What Money Looks Like Around The World

1. Argentine Pesos

Image Source: Reddit.com

The Peso is the currency of Argentina and can be identified like other peso and dollar currencies with the $ symbol.  One peso is worth 100 centavos and the 500-peso banknote won the country 'Banknote of the Year' in 2016 with its beautiful illustrations of jaguars.

2. Arubian Florins

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Aruba's currency is the florin which has been the official currency of Aruba since 1986.  1 Florin is subdivided into 100 cents.  Keen coin collectors will probably be aware of Aruba's best-known square 50-cent coin that was a common souvenier.  And it used to be known as the "yotin".

3. Australian Dollars

Image Source: PJ's Coin Capers

Interestingly, in 1963 the Australian dollar came very close to being called the "royal", the "kwid", or the "emu".  In fact, at the time when the country decided to get rid of the pound, the Australian treasurer suggested the 'royal'

 and people absolutely hated it that much he and his wife even received death threats!

4. Bahamian Dollars

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When the Bahamian Dollar replaced the British Pound Sterling in 1966, only coins were introduced as the currency of the country.  And it wasn't until two years later in 1968 that paper money began to be produced and circulated.  Interestingly, it is also the currency of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

5. Bangladeshi Taka

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Bangladesh gained its independence from Pakistan in 1971 and Bangladesh's official independence day is said to be March 26th, 1971.  And in 1972, the Bangladeshi Taka was introduced as the official currency, quickly replacing the old currency, the Pakistani Rupee.

6. Bermuda Dollars

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The Bermuda Dollar is the official currency that is only used in the Bermudas and is not usually traded outside its borders.  1 dollar is split into 100 cents and is tied to the US dollar with a fixed exchange rate.  In fact, both currencies are circulated in the Bermudas.

7. Bhutanese Ngultrum

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The Bhutanese Ngultrum and the Indian Rupee are both in wide circulation throughout Bhutan and they have always been pegged at a 1:1 exchange rate.  An interesting fact about the Bhutanese Ngultrum is that its name can be literally translated as silver (ngul) and coin (trum).

8. Brazilian Real

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The Real has been the official legal currency of Brazil since 1994 and is said to be the strongest tender in Latin America.  Between 1942 and 1994, Brazil actually had eight different currencies, starting with the Cruzeiro and ending with the current Real.

9. Canadian Dollar

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The Canadian Dollar is the official currency of Canada, and like a lot of 'paper' money around the world, it has more recently been produced out of polymer.  And you may have heard of a Loonie

before (or maybe not) but this is actually the nickname of Canada's $1 coin because it has a Loon on it, Canada's national bird.  With that in mind, can you guess what a Toonie

is?

10. Chinese Yuan

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Did you know that the first items used as currency in China were sea shells?  And, interestingly, the growth of trade led to the use of other currencies such as fabric, knives, and eventually bronze coins.  But today, the official legal tender of China is the Yuan.

11. Danish Krone

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Krone coins have been minted in Denmark for well over 15 centuries.  And some of them can currently be identified by their hole in the middle which is said to have been designed so those with sight impairment can tell the coins apart.  The Danish Krone is not only the official currency in Denmark, but it is also legal tender in Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

12. Egyptian Pound

Image Source: Egyptianstreets.com

The official currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound.  The paper money is quite unique and has several features, including being bilingual.  The Arab side has illustrations of Islamic buildings and the English side has motifs of ancient Egyptian figures and statues.  And the size of each bill actually corresponds to its value.

13. Euro

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The Euro is said to be the second most important currency in the world and is used in 60 countries and territories.  The Euro symbol, inspired by the Greek letter Epsilon, not only stands for the first letter of Europe in the Latin alphabet but the two horizontal lines represent stability.

14. Falkland Islands Pounds

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The Falkland Islands are equal to the size of the US state of Connecticut and their official currency is the Pound.  And although British travelers have trouble exchanging the tender in the UK because so many people haven't ever seen it, the Falkland Islands Pound is at a fixed rate with the British Pound.

15. Figi Dollars

Image Source: rnz.co.nz

Although Fijian Dollars are not printed or minted in Figi, this has been the official currency of Figi since it was a British Colony.  New banknotes were introduced in 2012 and their design replaced the usual portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with beautiful illustrations of foliage and wildlife!

