What is the Commonwealth and which countries are members?

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery The Queen poses with heads of government and representatives of Commonwealth nations in London in 2012 Also known as the Commonwealth of Nations, the Commonwealth is a political association of 54 member states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. Historically, the collective included all former British colonies, but with increased independence among nations, it has evolved into a voluntary alliance of countries with a shared history who work together for “prosperity, democracy and peace”. The Commonwealth name dates back to 1884, when the British Empire was first described as the “Commonwealth of Nations” by British liberal politician Lord Roseberry in Adelaide, Australia during a famous speech. open image in gallery The Queen meets Malala Yousafzai at the Commonwealth service in March 2014 Antigua and Barbuda Australia The Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Cameroon Canada Cyprus Dominica Eswatini Fiji The Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka Tanzania Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom Venezuela Zambia