Aproveitando que em 2012 Sua Majestade Elizabeth II irá comemorar 60 anos como monarca, seguem algumas informações sobre a rainha e seus domínios.
Elizabeth II é a soberana do Reino Unido e de mais 15 países dos 54 que compõem a Comunidade Britânica das Nações (the British Commonwealth): Austrália, Nova Zelândia, Canadá, Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua e Barbuda, Belize, Papua Nova Guiné, St Christopher and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu, Barbados, Granada, Ilhas Salomão, e St Lucia (resolvi deixar alguns nomes em inglês mesmo…).
A Comunidade Britânica é uma instituição tremendamente interessante! 54 países unidos pelos laços tradicionais do antigo Império onde o sol nunca se punha! Em tempo: acho curioso Moçambique pertencer à Commonwealth…
Segue um texto sobre os membros da Comunidade Britânica (já que acabaram os antigos almanaques, estamos contribuindo para manter viva essa cultura!). Para o site da Monarquia Britânica, clique aqui.
Commonwealth members
There are 54 member countries of the Commonwealth. These are listed below, with the years in which they joined the Commonwealth.
Also listed is their constitutional status. ‘Realm’ indicates a Commonwealth country which has The Queen as Sovereign, while ‘monarchy’ indicates a Commonwealth country which has its own monarch as Head of State.
Nauru is a Special Member which does not attend meetings of Commonwealth Heads of Government.
Since membership of the Commonwealth is entirely voluntary, any member can withdraw at any time.
The Republic of Ireland did so in 1949, as did Zimbabwe in 2003.
| Country | Date | Status |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 1981 | Realm |
| Australia | 1931 | Realm |
| The Bahamas | 1973 | Realm |
| Bangladesh | 1972 | Republic |
| Barbados | 1966 | Realm |
| Belize | 1981 | Realm |
| Botswana | 1966 | Republic |
| Brunei | 1984 | Monarchy |
| Cameroon | 1995 | Republic |
| Canada | 1931 | Realm |
| Cyprus | 1961 | Republic |
| Dominica | 1978 | Republic |
| The Gambia | 1965 | Republic |
| Ghana | 1957 | Republic |
| Grenada | 1974 | Realm |
| Guyana | 1966 | Republic |
| India | 1947 | Republic |
| Jamaica | 1962 | Realm |
| Kenya | 1963 | Republic |
| Kiribati | 1979 | Republic |
| Lesotho | 1966 | Monarchy |
| Malawi | 1964 | Republic |
| Malaysia | 1957 | Monarchy |
| The Maldives | 1982 | Republic |
| Malta | 1964 | Republic |
| Mauritius | 1968 | Republic |
| Mozambique | 1995 | Republic |
| Namibia | 1990 | Republic |
| Nauru | 1968 | Republic |
| New Zealand | 1931 | Realm |
| Nigeria | 1960 | Republic |
| Pakistan | 1947 | Republic |
| Papua New Guinea | 1975 | Realm |
| Rwanda | 2009 | Republic |
| St. Christopher and Nevis | 1983 | Realm |
| St. Lucia | 1979 | Realm |
| St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 1979 | Realm |
| Samoa | 1970 | Republic |
| Seychelles | 1976 | Republic |
| Sierra Leone | 1961 | Republic |
| Singapore | 1965 | Republic |
| Solomon Islands | 1978 | Realm |
| South Africa | 1931 (withdrew in 1961, rejoined in 1994) |
Republic |
| Sri Lanka | 1948 | Republic |
| Swaziland | 1968 | Monarchy |
| Tanzania | 1961 | Republic |
| Tonga | 1970 | Monarchy |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1962 | Republic |
| Tuvalu | 1978 | Realm |
| United Kingdom | Realm | |
| Uganda | 1962 | Republic |
| Vanuatu | 1980 | Republic |
| Zambia | 1964 | Republic |
The largest member of the Commonwealth is Canada, at nearly 10 million square kilometres.
The most populous Commonwealth country is India, with nearly 1.1 billion people.
The smallest member is Nauru, with only 13,000 inhabitants.
The Commonwealth also includes the world’s driest and most sparsely populated country: Namibia.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/QueenandCommonwealth/WhatisaCommonwealthRealm.aspx
Frumentarius 