The centavo ( Spanish and Portuguese 'one hundredth') is a fractional monetary unit that represents one hundredth of a basic monetary unit in many countries around the world. The term comes from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''centum'' (), with the added suffix ''-avo'' ('portion'). Coins of various denominations of centavos have been made from

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

, aluminum-bronze, and

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

Circulating

Places that currently use the centavo include: * Argentine peso *

Bolivian boliviano The boliviano (; currency sign, sign: BsBanco Central de Bolivia. "Galeria de monedas y billetes''." Accessed 26 February 2011.Banco Central de BoliviaOfficial websiteAccessed 26 February 2011. ISO 4217 code: BOB) is the currency of Bolivia. It ...

Brazilian real The Brazilian real (plural, pl. '; currency symbol, sign: R$; ISO 4217, code: BRL) is the official currency of Brazil. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The Central Bank of Brazil is the central bank and the issuing authority. The real repl ...

* Cape Verdean escudo *

Colombian peso The Colombian peso (currency sign, sign: $; ISO 4217, code: COP) is the currency of Colombia. Its ISO 4217 code is ''COP''. The official sign is $, with ''Col$''. also being used to distinguish it from other peso- and dollar-denominated currencie ...

Cuban peso The Cuban peso ( in Spanish language, Spanish, ISO 4217 code: CUP) also known as (Spanish for 'national currency'), is the official currency of Cuba. The Cuban peso historically circulated at par with the Spanish dollar, Spanish-American silver ...

* Dominican peso * East Timorese centavo coins * Ecuadorian centavo coins *

Guatemalan quetzal The quetzal (; code: GTQ) is the currency of Guatemala, named after the national bird of Guatemala, the resplendent quetzal. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency. It is divided into 100 ''centavos,'' ...

* Honduran lempira * Macanese avos *

Mexican peso The Mexican peso (Currency symbol, symbol: $; ISO 4217, currency code: MXN; also abbreviated Mex$ to distinguish it from peso, other peso-denominated currencies; referred to as the peso, Mexican peso, or colloquially varo) is the official curre ...

* Mozambican metical *

Nicaraguan córdoba The córdoba (, currency sign, sign: C$; ISO 4217, code: NIO) is the currency of Nicaragua and is divided into 100 ''centavos''. History The first córdoba was introduced with the new National Bank of Nicaragua (Banco Nacional de Nicaragua In ...

* Philippine peso (''In English usage; ''sentimo'' or ''céntimo'' is used in Tagalog and Spanish respectively.'') File:50 Centavos (Philippines).jpg, 50 Philippine centavos (1964) of the ''English series''. File:10 Philippine centavos (2).jpg, 10 Philippine centavos (1945), from the Commonwealth period. File:1-centavo-real-2003.png, 1 Brazilian centavo (2003), no longer produced. File:2002phil01centobv.jpg, 1 sentimo coin (2002), from the BSP series

Obsolete

Former forms of the centavo that are no longer in use include: * Brazilian cruzeiro (from 1942 to 1986 and from 1990 to 1993) * Brazilian cruzado (from 1986 to 1989) *

Brazilian cruzado novo The Cruzado Novo was the short-lived currency of Brazil between 15 January 1989 and 15 March 1990. It replaced the brazilian cruzado, cruzado in the rate of 1000 cruzados = 1 cruzado novo. It had the symbol \mathrm\!\!\!\Vert and the ISO 4217 code ...

(from 1989 to 1990) * Costa Rican colón (Between 1917 and 1920 only. As

céntimo The céntimo (in Spanish-speaking countries) or cêntimo (in Portuguese-speaking countries) was a currency unit of Spain, Portugal and their former colonies. The word derived from the Latin Ecuadorian sucre (New centavo coins continued to circulate after the sucre was replaced by U.S. dollar in 2000.) *

Salvadoran colón The colón was the currency of El Salvador from 1892 until 2001, when it was replaced by the U.S. dollar during the presidency of Francisco Flores. The colón was subdivided into 100 centavos and its ISO 4217 code was SVC. The plural is "''col ...

* Guinea Bissau peso *

Mozambican escudo The escudo was the currency of Mozambique from 1914 until 1980. It was subdivided into 100 ''centavos''. History The escudo replaced the real at a rate of 1 escudo = 1000 réis. It was equal in value to the Portuguese escudo until 1977. Initi ...

* Portuguese escudo (before the

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

was introduced) *

Portuguese Guinean escudo The escudo was the currency of Portuguese Guinea between 1914 and 1975. It was equal to the Portuguese escudo and replaced the real at a rate of 1000 réis = 1 escudo. The escudo was subdivided into 100 ''centavos''. Portugal Portugal, ...

Portuguese Indian escudo The escudo was the currency of Portuguese India between 1958 and 1961. It was subdivided into 100 ''centavos'' and was equal in value to the Portuguese escudo. After Goa was Invasion of Goa, integrated by the Republic of India in 1961, the escudo ...

* Puerto Rican peso *

São Tomé and Príncipe escudo The escudo was the currency of São Tomé and Príncipe between 1914 and 1977. It was equivalent to the Portuguese escudo and subdivided into 100 centavo The centavo (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese 'one hundredt ...

* Venezuelan venezolano * Venezuelan peso * Chilean Cent (from 1975 to 1983, as a subdivision of the

Chilean peso The peso is the currency of Chile. The current peso has circulated since 1975, with a Chilean peso (1817–1960), previous version circulating between 1817 and 1960. Its symbol is defined as a letter S with either one or two vertical bars super ...

; out of circulation due to inflation)

Circulating

Obsolete

See also