What's The Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth of Nations (formerly knowns as the British Commonwealth) has 53 countries - in blue on the map - (not including the various territories that aren't independent, but still part of the Commonwealth.) All, but 2 were British colonies. Any country or territory that was once a British Colony (like the United States) could apply to be a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and if they agreed to be a Constitutional Monarchy with the Head of the Commonwealth as their King/Queen they could also become a Commonwealth Realm.

The Commonwealth covers more than 29,958,050 km2 (11,566,870 sq mi), equivalent to 20% of the world's land area. It spans all six inhabited continents. With an estimated population of 2.419 billion people, nearly a third of the world population.

Of those 53 countries there are 16 Commonwealth Realms (in red on the map): Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, The Bahamas, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

A Commonwealth Realm is a Constitutional Monarchy that has the same person as is the Head of the Commonwealth of Nations (currently Elizabeth II) but is a distinct Monarch for each Realm: ie. Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada separately than when she is Queen of Australia or Queen of the United Kingdom. etc.

As a Canadian citizen I am also a Commonwealth Citizen (and I was born a British subject.) As a Commonwealth citizen I have special rights in many of the 52 member countries (not including Canada) and am not considered a foreigner as say I would be if I entered on my American passport.

There has been a separate Canadian Monarch since 1931 even when there was no such thing as a Canadian citizenship (that came in 1947) and before Patriation in 1982 (before 1982 all Canadian laws had to go from the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa to the British Parliament in London and if approved then had to be signed by the King/Queen of the United Kingdom before going back to the Canadian Parliament and if approved then signed by the King/Queen of Canada - like I said it is the same person: a male or female, but has to be a Protestant. Since 1982 the Canadian Parliament creates the laws and the Queen/King of Canada signs them.

With the United Kingdom leaving the European Union in March 2019 there are talks about creating a stronger (economical, political and social) Commonwealth of Nations especially with: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand at the lead.