16. Icelandic Krona

Image Source: Icelandtrippers.com

You may have noticed that the origin of the name of the Icelandic Krona is similar to other Scandinavian currencies.  Iceland was part of Denmark from 1814 to 1918 and Iceland separated from the Danish Krone.  They first printed their own banknotes in 1885 and the first coins were issued in 1922 - not that you'll see much of that money nowadays though as people in Iceland prefer to use the plastic of their credit cards!

17. Indian Rupee

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You'll notice that Gandhi is printed on every single banknote of the Indian Rupee, and interestingly, what makes India's currency unique is its enhanced security features such as micro-lettering, watermarks, and intaglio printing, as well as very frequent redesigns!

18. Indonesian Rupiah

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The Indonesian Rupiah banknotes are noticeably very colorful and believe it or not, the more colorful and rainbowlike they are, the more valuable they tend to be.  And it is not uncommon for people in Indonesia to carry lots of cash, as, due to inflation rates, daily spending can regularly reach the millions!

19. Iranian Rial

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The Iranian Rial is the official currency of the Islamic Republic of Iran.  And it is very, very old.  So old that it was first introduced in 1798!  It doesn't actually have an official symbol in Iran and is usually represented as RI.  The Rial is subdivided into 100 Dinars but the value of 1 Dinar is so low that it isn't really acknowledged.

20. Japanese Yen

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The Japanese Yen is the third most important currency in the world and is said to be one of the most difficult currencies to counterfeit.  This is because it uses sophisticated security features, including holograms and ultra-fine line printing.   fun fact is the word 'Yen' simply translated to 'a round thing'.

21. Kazakhstani Tenge

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Kazakhstan was one of the last countries to leave the ruble of the former Soviet Union and learned very quickly that the production of a new currency is a lengthy process.  But they did it and the Tenge is not the official tender of Kazakhstan.  It has even been recognized to have the best banknotes in the world!

22. New Zealand Dollar

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The currency of New Zealand, the Dollar, has been the official currency of the country since 1967 when it replaced the Pound.  And it's not only New Zealand's official currency, it also circulates in Tokelau, the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Pitcairn Islands.  It is often referred to as Kiwi,

the national bird of New Zealand.

23. North Korean Won

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The North Korean Won is the official currency of North Korea and it replaced the Yen in 1947.  It is intended only for the exclusive use of the citizens of North Korea.  And there has actually been a completely separate currency developed for visitors to use.

24. South African Rand

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The first currency that was used in South Africa was actually Dutch and the first paper money used was in 1782!  South Africa has eleven national languages, including Afrikaans and English, and each one of these languages is included on at least one of the rand banknotes.

25. Swiss Franc

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The Swiss Franc is now the only Franc that is left in Europe and is the official currency in three countries, including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Campione d'Italia.  And the finance industry has dubbed it a 'safe haven currency' with Swiss banks being seen as the most stable in the world.

26. New Taiwan Dollar

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The New Taiwan Dollar has been around since the late 1940s but the Chinese Yuan remained the official currency.  However, even though Taiwan is physically separate from mainland China, as part of becoming independent from China, Taiwan developed its own currency as a step forward.

27. Ugandan Shillings

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The International Bank Note Society once dubbed the 50,000 Shillings the most beautiful banknote in the world.  Each banknote includes illustrations of Ugandan heritage, including the Nile.  In Uganda, credit cards don't tend to be accepted by lots of places so people tend to carry this visually pleasing currency around.

28. Great British Pounds

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The Great British Pound was invented by the Romans and is, impressively, the oldest surviving independent currency in the world, and the banknotes were originally handwritten.  The banknotes are now made from polymer to prolong their lives and the coins are very carefully weighed.  But despite these efforts, the Great British Pound is very often counterfeited!

29. Uzbekistani Som

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The Som is Uzbekistan's official currency and is divided into 100 tiyn with its banknotes depicting famous Uzbekistani historical figures.  It was introduced to the country in 1993 when it replaced the Soviet Union's Ruble and today, it is the only currency that is circulating in the country.

30. Maldivian Rufiyaa

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The Maldivian Rufiyaa derives from the Sanskrit word meaning 'silver coin'.  The colorful bills depict scenes from the history and culture of The Maldives, including people fishing skipjack tuna, playing football, people in traditional dress, the Friday Mosque, a conch shell, a green sea turtle, and a shark to name a few.