejoined in 2018)

22. Singapore (1965)

23. Guyana (1966)

24. Botswana (1966)

25. Lesotho (1966)

26. Barbados (1966)

27. Mauritius (1968)

28. Nauru (1968, joined as special member, full member since 1999)

29. Eswatini (1968, known as Swaziland until 2018)

30. Tonga (1970)

31. Samoa (1970)

32. Fiji (1971, left in 1987 and rejoined in 1997)

33. Bangladesh (1972)

34. Bahamas (1973)

35. Grenada (1974)

36. Papua New Guinea (1975)

37. Seychelles (1976)

38. Solomon Islands (1978)

39. Tuvalu (1978, joined as special member, full member since 2000)

40. Dominica (1978)

41. Kiribati (1979)

42. Saint Lucia (1979)

43. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979, joined as special member, full member since 1985)

44. Vanuatu (1980)

45. Belize (1981)

46. Antigua and Barbuda (1981)

47. Maldives (1982, joined as a special member, became a full member in 1985, left in 2016 and rejoined in 2020)

48. Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983)

49. Brunei (1984)

50. Namibia (1990)

51. Cameroon (1995)

52. Mozambique (1995)

53. Rwanda (2009)

54. Gabon (2022)

55. Togo (2022)

Goals of the British Commonwealth of Nations

After knowing what the British Commonwealth is, next we need to know what the purpose of the British Commonwealth is. These goals include:

1. Work together and unite to advance the economy, improve social welfare, and fight for human rights in member countries.

2. Collaborate to face environmental problems and the impacts of climate change collectively.

3. Promote education throughout the world so that children can achieve their dreams and enjoy a better life.

4. Providing support to the governments of member countries to achieve common goals.

5. Collaborate with a wider network within the commonwealth and other organisations.

6. Striving to improve the welfare of all citizens who are members of the commonwealth.

7. Prioritizing the common interests of member countries on the global stage.

8. Strengthen democracy, human rights and social justice in all member countries. The Commonwealth of Nations plays an important role in facilitating free and fair elections, and works with civil society organizations to promote these values.

GHEA CANTIKA NOORSYARIFA

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