The <b>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 1st major Commonwealth statement in 1971[http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/20723/32987/singapore_declaration_of_commonwealth_principles/] | The <b>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 1st major Commonwealth statement in 1971[http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/20723/32987/singapore_declaration_of_commonwealth_principles/] |