Banking, finance, and taxes

The Average American Can’t Identify Which Countries Use These Currencies

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There’s more to money than just the dollar. Most people have no idea just how many different currencies there are in the world, where they’re used, and what they’re called. We often forget how much of an incredible convenience it is to have a stable, reliable currency that is accepted everywhere we usually want to shop. But what else is out there?

We found some of the least-known currencies, according to Americans, and where they are used.

#1 Which Countries Use The Lira?

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
The lira.

Answer: Turkey, Northern Cyprus

Fountain at Sultanahmet Square and the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey. The Sultanahmet Square is a popular tourist attraction of Istanbul.
Efired / Shutterstock.com
Turkey.

The lira is also one of two currencies used by the interim government of northern Syria. It has its roots in the ancient Roman libra and was preceded by the kurus.

#2 Which Countries Use The Algerian Dinar?

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
A Serbian dinar.

Answer: Algeria, Sahrawi Republic

Algeria | The Great Post Office of Algiers
Habib_Boucetta / iStock via Getty Images
Algeria.

The Algerian dinar can be divided into centimes, but they are completely obsolete today because of the extremely low value of the dinar itself. The name comes from the Roman denarius.

#3 Which Countries Use The Ouguiya?

Money Stock Photo High Quality
ShutterstockProfessional / Shutterstock.com
Money.

Answer: Mauritania, Sahrawi Republic

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Mauritania.

This is one of the newest currencies in the world, being introduced in 2018. The ouguiya can be divided into five khoums.

#4 Which Countries Use The Dirham?

Forex market background, trading on the currency market Forex. Currency exchange rate for world currency: US Dollar, Euro, Frank, Yen. Financial, money, global finance, stock market background.
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Money.

Answer: Morocco, UAE, Armenia

elmadani/Wikimedia Commons
Morocco.

The dirham, dirhem, and drahm are all different names for the same variations of currency and has historically been a silver coin. It is also a unit of measurement in the ancient world.

#5 Which Countries Use The New Shekel?

David Silverman / Getty Images
A foreign menu.

Answer: Israel, Palestine

War on Gaza in may-2021 Gaza-Palestine
mohammad abu elsebah / Shutterstock.com
Palestine during Israel’s ongoing genocide.

The new shekel was introduced in 1986 when it replaced the old shekel that had become incredibly inflated.

#6 Which Countries Use The Jordanian Dinar?

Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) portrait on the 25 dinars Iraq banknote
FotograFFF / Shutterstock.com
Iraq dinar.

Answer: Jordan, Palestine

CAEccles / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
Destruction of Palestine by Israel.

The dinar, and variations of the name, is used in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Tunisia, but the Jordanian dinar is only used in Jordan and Palestine.

#7 Which Countries Use The Rupee?

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A rupee note.

Answer: India, Bhutan, Nepal

South Asia: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan. Diverse landscapes, Himalayas to tropical forests. Major cities: New Delhi, Dhaka, Colombo. Rich religious diversity.
AustralianCamera / Shutterstock.com
India.

The rupee is a name for several different currencies, the most popular being the Indian rupee. The name means a “coin of silver”.

#8 Which Countries Use The Antillean Guilder?

Finance and Investment concept.Money management and Financial chart.Double exposure investment
Foryoui3 / Shutterstock.com
Money.

Answer: Curaçao, Sint Maarten

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Curaçao.

The currency is named after the Netherlands Antilles before it was dissolved, but remains in use with proposals pending for its replacement.

#9 Which Countries Use The Rouble?

Wikimedia Commons
Rouble.

Answer: Russia, Abkhazia, Belarus, South Ossetia

Russia | File:Business Centre of Moscow 2.jpg
Dmitry Chistoprudov / Wikimedia Commons
Russia.

The name rouble refers to a cut piece of a silver coin and has been used since imperial times in Russia.  

#10 Which Countries Use The Rand?

Rising high cost of living in low poor income asia people family. Past due bill debt home loan money issue young adult asian couple man woman worry shock sad tired stress in raise tax rate crisis
Chay_Tee / Shutterstock.com
Money.

