Pedagogisk Senter by Marianne Østensen

The building of the
Empire began with a sea voyage to North
America in 1497.
The arms of the Empire stretched far and wide.
Because it was so widespread, it would always be daylight in some part.

The Union Jack
The New Zealand Flag
The Australian Flag
The Fiji Flag

was the largest empire in history.
was for a substantial time the foremost global power.
was a product of the European age of discovery, which began with the maritime explorations of the
15th century, that started the era of the European colonial empires.
During the five decades following World War II, most of the territories of the Empire became independent.
Many went on to join the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states.

The Commonwealth of Nations engages in work to promote international understanding and world peace.
The citizens of the Commonwealth are drawn from the broadest range of faiths, races, cultures and traditions.

Current member states are coloured blue

is a group of fifty-three of the world's countries.
countries used to be part of the British Empire.
has a combined population of 1.9 billion people.
has about a quarter of the world’s total population.
has over twice as many people as the whole of the Americas ( North and South ) put together.
Of the 1.9 billion people, 1.4 billion live in the
Indian Subcontinent .
93% live in Asia or Africa.

Flags of the members of the Commonwealth in
Horse Guards Road next to the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office in London.

The Commonwealth does not have a written constitution.
It does have a series of agreements.
Declarations or Statements have been issued at various Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meetings.
The first, fundamental statement was issued at the 1971 summit in
Singapore.
The Declaration of Commonwealth
Principles stresses the need to foster:


 international peace and security democracy liberty of the individual and equal rights for all

 the importance of eradicating poverty, ignorance and disease it opposes all forms of racial discrimination.
Foreign Office Grand Staircase

The British monarch, Queen Elizabeth, is a symbol of the free association of independent states.
Republics could be members - they could accept the monarch as Head of the Commonwealth without her being their own Head of State.
When Elizabeth II came to the throne in
1952 she became Head of the
Commonwealth.
Today the Queen is Head of State in 16 of the 53 Commonwealth member countries
When the Queen dies or if she abdicates, her heir will not automatically become Head of the
Commonwealth.
The Queen has laid considerable stress on her role as Head of the
Commonwealth, and made a great contribution to the association.

Her Majesty’s Principal
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, is a member of the British
Government.
He/she is responsible for relations with foreign countries.
He/she heads the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Current Foreign Secretary:
David Miliband

Africa
Botswana (1966)
Cameroon (1995)
Gambia (1965)
Ghana (1957)
Kenya (1963)
Lesotho (1966)
Malawi (1964)
Mauritius (1968)
Mozambique (1995)
Namibia (1990)
Nigeria (1960; suspended in 1995; readmitted in 1999)
Seychelles (1976)
Sierra Leone (1961)
South Africa (1931; left in 1961; rejoined in 1994)
Swaziland (1968)
Tanzania (1961)
Uganda (1962)
Zambia (1964)

South Africa’s Coat of Arms was launched on Freedom Day, 27th
April 2000.
A national Coat of Arms, or state emblem, is the highest visual symbol of the State.
The coat of Arms is also a central part of the Great Seal, traditionally considered to be the highest emblem of the State.
Absolute authority is given to every document with an impression of the
Great Seal on it, as this means that it has been approved by the
President of South Africa.

National Coat of Arms
National Flag
National Anthem
National Bird
The Blue Crane
National Fish
Galjoen
National Flower
King Protea
National Animal
The Sprinkbok
National Tree
Real Yellowwood

In 1654 the first settlement in
South Africa began.
The settlers were Dutch farmers known as Boers.
Towards the end of the 17th century a large number of
Huguenots (French
Protestants) also arrived.
The Cape Colony prospered, but in 1806, during the
Napolionic Wars, it was invaded by the British.

spoke their own language,
Afrikaans.
objected to British Rule.
In 1835, many Boers headed north in search of farmland.
Their journey has been known as the Great Trek.
founded two independent republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State
The Arrival of Jan van Riebeck, the first European to settle in South Africa, with Devil’s Peak in the Background

The Orange Free State

Gold and diamonds were discovered in the
Transvaal.
The discovery attracted thousands of new settlers.
The Boers reacted with hostility as they wanted the riches for themselves.
War broke out in 1899 and lasted until 1902 when the Boers were finally defeated by the
British.

was formed in 1910.
was given a similar status as Canada,
Australia, and New
Zealand.

In 1948 the white
Afrikaner Nationalist
Party introduced
Apartheid.
This was heavily criticized by the United
Nations and the British
Commonwealth.
A number of countries put economic sanctions on South Africa.

The African National
Congress (ANC)
Was founded as early as
1912.
The ANC struggled for fifty years to gain civil rights by peaceful means.
In 1960 they were banned and had to work underground.
In 1990, Nelson Mandela, the leader of ANC, was released from prison after serving a
27-year sentence.
In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected President of
South Africa.

Asia
Bangladesh (1972)
Brunei (1984)
India (1947)
Malaysia (1957 as Malaya; Malaysia since 1963)
Maldives (1982)
Pakistan (1947; left in 1972; rejoined 1989; suspended in 1999; readmitted in 2004)
Singapore (1965)
Sri Lanka (1948)

Oceania
Australia (1931; ratified in 1942)
Kiribati (1979)
Nauru (1968)
New Zealand (1931; ratified in 1947)
Papua New Guinea (1975)
Samoa (1970)
Solomon Islands (1978)
Tonga (1970)
Tuvalu (1978)
Vanuatu (1980)
Europe
Cyprus (1961)
Malta (1964)
United Kingdom (1931)

North America
Antigua and Barbuda (1981)
Bahamas (1973)
Barbados (1966)
Belize (1981)
Canada (1931)
Dominica (1978)
Grenada (1974)
Jamaica (1962)
Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983)
Saint Lucia (1979)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979)
Trinidad and Tobago (1962)
South America
Guyana (1966)