Dollars and Cents around the World
Pursuant to my previous post about hyperinflation and thinking of Greek lepta, I remembered that I had this list of units and fractions tucked away, and decided to share it for no good reason. Many of these currencies are historically obsolete, having been revalued multiple times or abandoned, but it’s interesting to see what was used.
Afghanistan 1 afghani = 100 pul
Albania 1 lek = 100 qindar (plural=qindarka)
Algeria 1 dinar = 100 centimes (santimat)
Andorra 1 diner = 100 centims
Angola 1 kwanza = 100 lwei
Argentina 1 peso = 100 centavos [still valid?]
Armenia 1 dram = 100 lum
Aruba 1 florin = 100 cents
Australia 1 dollar = 100 cents
Austria 1 Schilling = 100 Groschen
In Villach in 1975 there was a dry-goods store that had a once-a-year “1-groschen sale” – for a 1-groschen coin, you could get a yard of cloth. By this time, the 1-groschen coin was rare enough that the store came out ahead.
Azerbaijan 1 manat = 100 qapik
Bahamas 1 dollar = 100 cents
Bahrain 1 dinar = 1000 fils
Bangladesh 1 taka = 100 poisha
Barbados 1 dollar = 100 cents
Belarus 1 rubel = 100 kapeek
Belgium 1 franc = 100 centimes
Belize 1 dollar = 100 cents
Benin CFA franc
Bermuda 1 dollar = 100 cents
Bhutan 1 ngultrum = 100 chhertum
Bolivia 1 boliviano = 100 centavos
Botswana 1 thebe = 100 pula
Bosnia-Herzegovina Dinar/Deutsche Mark [?]
Brazil 1 real = 100 centavos [still valid?]
British Virgin Islands 1 dollar = 100 cents
Brunei 1 dollar = 100 sen
Bulgaria 1 lev (plural leva) = 100 stotinki (singular: stotinka)
Burundi CFA franc
Cambodia 1 riel = 100 sen [still valid?]
Cameroon CFA franc
Canada 1 dollar = 100 cents
Cape Verde 1 escudo = 100 centavos
Cayman Islands 1 dollar = 100 cents
Central African Republic CFA franc
Chad CFA franc
Chile 1 peso = 100 centavos
China (PRC) 1 yuan = 10 jiao = 100 fen
China (Taiwan) 1 New Taiwan Dollar (yuan) = 10 chiao = 100 cents (fen)
Colombia 1 peso = 100 centavos
Comoros Franc
Congo CFA franc
Cook Islands 1 dollar = 100 cents (tene)
Costa Rica 1 colon = 100 centimos
Croatia 1 kuna = 100 lipa
2003 Croatian 20 Lipa coin
Cuba 1 peso = 100 centavos
Cyprus 1 pound = 100 cents
Czech Republic 1 korun = 100 haleru
Denmark 1 krone (plural: kroner) = 100 ore
Djibouti Franc
Dominican Republic 1 peso = 100 centavos
East Caribbean States 1 dollar = 100 cents
Ecuador 1 sucre = 100 centavos
Egypt 1 pound (ginayh) = 100 piastres (qirsh) = 1000 milliemes (millimat)
1/2 Millieme, Egypt, 1938
El Salvador 1 colon = 100 centavos
Equatorial Guinea CFA franc (franco)
Eritrea Dollar
Estonia 1 kroon = 100 senti
Ethiopia 1 birr = 100 santeems [still valid?]
Falkland Islands 1 pound = 100 pence
Fiji 1 dollar = 100 cents
Finland 1 markka = 100 pennia
France 1 franc = 100 centimes
In France, there were about 5 Francs to a dollar for the longest time. This 20-centime piece would have been worth about a nickel.
French Polynesia CFP franc
Gabon CFA franc
Gambia 1 dalasi = 100 bututs
Georgia Lari
Germany 1 Mark = 100 Pfennig
Ghana 1 cedi = 100 pesewas
Gibraltar 1 pound = 100 pence
Great Britain 1 pound = 100 pence
Not to mention quids, bobs, mags, tanners, joeys, threepenny bits, florins, half-crowns, and all the rest of that nightmarish system. That’ll be two and six ha’penny, thanks.
