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London
The capital city of England and the United Kingdom lies on the River Thames, which winds through the city. Its many bridges are a famous sight. The oldest is London Bridge, originally made of wood but rebuilt in stone in 1217. The most distinctive is Tower Bridge, which was designated to blend in with the nearby Tower of London.
The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is an association of 53 independent nations, plus several British dependencies such as *Bermuda, the *Falkland Islands and *Gibraltar. Most members used to be part of the *British Empire, from which the Commonwealth developed. The British Commonwealth of Nations was set up in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster, based on decisions made at the 1926 Imperial Conference. Since 1949 it has been known simply as the Commonwealth. Any nation wishing to join must be independent, and its application must be acceptable to existing members. All member states recognize the British king or queen as head of the Commonwealth, though he or she is not necessarily the head of each individual state.
Members of the Commonwealth have special links with the United Kingdom and with each other. All members are equal and agree to work together towards world peace, the encouragement of trade, the defence of democracy and improvements in human rights, health and education. During World War II, Commonwealth forces played an important role in the war effort. More recently, Commonwealth nations united to oppose apartheid in South Africa. The Commonwealth also encourages joint cultural activities and sports events, particularly the *Commonwealth Games which are held every four years.
The *Commonwealth Conference, a meeting of the heads of government of all Commonwealth states, is held every two years. It is organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat which is based in London. The Secretariat also gives out information to member states and administers joint activities. The senior official of the Commonwealth is the Secretary-General. Since 1990, the post has been held by Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria. The *Commonwealth Institute in London is the educational and cultural centre of the Commonwealth.
The second Monday in March is celebrated as *Commonwealth Day, though most British people are not aware of this, and a special message is broadcast to the Commonwealth by the Queen.
Members of the Commonwealth
Nation Year joined
Antigua and Barbuda 1981
Australia 1931
Bahamas 1973
Bangladesh 1972
Barbados 1966
Belize 1981
Botswana 1966
Brunei Darussalam 1984
Cameroon 1995
Canada 1931
Cyprus 1961
Dominica 1978
Fiji 1970-87, 1997
The Gambia 1965
Ghana 1957
Grenada 1974
Guyana 1966
India 1947
Jamaica 1962
Kenya 1963
Kiribati 1979
Lesotho 1966
Malawi 1964
Malaysia 1957
Maldives 1982
Malta 1964
Mauritius 1968
Mozambique 1995
Namibia 1990
Nauru 1968
New Zealand 1931
Nigeria 1960 (suspended 1995)
Pakistan 1947-72, 1989
Papua New Guinea 1975
St Kitts and Nevis 1983
St Lucia 1979
St Vincent and the
Grenadines 1979
Seychelles 1976
Sierra Leone 1961
Singapore 1965
Solomon Islands 1978
South Africa 1931-1961, 1994
Sri Lanka 1948
Swaziland 1968
Tanzania 1961
Tonga 1970
Trinidad and Tobago 1962
*Tuvalu 1978
Uganda 1962
United Kingdom 1931
Vanuatu 1980
Western Samoa 1970
Zambia 1964
Zimbabwe 1980
*special member, not entitled to attend Commonwealth Conferences