[[Image:Commonwealth.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Emblem of the Commonwealth of Nations]]
The <b>(British) Commonwealth of Nations</b> is a free association of 53 mostly former [[British]] colonies. The '''Commonwealth''', as it is commonly known, brings together countries on every continent and encompasses nearly 2 billion citizens. The Commonwealth does not have a constitution; instead it is governed by a set of core beliefs, espoused by declarations or statements made at meetings of the Commonwealth. These fundamental beliefs are encapsulated by the 1<sup>st</sup> major Commonwealth statement in 1971.[http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/20723/32987/singapore_declaration_of_commonwealth_principles/]
'''1971 Declaration of Commonwealth Principles.'''