Commonwealth – A Voluntary association of 53 independent and equal sovereign states, which were mostly territories of the former British empire

Member states have no legal obligation to one another. Instead, they are united by language, history, culture and their shared values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

To remember the meaning of the term Commonwealth, use the following mnemonic:

Common Wealth, no, but common language, law and democracy, yes.

To remember that there are 53 member states notice that all the people above were wearing the holy rosary beads.

And there are 53 Hail Mary beads on the typical rosary used by most Catholics.

NOTE: The Commonwealth countries are not dominated by the catholic religion: this is used only as a mnemonic or aid to memory.

Or if you use our Mammoth Memory Number System, 53 is lamb. So think of a lamb wearing rosary beads.

About 2.4 billion people – nearly a third of the world’s population – live in Commonwealth countries.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 independent countries, including advanced and developing nations.

The aim of the Commonwealth is for member countries to work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace, to amplify the voice of small states and protect the environment.

Some regard the Commonwealth as the modern manifestation of the British Empire and, indeed, most of the countries that belong to the Commonwealth were at one time or another under British rule.

However, membership of the Commonwealth is voluntary and countries that were not part of the Empire are now able to join. To do so, they must meet certain criteria, including compliance with Commonwealth values, principles and priorities.