What is the Commonwealth of Nations?

It is a voluntary association of independent sovereign states, all of which acknowledge the British monarch as symbolic head of the association. The Commonwealth is not a political union of any sort, and its member states have full autonomy to manage their own internal and external affairs. It is primarily an organization in which countries with diverse economic backgrounds have an opportunity for close and equal interaction after gaining independence. The major activities of the Commonwealth are designed to advocate democracy, human rights, and to promote economic cooperation and growth within its members