Wow, what a month September was! So much happened and we at WiseUp HQ are just about getting some time to process it all. One of the biggest events of September was, of course, the death of Queen Elizabeth II. As the UK’s longest serving monarch, the Queen saw many events over her 70 year reign. She was also a patron to a large number of charities and organisations. One role that was especially close to her heart was the Head of the Commonwealth.
Most of us have heard of the Commonwealth Games, and some of us can probably name a few countries in the group, but what else is important to know about this group of countries? We decided to find out and love these 7 facts about the Commonwealth:
1. The Commonwealth Name
The name “Commonwealth” comes from a 16th century term for the common wellbeing, “common weal.”
Image Source: Pixabay
2. Not all countries in the Commonwealth are former British Colonies.
Although the Commonwealth has many member countries that were formerly part of the British Empire, such as South Africa, India and Australia, not all of them are. Neither Rwanda or Mozambique (which will score you at least a decent 34 in Scrabble!) were colonised by the British. Gabon and Togo, which both joined in June 2022 were former French colonies.
Image Source: Pexels
3. The Commonwealth Games
The first official Commonwealth Games were held in Hamilton, Canada in 1930. An event that can be said to have been a pre-curser was the “Inter-Empire Championships” for the coronation of King George V in 1911. It’s name has changed a few times over the years, with the current title being used since 1978. The 2022 Games were held in Birmingham, with Australia earning 178 medals, just 2 ahead of Team England.
Image Source: Pixabay
4. The Queen doesn’t rule all the Commonwealth countries
Most of the countries within the Commonwealth are republics, which means that they are run by elected officials or representatives and specifically have no monarchy. The Queen was the head of state for 15 out of the current 53 members, including New Zealand and The Bahamas.
Image Source: Pixabay
5. The largest member country
While Canada is the biggest country by land mass, India is the Commonwealth’s biggest economy.
Image Source: Pixabay
6. The most people in one Commonwealth country
India also has the highest population of any current member, containing about half of the total number of about 2.5 billion people within Commonwealth countries.
Image Source: Pexels
7. Visits by The Queen
One third of The Queen’s total overseas visits were to member countries. The only countries she didn’t manage to visit were Cameroon (who joined in 1995) and Rwanda (who joined in 2009).
Image Source: Pexels
The Commonwealth and team building
It’s always interesting to look at different organisations and how they work as a team – we can’t help it, it comes naturally to the WiseUp crew! As with every team, things haven’t always gone smoothly. There have been several disagreements over how to manage certain issues over the years between member nations. Yet despite these, the organisation as a whole attempts to focus on the bigger picture in the hopes of continuing Commonwealth unity.
Let us know if you’ve got any other interesting facts to share!
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