Greece 1 drachma = 100 lepta (singular: lepton)
Guatemala 1 quetzal = 100 centavos
Guernsey 1 pound = 100 pence
Guinea franc guineen
Guinea-Bissau 1 peso = 100 centavos
Guyana 1 dollar = 100 cents
Haiti 1 gourde = 100 centimes
Honduras 1 lempira = 100 centavos
Hong Kong 1 dollar = 100 cents
Hungary 1 forint = 100 filler
Iceland 1 krona (pl. kronur) = 100 aurar (singular: eyrir)
India 1 rupee = 100 paisa
1 rupee had 16 annas, an anna had 4 pice, and 1 paise had 3 pies. This little coin was therefore worth 1 pie, or 1/192 of a rupee.
Indonesia Rupiah
Iran Rial
Iraq 1 dinar = 1000 fils
Ireland 1 punt = 100 pence
Isle of Man 1 pound = 100 pence
Israel 1 sheqel (plural: sheqalim) = 100 agorot (singular: agora)
Italy Lira
The 5-lira coin was still in use in Naples in 1970. It was becoming more scarce, and the 10-lira coin was most commonly seen, but they were still around. In those days, a “normale” (standard shot of espresso) cost 50 lire or about 8 cents, so collect 10 of these and you could get a cup of coffee.
Jamaica 1 dollar = 100 cents
Japan 1 Yen = 100 Sen = 1000 Rin
Japan 1-sen coin, 1944
Japanese 1-Rin coin
The rin was discontinued after 1892, and the sen was demonetized in 1953.
Jersey 1 pound = 100 pence
Jordan 1 dinar = 10 dirhams = 1000 fils
Kazakhstan 1 som = 100 tyin
Kenya 1 shilling = 100 cents
Kiribati 1 dollar = 100 cents
Korea (ROK & DPRK) Won
Kuwait 1 dinar = 1000 fils
Kyrgyzstan
Laos 1 kip = 100 att
Latvia 1 lats = 100 santimu (singular: santims)
Lebanon 1 livre (lirah) = 100 piastres (qurush)
Lesotho 1 loti (plural: maloti) = 100 lisente (singular: sente)
Liberia 1 dollar = 100 cents
Libya 1 dinar = 1000 dirhams
Liechtenstein 1 franc = 100 rappen
Lithuania 1 litas = 100 centu (singular: centas)
Luxembourg 1 franc = 100 centimes
Macao 1 pataca = 100 avos
Macedonia (FYROM) 1 dinar = 100 deni
Madagascar Ariary [still valid?]
Malawi 1 kwacha = 100 tambala
Malaysia 1 ringgit (dollar) = 100 sen
Maldive Islands 1 rufiyaa = 100 laari
Mali Franc
Malta, Republic of 1 pound = 100 cents = 1000 mils
Malta, Order of 1 scudo = 12 tari = 240 grani
Mauritania 1 ouguiya = 5 khoum
Mauritius 1 rupee = 100 cents
Mexico 1 peso = 100 centavos
Moldova 1 leu (plural lei) = 100 bani
Moldova-Trans-Dniestria [ethnic Russian secession zone] Rouble
Monaco 1 franc = 100 centimes
Mongolia 1 tugrik = 100 mongo
Morocco 1 dirham = 100 santimat
Mozambique 1 metical = 100 centavos
Myanmar 1 kyat = 100 pyas
Nepal 1 rupee = 100 paisa
Netherlands 1 gulden = 100 cents
Netherlands Antilles 1 gulden = 100 cents
New Caledonia CFP franc
New Zealand 1 dollar = 100 cents
Nicaragua 1 cordoba = 100 centavos
Nigeria 1 naira = 100 kobo
Norway 1 krone (pl. kroner) = 100 ore
Oman 1 rial = 1000 baiza
Pakistan 1 rupee = 100 paisa
Panama 1 balboa = 100 centesimos
Papua New Guinea 1 kina = 100 toea
Paraguay 1 guarani = 100 centimos
Peru 1 sol = 100 centavos [still valid?]
Philippines 1 piso = 100 sentimo
Poland 1 zloty = 100 groszy
Portugal 1 escudo = 100 centavos
Qatar 1 riyal = 100 dirhem
Romania 1 leu (plural lei) = 100 bani
Russia 1 rouble = 100 kopeks
Russia – 5 kopeks, 1974
Rwanda Franc
St. Helena & Ascension 1 pound = 100 pence
St. Thomas & Prince 1 dobra = 100 centimos
San Marino Lira
Saudi Arabia 1 ghirsh = 5 halala (riyal?)
