The dinar ( ar, rtl=yes, 1=دينار جزائري, links=, lit=, translit=Dīnār Ǧazāʾirī, ber, script=Tfng, 1=ⴷⵉⵏⴰⵕ ⴰⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔⵉ, links=, lit=, translit=, label=; sign: DA; code: DZD) is the monetary currency of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

and it is subdivided into 100 ''

centime Centime (from la, centesimus) is French for "cent", and is used in English as the name of the fraction currency in several Francophone countries (including Switzerland, Algeria, Belgium, Morocco and France). In France, the usage of ''centime' ...

s''. Centimes are now obsolete due to their extremely low value.

Etymology

The name "dinar" is ultimately derived from the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

denarius The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very ...

. The Arabic word ''santīm'' comes from the French "centime", since

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

was under French occupation from 1830 to

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

History

The dinar was introduced on 1 April 1964, replacing the Algerian new franc at par.

Exchange rates

The official exchange rate set by the Central Bank of Algerian: Algerian Dinar to U.S. dollar is approximately د.ج138.26 per 1 US dollar. The real exchange rate of the Algerian Dinar to U.S. dollar is approximately د.ج212 per 1 US dollar on black market.

Argotic counting system

The masses rarely use the dinar as such, but the franc (officially the centime; one hundredth of a dinar) and the doro (one twentieth of a dinar). In traditional selling places such as the vegetable market or in the case of street vendors, prices are displayed in francs, in more modern shops the prices are displayed in dinars but the franc is used in speech.

Coins

In 1964, coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 centimes, and 1 dinar were introduced, with the 1, 2 and 5 centimes struck in aluminium, the 10, 20 and 50 centimes in aluminium bronze and the 1 dinar in cupro-nickel. The obverses showed the

emblem of Algeria The national emblem of Algeria (Arabic: الشعار الوطني الجزائري, Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵜⴰⵔⵜ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵣⵣⴰⵢⵔ) is the seal used by the government, as other states use coats of arms. Descripti ...

, while the reverses carried the values in

Eastern Arabic numerals The Eastern Arabic numerals, also called Arabic-Hindu numerals or Indo–Arabic numerals, are the symbols used to represent numerical digits in conjunction with the Arabic alphabet in the countries of the Mashriq (the east of the Arab world) ...

. In later decades, coins were issued sporadically with various commemorative subjects. However, the 1 and 2 centimes were not struck again, whilst the 5, 10 and 20 centimes were last struck in the 1980s. In 1992, a new series of coins was introduced consisting of , , 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dinars. A 200 dinar bi-metallic coin was issued in 2012 to commemorate Algeria's 50th anniversary of independence. The 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 dinar coins are bimetallic. Coins in general circulation are 5 dinars and higher. Following the massive inflation which accompanied the slow transition to a more capitalist economy during the late 1990s, the centime and fractional dinar coins have dropped out of general circulation, whilst the 1 and 2 dinar coins are rarely used, as prices are rounded to the nearest 5 dinars. Nonetheless, prices are typically quoted in centimes in colloquial speech; thus a price of 100 dinars is read as "ten thousand" (). File:Algeria_12.gif, 2 centimes, minted in 1964 File:Algeria_11.gif, 5 centimes, minted in 1974 File:Algeria_10.gif, 10 centimes, minted in 1984, a

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm ...

File:Algeria_06.gif, 20 centimes, minted in 1972, an overflowing

cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (), from Latin ''cornu'' (horn) and ''copia'' (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers ...

depicting the theme of agricultural revolution File:Algeria_07.gif, 20 centimes, minted in 1975, a

ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * ...

(?) File:Algeria_08.gif, 50 centimes, minted in 1975, "The 30th remembering" in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and commemorating the French Algerian Clash File:Algeria_09.gif, 1 dinar, minted in 1972, wheat, two hands (peace), and a

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commo ...

in foreground File:Algeria_02.gif, 5 dinar, minted in 1972,

Wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

and a

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

-extractor in the background and commemorating the 10th anniversary of independence File:Algeria_04.gif, 5 dinar, minted in 1974, an Algerian soldier and commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Revolution File:Algeria_05.gif, 10 dinar, minted since 1979, "Bank of Algeria" in

File:Scan of 4 Algerian coins.jpg, Current 20 and 50 dinar and obsolete 5 and 10 dinar coins

Banknotes

The ''"first series"'' of dinar

banknote A banknote—also called a bill (North American English), paper money, or simply a note—is a type of negotiable promissory note, made by a bank or other licensed authority, payable to the bearer on demand. Banknotes were originally issued ...

s issued in 1964 consisted of banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 50 and 100 dinars. In 1970, 500 dinar banknotes were added, followed by 1000 dinars in 1992. The 100 dinar note is being replaced by coins. 200, 500, and 1000 dinar notes are in circulation. The 1998 dated 500 and 1000 dinar notes have an additional vertical

holographic Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other applications. In principle, i ...

strip on obverse.

References

banknotenews.com
* *

for specifications of fourth series currency (French). {{DEFAULTSORT:Algerian Dinar Economy of Algeria Currencies of Algeria Circulating currencies Currencies introduced in 1964