I had to write about this because a friend in the MET had an American come up to him in London and ask him “Why isn’t America part of the Commonwealth?” My friend replied “the war of independence?” and the American didn’t like that answer so my friend contacted me. I said the same thing.So I thought I would talk about the ‘Commonwealth’ and why the US is not a part of it. The Commonwealth is made up of 16 countries most of which used to be part of the British Empire. These countries did not leave in the same fashion as the USA (War of Independence in 1776) did but more through diplomatic lines. These countries still recognise the Queen as their figure head which is something that was given up by the USA during our War of Independence.
The people from the Commonwealth have special rights here too. They often find it easier to get visas here and they can vote without having to get their citizenship.
The countries that are currently as of July 2012 part of the Commonwealth are:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Grenada
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Solomon Islands
- Tuvalu
- United Kingdom
American to Britain
There are 53 countries in the Commonwealth.
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