Currency

The currency of the German Empire, Weimar Republic, and West Germany. First introduced after unifica...

One of the oldest currency names still in use until the euro. First minted as a gold coin in 1360 to...

Introduced by the Meiji government as part of its modernization program. The name means circle, desc...

First issued by Sher Shah Suri in 1540. The word rupee comes from rupiya meaning shaped coin or stam...

The currency of the Netherlands from the 17th century until 2002. The guilder powered the Dutch Gold...

One of the oldest currency names in the world, dating to the 13th century. The word ruble may come f...

Replaced the Austro-Hungarian krone in 1925 after the collapse of the empire. Abolished after the An...

The only major franc still in use. The Swiss franc is considered the worlds safest currency due to S...

Replaced the Australian pound in 1966, decimalizing at 2 dollars to 1 pound. The first polymer bankn...

The worlds second most traded currency after the dollar. Introduced electronically in 1999, with not...

The worlds primary reserve currency. Established by the Coinage Act of 1792. Over 60 percent of glob...

Replaced the Nigerian pound in 1973 at 2 naira to 1 pound. The name was coined by Chief Obafemi Awol...

Replaced the South African pound in 1961 when South Africa became a republic. Named after the Witwat...

Introduced in July 1994 as part of the Plano Real, ending decades of hyperinflation. At its launch, ...

The peso was the basis for the US dollar, with the Spanish dollar circulating alongside American coi...

Issued by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Backed by cotton rather t...

The national currency of Poland since the 16th century. Zloty means golden in Polish. Originally a g...

Named after the city of Florence, where the gold florin originated. The Hungarian forint was one of ...

Established after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. Initially pegged to the US dol...

Introduced when Denmark joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union with Sweden and Norway. The union dis...

Replaced the Swedish riksdaler when Sweden joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union. Sweden was the fi...

Norway joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union in 1875, adopting the krone. The union ended with Worl...

Introduced by the Bank of Finland while Finland was a Grand Duchy under Russia. The name comes from ...

The modern Greek currency from independence until the euro. Named after the ancient Greek drachma, o...

Also called the punt in the Irish language. Introduced after Irish independence, replacing the pound...

Established after Italian unification. Based on the French franc system. The lira suffered chronic i...

Replaced the escudo after the Spanish Revolution of 1868. The name comes from pesseta meaning small ...

Replaced the real after the Republican revolution of 1910. The escudo was initially strong but suffe...

Also called the krone. Replaced the gulden when Austria-Hungary adopted the gold standard. The crown...

Belgium adopted the franc after independence from the Netherlands in 1830. Belgium was a founding me...

The leu means lion in Romanian, named after the Dutch thaler called the leeuwendaalder that circulat...

Lev means lion in Bulgarian, also named after the leeuwendaalder. The lev was pegged to the German m...

Replaced the Ottoman kurus as the main currency. The lira was originally strong, worth about 1 US do...

The modern shekel was introduced in 1985, replacing the hyperinflated old shekel at 1,000 to 1. The ...

The riyal replaced the Hejaz riyal after the founding of Saudi Arabia. Pegged to the US dollar at 3....

One of Asias oldest currencies. Originally a unit of weight for silver. The baht was decimalized in ...

Introduced after Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965. The Monetary Authority of Singapore mana...

First minted in 1863 under British colonial rule. Pegged to the US dollar at 7.75 to 7.85 since 1983...

The won replaced the hwan in 1962. South Koreas economic miracle saw the won strengthen from over 1,...

One of the least valued currencies in the world. Introduced during the Indonesian independence strug...

Introduced during the Spanish colonial period. The peso was the first currency used in the Philippin...

One of the lowest valued currencies per unit. Introduced after the reunification of North and South ...

The ringgit replaced the Malayan dollar in 1967. Ringgit means jagged in Malay, referring to the ser...

Introduced by Muhammad Ali Pasha, the founder of modern Egypt. The Egyptian pound was based on the B...

The official currency of Somalia. Introduced after independence in 1960. The shilling collapsed duri...

Site of the second worst hyperinflation in history. At its peak in November 2008, inflation reached ...

The German currency during World War I and the Weimar Republic. Decoupled from gold in 1914 to finan...

The currency that suffered the worst hyperinflation ever recorded. In July 1946, prices doubled ever...

The currency of Yugoslavia from 1918 to 2003. Yugoslavia experienced severe hyperinflation in 1993 t...

Paper money issued by the French Revolutionary government, backed by confiscated church property. In...

The first widespread paper currency in the United States, issued to finance the Civil War. Officiall...

Paper money issued by the Continental Congress to fund the American Revolution. Backed only by futur...

Worth 12 old pence or one twentieth of a pound. The shilling was a staple of British commerce for ce...

