Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth, is an association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire.It was once known as the British Commonwealth of Nations or British Commonwealth, and some still call it by that name, either for historical reasons or to distinguish it from the other commonwealths around the world. The full name, Commonwealth of Nations, is sufficient to distinguish the Commonwealth from other commonwealths such as the Commonwealth of Independent States or the Commonwealth of Australia.

Queen Elizabeth II, who is called the Head of State of 16 of the 53 Commonwealth Realms, is the Head of the Commonwealth, and serves as its symbolic chief executive. This title, however, does not imply any political power over member nations, and does not automatically belong to the British monarch. In practice, the queen only "heads" the Commonwealth in a highly symbolic capacity and it is the Commonwealth Secretary-General who is the active chief executive of the organization.