Answer: South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia

Lesotho | South Africa under loupe
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South Africa.

The rand is widely used as the substitute for the national currencies of the countries near (or in the case of Lesotho, within) South Africa.

#11 Which Countries Use The Florin?

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Money.

Answer: Aruba

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Aruba.

This currency is also known as the Aruban guilder and replaced the Antillean guilder in 1986. The original florin currency was the money used in Florence.

#12 Which Countries Use The Renminbi?

Close up of a 100 yuan banknote front side
GreenThumbShots / Shutterstock.com
Yuan note.

Answer: China

Map of the world - China
Kevin Bradwick / Shutterstock.com
China.

The renminbi is the proper name for the Chinese yuan, the official money of China. It is the fifth-most popular currency in the world.

#13 Which Countries Use The Taka?

| Female hand inserting bank card into automatic cash machine (ATM) to access bank account services in the city
Images By Tang Ming Tung / DigitalVision via Getty Images
An ATM.

Answer: Bangladesh

Beautiful scenery of Ashan Monzil in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh
Raicho / Shutterstock.com
Bangladesh.

The word taka means silver coin in Sanskrit. It was introduced in 1972 to replace the Pakistani rupee.

#14 Which Countries Use The Krone?

Stockmarket online trading chart candlestick on crypto currency platform. Stock exchange financial market price candles graph data pattern analysis concept. Computer screen closeup background
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Money.

Answer: Denmark, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway

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Denmark.

Krone means crown in English, so the krone is often referred to as the Danish crown or Norwegian crown. The use of krones in Denmark dates back to 1513.

#15 Which Countries Use The Tugrik?

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Money.

Answer: Mongolia

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Mongolia.

Properly named the tögrög, the tugrik name means “circle” and was introduced in 1925 to replace the Mongolian dollar. It is only used in Mongolia.

#16 Which Countries Use The Pula?

Wara1982 / Getty Images
Money.

Answer: Botswana

Botswana | Gaborone, South East, Botswana 27 April 2017 aerial panorama of Main Mall
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Botswana.

The name pula means “rain” in Setswawna because rain is so rare and valuable, and the subdivision of the currency, thebe, means “shield”. All the names for the currency were decided by the people of Botswana.

#17 Which Countries Use The Apsar?

Swiss franc exchange rate against the US dollar, financial concept, both currencies lying on a scale on a white background, Money 100 dollars and francs
Andrzej Rostek / Shutterstock.com
Money.

Answer: Abkhazia

US navy sixt fleet warship transits Istanbul Strait towards the Black Sea in Turkey
Archaeonavall / Shutterstock.com
The Black Sea.

This is a legal currency in Abkhazia, but they are mostly made as collectibles and seldom used in everyday trade. People prefer to use the Russian ruble.

#18 Which Countries Use The Lek?

Double exposure image of coin stacks on technology financial graph background.Economy trends background for business ,financial meltdown ,Cryptocurrency digital economy.
CHOKCHAI POOMICHAIYA / Shutterstock.com
Money.

Answer: Albania

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Albania.

The lek was introduced in 1926, with no preceding currency. Before the lek, Albanians used the gold standard to determine the value of trades in commerce with different currencies.

#19 Which Countries Use The Kwanza?

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Money.

Answer: Angola

Angola | Luanda Bay Area Daylight LE
AdemarRangel / iStock via Getty Images
Angola.

There have been four difference currencies with the name Kwanza since its introduction in 1977. It is named after the Kwanza River.

#20 Which Countries Use The Dram?

Greece | Greece-1169 - Temple of Aphaia Aegina
Greece-1169 - Temple of Aphaia Aegina by archer10 (Dennis) / BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)
Greece.

Answer: Armenia

azwegers / Flickr
Armenia.

The name dram means “money” and comes from the Greek drachma and the Arabic money, dirham. The first series of the dram was introduced in 1994 after the fall of the Soviet Union.

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