Commonwealth vs. State
Before you even begin to discuss the concepts and differences between these designations, you have to first determine where you are located. So, where are you talking about? Commonwealths and States, in domestic law, are pretty much treated the same. So much so that one could say there is no practical difference. As a basic rule, in the United States of America, commonwealths and states are treated the same under the U. S. Constitution.
Like the other comments following, it depends on what kind of commonwealth you're talking about; some consider Puerto Rico a commonwealth (which has some benefits of federal assistance, but restricted voting rights, etc). However, if you're asking about Virginia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, or Pennsylvania (the four "states" in the US that call themselves a commonwealth), in a commonwealth landowners do not possess mineral or oil rights to their land. They don't actually own their land but own its use. However this does not significantly differentiate their structure or self-government in any way from other states in the Union. Other FAQ Framers have offered these opinions:
The above statement simply is not true. Studying the constitutions of most states you will find similar wording regarding the states identity or "sovereignty". To the federal government all states are created equal. The differences come about through actions of the states (or in VA, MA, PA and KY the commonwealth). Relative to the US there is NO difference between a state and a commonwealth although there are certainly differences in how each state is governed.
There is no difference between the two other than terminology.
There are four US states that officially designate themselves as "commonwealths". Arkansas is not one of them.In practice, there's no real difference between a "commonwealth" state and one that just calls itself a state.
Nothing. :] They are the same.
A country that is part of the commonwealth used to be a part of the British empire but now has political independence and state is equivalent to a country. A state can also mean a large area of a country that has a some political and legislative authority, but is not fully independent.
They're both headquartered in the United Kingdom. You're probably thinking of the Commonwealth Dominions/Realms vs. the Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth of Nations is an agreement between nations in matters of trade and other relations. The Commonwealth Dominions are all part of the Commonwealth of Nations, but differ in that the British Monarch serves as their head of state, hence, the Queen of England is also the Queen of Canada, Australia, Bahamas, New Zealand, etc.
Kentucky is a commonwealth state, hence the title The Commonwealth of Kentucky.
what is the difference between action verds and state verbs ?
It is a Commonwealth.
The difference is that an Inaugural address is when the president takes an oath and solemn promise and the other one is when he is telling the condition of the country.
What is the difference between a common wealth and a state?
difference between central and state university
they are two deferent competitions both games are only for the unprofessional players but the commonwealth games are only for countries that used to be in the commonwealth =)