Ethiopian birr

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For other things named "birr", see Birr (disambiguation).

The birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well.

History

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Maria Theresa thalers and blocks of salt called amole served as currency in Ethiopia. Birr (literally meaning "silver") was the local name for the Maria Theresa thaler.

Menelik II began issuing coins in 1894. The birr, equivalent to the Maria Theresa thaler, was divided into 20 ghersh (the name coming from the Ottoman Empire's qirsh) or 32 bessa.

In 1903, the currency system was changed to 16 ghersh = 1 birr. Banknotes were also issued, with the name thaler being used for birr in the French text on the notes. In 1931, Ethiopia decimalized, with the Birr equal to 100 metonnyas (often written matonas).

Before 1931, the banknotes were issued by the Bank of Abyssinia. In 1931, when the Emperor of Ethiopia formally requested that the international community use the name Ethiopia instead of Abyssinia, the issuing bank became the Bank of Ethiopia. Thus, the pre-1931 currency could be considered the Abyssinian birr, and the post-1931 currency the Ethiopian birr, although it was the same country and the same currency before and after.

In 1936, following the occupation of Ethiopia by Italy, the Italian lira was introduced at a rate of 1 birr = 5 lire. In 1938, the Italian East African lira was introduced in banknote form only. Liberation in 1941 brought the introduction of the British East African currency, the shilling. This replaced the lira at a rate of 24 lire = 1 shilling.

The birr was reintroduced in 1945 at a rate of 1 birr = 2 shillings. The name Ethiopian dollar was used in the English text on the banknotes. It was divided into 100 santim (derived from the French centime). The name birr became the official name used in all languages in 1976. As of April 1, 2005, the United States dollar was worth 8.658600 birr.

Denominations

Coins in circulation:

• 1 santim
• 5 santim
• 10 santim
• 25 santim "semuni"
• 50 santim

Banknotes in circulation:

• 1 Birr
• 5 Birr
• 10 Birr
• 50 Birr
• 100 Birr

External links

• National Bank of Ethiopia
• Global Financial Data currency histories table
• Tables of modern monetary history: Africa
• Coins

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