Senegal Franc
Seychelles 1 rupee = 100 cents
Sierra Leone 1 leone = 100 cents
Singapore 1 dollar = 100 cents
Slovakia 1 korun (pl. koruny) = 100 haleru
Slovenia 1 tolar (pl. tolarjev) = 100 stotinov
Solomon Islands 1 dollar = 100 cents
Somalia 1 shilin = 100 senti
Somaliland Somaliland shilling
South Africa 1 rand = 100 cents
Spain 1 peseta = 100 centimos
Sri Lanka 1 rupee = 100 cents
Sudan 1 pound (ginayh) = 1000 millim
Surinam 1 gulden = 100 cent
Swaziland 1 lilangeni (pl: emalangeni) = 100 cents
Sweden 1 krona (pl: kronor) = 100 ore
Switzerland 1 franc = 100 rappen or 100 centimes or 100 centesimi
Syria 1 pound (lirah) = 100 piastres (qirsh)
Tajikistan Manat [?]
Tanzania 1 shilingi = 100 senti
Thailand 1 baht = 100 satang
Tonga 1 pa’anga = 100 seniti
Trinidad & Tobago 1 dollar = 100 cents
Tunisia 1 dinar = 1000 millim
Turkey 1 lira = 100 kurus
Turkmenistan 1 manat = 100 tennesi
Tuvalu 1 dollar = 100 cents
Uganda 1 shilling = 100 cents
Ukraine Karbovanetz (coupons)
United Arab Emirates 1 dinar = 100 fils
USA 1 dollar = 100 cents
Uruguay 1 peso = 100 centesimos
Uzbekistan 1 sum = 100 tiyin
With 1000 Uzbeki som being worth $0.60 (as of 2013), the 1-tiyin coin was reported to be the “most worthless coin in the world,” with a value of 1/1999¢. Given constant fluctuations in world currencies, and constant devaluations, this honor will probably not last.
Vanuatu Vatu
Vatican City Lira
Venezuela 1 bolivar = 100 centimos
Vietnam Dong
West African States [currency union of former French colonies] CFA franc
Western Samoa 1 tala = 100 sene
Yemen ? [since reunification in 1990??]
Yugoslavia Dinar/Deutsche Mark [since 1994]
Former Yugoslavia – 1 Dinar, 1963. The earlier dinar was equal to 100 para.
Zaire Zaire
Zambia 1 kwacha = 100 ngwee
Zimbabwe 1 dollar = 100 cents
The Old Wolf’s Two Penn’orth.
Playing in the World Game 
£.s.d. wasn’t nightmarish at all. Just characteristic and charming. And they abolished it just as computers were making it unnecessary to do so.
— Paul who hasn’t been back since before decimalization…
£.s.d always made my head hurt. As Jolitorax explained to Astérix: “We’ve got iron ingots which weigh a pound each, which are worth three and a half sesterces. Then there are four pieces of zinc which are worth one and a half pieces of copper each. Sesterces are worth twelve pieces of bronze…
It all depends on what you’re used to, I guess.
Head-hurt, yes, but in a good way. It fostered numeracy and mental agility. I refer you to the works of the Master :
“… Mr Carmody… was allowing his mind, for the hundredth time, to dwell on the paralysing cost of these hygienic proceedings.
“Thirty guineas a week, thought Mr Carmody as he bounded up and down. Four pound ten a day… Three shillings and ninepence an hour… Three solid farthings… to meditate on these figures was like turning a sword in his heart.”
The reader will of course recognize the iniquitous fees charged by Healthward Ho (formerly Graveney Court), in Worcestershire. _Money for Nothing_, Popgood & Grooley, 1928, p. 30.
cheerio,
P. (^_^)
“Like”
three solid farthings _a minute_, of course
I can just hear Mr. Banks singing, “They’ll feel the joy of totting up a balanced book, a thousand ciphers neatly in a row…”
I really ought to see that movie. Mind you, it was only last year that I got around to the Sound of Music. No sweet tooth I guess…