what countries are part of the commonwealth

Welcoming the announcement, Commonwealth Secretary-General The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, QC, said: ‘The Commonwealth, which began as eight nations in 1949, is growing to 56. The Commonwealth admitted Gabon and Togo as its 55th and 56th members respectively earlier this year. Australia and the Commonwealth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) Commonwealth development programs About the Commonwealth The Commonwealth is a unique grouping of 56 developed and developing nations spread over every continent and ocean in the world. No government in the Commonwealth exercises power over the others, as is the case in a political union. Most of them were British colonies or dependencies of those colonies. Zimbabwe also left voluntarily in 2003, President Emmerson Mnangagwa applied for the country to rejoin the Commonwealth in 2018. The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 sovereign states. Members are diverse they are amongst the worlds largest, smallest. Membership is voluntary and former members of the Commonwealth include Ireland which left in 1949 and Maldives which withdrew in 2016. Singapore joined the Commonwealth in October 1965 after gaining independence, and regularly participates in the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government. Commonwealth countries span Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific.

What countries are part of the commonwealth