Commonwealth
Week 2001
in Cameroon
FROM THE BEGINNING...
Cameroon joined the Commonwealth in 1995 - but how many people know what the Commonwealth is all about?
Created
on 12 March 1889, the Commonwealth is a voluntrary association of 54 independent
countries found in all the continents and the oceans of the globe. The
54 countries of the Commonwealth range from tiny Pacific and Caribbean
islands like Nauru and Tuvalu to the massive areas of Canada and Australia.
The Commonwealth includes some of the world's biggest countries and some of its smallest; and some of its richest as well as some of its poorest. The Commonwealth is often called a family of nations and of peoples. Its special strength lies in the combination of the diversity of its members and their shared inheritance in language, culture and the rule of law.
The combined population of member countries of the Commonwealth is a staggering 1.7 billion people. That is more than one quarter ( 29.8%) of the population of the whole world. About half of the people in the Commonwealth are young people under 25 years old. Any person who is a citizen of any member of the Commonwealth can be called a Commonwealth citizen.
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