Paper money issued by the individual American colonies. Massachusetts was first in 1690 to pay soldi...

Small paper notes worth 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, or 50 cents, issued during and after the Civil War. Hoardi...

Paper currency backed by silver dollars held by the Treasury. The holder could exchange the certific...

Paper currency backed by gold coin held by the Treasury. The holder could exchange for gold on deman...

Paper currency issued by nationally chartered banks under the National Banking System. Each bank dep...

Also called United States Notes or greenbacks. The first general circulation paper currency issued b...

The primary currency of the United States since 1914. Issued by the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. The 19...

The currency of Taiwan since 1949. Replaced the old Taiwan dollar at 40,000 to 1 after the Nationali...

The earliest surviving paper money, issued by the Ming Dynasty. The Hongwu Emperor issued these note...

The currency of New France, the French colony in North America. French coins circulated alongside Sp...

The most unusual currency in North American history. When military pay failed to arrive from France,...

The currency of Liberia, founded by freed American slaves. The first Liberian coins were copper cent...

The currency of French India, covering Pondicherry, Chandernagore, Mahe, Yanam, and Karikal. The Fre...

The currency of the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. First issued by the VOC. The gulden was modele...

The currency of Haiti since 1813, making it one of the oldest currencies in the Americas. Replaced t...

Replaced the Jamaican pound in 1969 at 2 dollars to 1 pound, decimalizing Jamaican currency. Feature...

The Colombian peso replaced the Spanish colonial real after independence. Colombia was part of Gran ...

The Argentine peso has undergone multiple redenominations due to chronic inflation. The peso of 1881...

The Chilean peso was introduced during the wars of independence. Chile had the strongest currency in...

The Peruvian sol replaced the Spanish colonial real. The name sol means sun in Spanish, referencing ...

Named after Simon Bolivar, the liberator of South America. The bolivar suffered devastating hyperinf...

Introduced after the partition of India in 1947. Initially used Indian rupee notes stamped with Paki...

Introduced after the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971. Replaced the Pakistani rupee ...

Sri Lanka adopted the rupee system in 1872 under British colonial rule, replacing the British pound ...

One of the least valued currencies in the world per unit. The rial has been the official currency si...

Introduced when Iraq gained independence from Britain. The dinar was originally pegged to the Britis...

The Lebanese pound was pegged to the US dollar at 1,507 to 1 from 1997 until the 2019 financial cris...

The highest valued currency unit in the world. One Kuwaiti dinar equals approximately 3.3 US dollars...

The second highest valued currency unit after the Kuwaiti dinar. Pegged to the US dollar at 0.376 di...

The third highest valued currency unit. Replaced the Indian rupee and the Gulf rupee. Pegged to the ...

Introduced when Qatar and Dubai jointly issued currency. Qatar adopted its own riyal after Dubai joi...

The currency of the United Arab Emirates since 1973, replacing the Qatar and Dubai riyal. Pegged to ...

The Jordanian dinar replaced the Palestinian pound. Pegged to the US dollar at 0.709 dinars to 1 dol...

The modern Moroccan dirham was introduced in 1960, replacing the Moroccan franc. The dirham is named...

The Tunisian dinar replaced the French franc at 1 dinar to 1,000 francs. The dinar is named after th...

The Algerian dinar replaced the Algerian new franc in 1964 after independence from France. The dinar...

Replaced the East African shilling in 1966 after Kenya gained independence. The Kenyan shilling is t...

See Ethiopian Birr entry. The modern birr is managed by the National Bank of Ethiopia, established i...

Replaced the East African shilling in 1966. The Tanzanian shilling is managed by the Bank of Tanzani...

Ghana was the first African colony to gain independence in 1957. The cedi replaced the British West ...

See Nigerian Naira entry. The naira has depreciated dramatically since 2014 due to falling oil price...

A short lived currency that replaced the Argentine peso at 1,000 to 1 during the fight against hyper...

The currency of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991. The Soviet ruble was non convertible, with an ar...

Cuba has operated a dual currency system with the Cuban peso CUP and the convertible peso CUC pegged...

The CUC was pegged to the US dollar and used in the tourism sector and stores. Created during the Sp...

The Panamanian balboa is pegged at par with the US dollar. US dollar bills circulate alongside Panam...

Replaced the Costa Rican peso in 1896. Named after Christopher Columbus, known as Cristobal Colon in...

The Uruguayan peso replaced the old peso in 1993 after a period of inflation. The peso uruguayo was ...

Named after the Guarani people, the indigenous inhabitants of Paraguay. The guarani replaced the pes...

The boliviano replaced the Bolivian peso in 1987 after hyperinflation. Named after Simon Bolivar. Pe...

The Icelandic krona suffered dramatic losses in the 2008 financial crisis when Icelands banking syst...

