Соединенное Королевство и Страны содружества на современном этапе.

Introduction 3
The History of the Commonwealth 4
The Commonwealth and Britain 5
Bibliography 8

United Kingdom, island country located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The United Kingdom comprises the whole of the island of Great Britain—which contains England, Wales, and Scotland—as well as the northern portion of the island of Ireland. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.
The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 52 independent and equal sovereign states. Most are former British colonies or dependencies of these colonies. It is home to approximately 2.4 billion citizens, of which over 60% are under the age of 30. The Commonwealth includes some of the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest countries, spanning five regions. Thirty-one of its members are small states, many of them island nations.
Commonwealth countries are supported by an active network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations.
Leaders of member countries shape Commonwealth policies and priorities. Every two years, they meet to discuss issues affecting the Commonwealth and the wider world at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
All members have an equal say – regardless of size or economic stature. This ensures even the smallest member countries have a voice in shaping the Commonwealth.
 

The current popularity and growth of the Commonwealth may signal its success. Yet the great virtue of the Commonwealth in the 1960s and early 1970s was the intimacy of this varied club. The larger the commonwealth becomes, the harder it is to ensure it remains a place for the uninhibited exchange of views and to achieve consensus.