Swaziland

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small landlocked country in the east of Southern Africa, bounded to the east by Mozambique. The country comprises four regions: Hhohho, Manzini, Lubombo and Shiselweni. It is one of seven landlocked Commonwealth countries.

Swaziland is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, NAM, UN and WTO among others.

The country has eight nature reserves inhabited by indigenous species. Several of them such as black and white rhinoceros are under threat elsewhere. Limited supplies of drinking water, and depletion of wildlife populations by excessive hunting are among its most significant environment issues.

Bangladesh

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh is a fertile and densely populated delta country in southern Asia bordered by the Bay of Bengal, India and Myanmar.

Muhammad Yunus, Founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, delivered the 6th Annual Commonwealth Lecture, on ‘Halving Poverty by 2015’, in 2003; he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006, jointly with the Bank. Two Bangladeshi-born writers have won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book award: Adib Khan (1995) and Tahmima Anam (2008). Bangladesh is a member of the IOR-ARC, NAM, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, SAARC, UN and WTO.

Severe overpopulation, high risk of flooding and ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic are among its most significant environment issues.,

Papua New Guinea

The Independent State of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific shares a land-border with Indonesia.

Papua New Guinea includes the eastern half of the world’s second biggest island, New Guinea. The rest of the country is made up of about 600 small islands. Papua New Guinea has more than 800 indigenous languages, perhaps more than any other country has.

Papua New Guinea is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation, NAM, Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum, UN and the WTO.

Papua New Guinea has many thousands of unusual species of insect including the world’s largest butterfly, the Queen Alexandra birdwing. Some 700 species of birds live there. The most significant environmental issues include rainforest deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber and severe drought.

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the south-west Pacific, consists of a double chain of rocky islands and some small coral islands.

Its nearest neighbour to the west is Papua New Guinea. The country comprises the capital territory of Honiara and nine provinces.

The Commonwealth Youth Programme Pacific Centre is based in Honiara; it promotes youth development in 14 Pacific countries with a total population of some 31 million.

Solomon Islands is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum, UN and WTO.

The most significant environmental issues are deforestation and soil erosion. In addition much of the country's surrounding coral reef is either dying or dead.

Mauritius

The Republic of Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean, lies east of Madagascar and the south-east African coast. Its Constitution provides that Mauritius includes the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agalega, Tromelin, Cargados Carajos and the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.

The 18th triennial Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers was held in Port Louis from 28–31 August 2012

Mauritius is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Southern African Development Community, UN and WTO.

The island of Mauritius is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs, with lagoons and coral-sand beaches. Most significant environment issues are water pollution and degradation of coral reefs.

Samoa

Samoa means ’Sacred Centre of the Universe’. It is an archipelago of nine islands at the centre of the south-west Pacific island groups. Five of the islands are uninhabited.

Two Samoans have been regional winners in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize: Albert Wendt, born in Apia in 1939, won with his novel, Ola, in 1992, and again with The Adventures of Vela in 2010; and Sia Figiel, born in Matautu Tai in 1967, won with her novel, Where We Once Belonged, in 1997.

Samoa is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum, UN and WTO.

Animal life on the islands is restricted to several species of bats and lizards, and 53 species of birds. The rare tooth-billed pigeon on the island, thought to be a living link with prehistoric tooth-billed birds. The most significant environmental issue faced by the country is soil erosion.

The Bahamas

The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a coral archipelago of around 700 islands and more than 2,000 rocks and cays in the West Atlantic south-east of the coast of Florida. About 30 islands are inhabited, the most important of which are New Providence.

Robert Antoni, born in The Bahamas in 1958, was winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize Best First Book award with his novel, Divina Trace, in 1992. The Bahamas is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Caribbean Community (though not the CARICOM Single Market and Economy), NAM, Organization of American States and United Nations.

Animal life is restricted to small species, such as agouti, frogs, iguana and bats. The Inagua National Park on Great Inagua Island is the home of more than 50,000 flamingos, the country's national bird. Its the largest flock in the world. The most significant environmental issues are coral reef decay and solid waste disposal.

Seychelles

The Republic of Seychelles lies in the western part of the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar. It is an isolated archipelago of outstanding natural beauty comprising about 115 islands, the largest and most economically important of which is Mahé. It is built of mountainous granite islands.

Seychelles has one of the highest incomes per capita in Africa – US$11,130 in 2011.

Seychelles is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, IOR-ARC, NAM, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, Southern African Development Community and UN.

Some 89% of Seychelles is covered by forest, more than any other country in the Commonwealth. There are many species of rare birds. Four of its islands have been declared bird sanctuaries, including Bird Island, which is inhabited by millions of fairy terns. The most significant environmental issue is dependence on rainwater for water supply.

Nauru

Nauru is a small oval-shaped island in the western Pacific Ocean. A sealed road 19km long circles the island.

With a population of about 10,000, Nauru and Tuvalu are the smallest Commonwealth member countries. They are also two of the world’s smallest democracies. Nauru is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum and United Nations. The most significant environmental issues are devastation of some 90% of the island by intensive phosphate mining and dependence on an ageing desalination plant for water supply.

Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga, known as ‘The Friendly Islands’, lies in the central south-west Pacific. Its neighbours include Fiji and New Zealand. The country comprises 172 islands (36 inhabited; some coral and some volcanic) and straddles the international date line. Four of the islands have active volcanoes. Tonga is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum, UN and WTO.

The most significant environmental issues are deforestation, damage to coral reefs by excessive coral and shell harvesting, and depletion of sea turtle populations by hunters.

Grenada

Grenada consists of the island of Grenada, the most southerly of the Windwards in the Eastern Caribbean, and some of the southern Grenadine islands. Its Capital St. George's is a deep water port.

Grenada is the world’s second largest producer of nutmeg after Indonesia.

Grenada is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, ACS, Caribbean Community, NAM, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Organisation of American States, UN and WTO.

Wildlife comprises mainly smaller species such as mona monkey and armadillo. The Grenada dove and endangered hook billed kite are unique to the island.

Dominica

The Commonwealth of Dominica is one of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. On his appointment in 2004 the current prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, was the youngest head of government in the world, aged 31.

Dominica is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Association of Caribbean States, Caribbean Community, NAM, UN and WTO.

A volcanic island 46km in length, Dominica has a central mountain ridge running from Cape Melville in the north to the cliffs in the south. The pollution of the coastal zone by chemicals used in farming and factories and shortage of drinking water are some environment issues faced by the country.

Tuvalu

Tuvalu, formerly the Ellice Islands, is a group of atolls lying south of the equator in the western Pacific Ocean, north of Fiji. With a population of about 10,000, Tuvalu and Nauru are the smallest Commonwealth member nations and the world's smallest democracies.

Tuvalu is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Pacific Community, Pacific Islands Forum and UN.

There are no streams or rivers in the country and ground water is not safe to drink; water needs are met by catchment of rainwater and, increasingly, by desalination.