The currency of Malta until euro adoption in 2008. The Maltese lira was the second highest valued cu...

The currency of Cyprus until euro adoption in 2008. Introduced when Cyprus became a British protecto...

Introduced when Mongolia established its central bank in 1925. The tugrik replaced Chinese and Russi...

The Afghani replaced the Afghan rupee in 1925 during the reign of King Amanullah. The afghani has su...

Introduced after the collapse of the Soviet Union, replacing the Soviet ruble. The tenge was the fir...

Replaced the Soviet ruble transitionally and then the coupon som in 1994. Uzbekistan was cautious in...

The kuna was the currency of Croatia from 1994 to 2023. Kuna means marten in Croatian, referencing t...

The dinar was the currency of medieval Serbia, revived in modern times. The medieval Serbian dinar w...

The tolar replaced the Yugoslav dinar after Slovenian independence in 1991. Named after the thaler, ...

The Slovak koruna replaced the Czechoslovak koruna after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Slovakia...

The lats was introduced in 1922 after Latvian independence. The Soviet occupation in 1940 replaced t...

The litas was introduced in 1922 after Lithuanian independence. The Soviet occupation replaced it wi...

The kroon was introduced in 1928, replacing the Estonian mark. The Soviet occupation replaced the kr...

The Czech koruna replaced the Czechoslovak koruna after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The Czech...

The lari replaced the Georgian coupon at 1 million to 1. The word lari means hoard or property in Ol...

The dram replaced the Soviet ruble after Armenian independence. The dram was initially very weak due...

The manat replaced the Soviet ruble. Redenominated in 2006 at 5,000 to 1. The manat is pegged to the...

Belarus is the only former Soviet republic that still uses the ruble. The Belarusian ruble has been ...

The leu replaced the Soviet ruble after Moldovan independence. Named after the Romanian leu, reflect...

The lek was introduced in 1926 after Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Named afte...

The denar replaced the Yugoslav dinar after Macedonian independence. The denar was initially pegged ...

The convertible mark replaced the Bosnian dinar and the Croatian kuna used in different parts of the...

Notgeld or emergency money issued by German municipalities during World War I and the Weimar hyperin...

Local emergency currency issued during the Great Depression when banks failed and money became scarc...

Used by 14 African countries in two currency unions, West African CFA franc (8 countries) and Centra...

The West African CFA franc is used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger,...

The Central African CFA franc is used by Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial...

The currency of Comoros, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. The Comorian franc was pegged to the ...

The currency of Djibouti, a small country at the entrance to the Red Sea. Pegged to the US dollar at...

The currency of Guinea since independence from France in 1958. Replaced the CFA franc when Guinea le...

The currency of Madagascar, introduced in 2005 replacing the Malagasy franc at 5 francs to 1 ariary....

The currency of Mauritania, one of only two non decimal currencies alongside the Malagasy ariary. 1 ...

The kwacha replaced the Zambian pound in 1968. Kwacha means dawn in Nyanja and Bemba, symbolizing in...

Introduced in 2016 as a parallel currency to the US dollar in Zimbabwe. Bond notes were supposedly b...

The currency of the self declared Republic of Somaliland, which is not internationally recognized. T...

Introduced after South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. The South Sudanese pound replac...

The Sudanese pound was introduced at independence in 1956. Redenominated in 2007 at 100 to 1, and ag...

The currency of Eritrea since independence from Ethiopia in 1993. The nakfa is named after the town ...

The leone replaced the British West African pound in 1964. The name comes from the Sierra Leone, mea...

See Liberian Dollar entry. The first Liberian coins were copper cents issued in 1847 featuring a sta...

The Rwandan franc replaced the Rwandan and Burundian franc in 1964. The National Bank of Rwanda was ...

The Burundian franc replaced the Rwandan and Burundian franc after the two countries separated their...

The currency of Tonga, the only Pacific island nation that was never colonized. The paanga replaced ...

The tala replaced the Western Samoan pound in 1967. Tala means tell or count in Samoan. The tala is ...

The Fijian dollar has been used since 1867 with interruptions. Fiji used British currency from 1873 ...

The kina replaced the Australian dollar at independence in 1975. Named after the kina shell, traditi...

Introduced at independence from Britain in 1977, replacing the Australian dollar. The Central Bank o...

The currency of Vanuatu since independence from Anglo French condominium rule in 1980. The vatu has ...

The currency of Cyprus until euro adoption in 2008. The Cyprus pound was equal to the British pound ...

The currency of Gibraltar, pegged at par with the British pound sterling. Gibraltar has issued its o...

The currency of the Falkland Islands, pegged at par with the British pound. Falkland Islands coins a...

The currency of St. Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha. Pegged at par with the British pound. S...