Somaliland shilling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ISO 4217 Code | None |
User(s) | Somaliland |
Symbol | Sl. Sh. |
Coins | 1, 5, 10, 20 shillings |
Banknotes | 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 shillings |
Central bank | Bank of Somaliland |
Website | www.somalilandgov.com/bank.htm |
The Somaliland shilling (Somali Soomaaliland shilin) is the official currency of the self declared Republic of Somaliland, which has been a de facto-independent state since 1991. It was introduced around October 1994.
Contents |
[edit] Banknotes
Somaliland |
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Other countries - Culture Portal |
Banknotes are issued with denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 shillings.
Regular Series | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Date of printing | |
Obverse | Reverse | |||||
5 shillings | 120 × 53 mm | Green | Historic house "Goodirka" (House of Representatives then. Now Supreme Court of Somaliland), kudu | Two nomads with three camel, behind them are the Naasa Hablood hills | 1994 | |
10 shillings | Purple | 1994, 1996 | ||||
20 shillings | Brown | |||||
50 shillings | Blue | 1994 | ||||
50 shillings | 130 × 58 or 130 × 57 mm (different sources) | 1996, 1999 | ||||
100 shillings | 135 × 62 mm | Khaki green | Bank of Somaliland in Hargeisa | Berbera dockside with herds of Somali sheep and goats | 1994, 1996, 1999, 2002 | |
500 shillings | 145 × 66 mm | Blue | ||||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre, a standard for world banknotes. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
In 1996 and 1999, regular 50 shilling notes were reissued with increased size (130 × 58 or 130 × 57 mm by difference sources).
In 1996, banknotes were overprinted with the phrase
Independence 18 May 1996 Sanad Gurada 5ee Gobanimadda 18 May 1996 |
in bronze/gold letters or
5ee Gobanimadda 18 May 1996 |
in silver letters to commemorate the fifth anniversary of gaining de facto independence. However, whether these "commemorative" notes were overprinted by the Somaliland authority or by numismatic merchant is unclear.
[edit] Coins
Nominally, one Somaliland shilling is divided into 100 cents, but coins denominated in cents have never been issued, probably due to the low value of one shilling. The coin with the lowest value is the one shilling coin, first minted in 1994 at the Pobjoy Mint in England and therefore bearing the PM mintmark. In 2002, 2 and 5 shilling coins were issued, bearing depictions of the explorer Sir Richard Burton and of a rooster, respectively. Other coins that have been issued at some point are the 10 shilling coin (depicting a monkey), the 20 shilling coin (depicting a dog), and a silver 1,000 shilling coin (also depicting Sir Richard Burton). The reverse side of the 1,000 shilling coin contains an interesting error: Instead of depicting the Coat of arms of Somaliland, they depict the Coat of arms of Somalia instead.
[edit] Exchange rates
The central bank provides exchange services for various currencies at the official government rate, but most people prefer the better, although unofficial, rates provided by the Hawala agents and moneychangers found on the streets of main cities.
In November 2000 the official exchange rate of the Somaliland Central Bank was 4,550 shillings for 1 US dollar. Unofficial exchange rates at the time were fluctuating between 4,000 and 5,000 shillings per dollar.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Global Financial Data currency histories table
- Tables of modern monetary history: Somalia/Somaliland
- (2006) George S. Cuhaj: Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues, 1961-present, 12th ed., KP Books. ISBN 0-89689-356-1.
- Peter Symes (December 2005). The Banknotes of Somalia – Part 4. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
[edit] External links
Preceded by: Somali shilling Reason: currency independence Ratio: 1 Somaliland shilling = 100 Somali shillings = 1/50 United States dollar |
Currency of Somaliland 1994 – Note: Somaliland is not widely recognized |
Succeeded by: Current |