Qatari riyal
| ريال قطري Template:Ar icon | |
|---|---|
| File:QAR.jpg Banknotes of Qatari riyal | |
| ISO 4217 | |
| Code | QAR (numeric: 634) |
| Subunit | 0.01 |
| Unit | |
| Symbol | QR or ر.ق |
| Denominations | |
| Subunit | |
| 1/100 | dirham |
| Banknotes | 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 riyal |
| Coins | 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 dirham |
| Demographics | |
| User(s) |  Qatar |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Qatar Central Bank |
| Website | www.qcb.gov.qa |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | -4.9% |
| Source | The World Factbook, 2009 est. |
| Pegged with | U.S. dollar = 3.64 riyal |
The riyal (Arabic: ريال, ISO 4217 code: QAR) is the currency of the State of Qatar. It is divided into 100 dirham (درهم) and is abbreviated as either QR (English) or ر.ق (Arabic).
History
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2011) |
Until 1966, Qatar used the Indian rupee as currency, in the form of Gulf rupees. When India devalued the rupee in 1966, Qatar, along with the other states using the Gulf rupee, chose to introduce its own currency.[1] Before doing so, Qatar briefly adopted the Saudi riyal, then introduced the Qatar and Dubai riyal which was the result of signing the Qatar-Dubai Currency Agreement on 21 March 1966.[2] The Saudi riyal was worth 1.065 rupees, whilst the Qatar and Dubai riyal was equal to the rupee prior to its devaluation.
Following Dubai’s entrance into the United Arab Emirates, Qatar began issuing the Qatari riyal separate from Dubai on 19 May 1973. The old notes continued to circulate in parallel for 90 days, at which time they were withdrawn. [3]
For a wider history surrounding currency in the region, see The History of British Currency in the Middle East.
Coins
In 1966, coins were introduced in the name of Qatar and Dubai for 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 dirham. In 1973, a new series of coins was introduced in the same sizes and compositions as the earlier pieces but in the name of Qatar only. See these coins at http://www.chiefacoins.com/Database/Countries/Qatar.htm
Banknotes
On September 18, 1966, the Qatar & Dubai Currency Board introduced notes for 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 riyal. These were replaced on 19 May 1973 by notes of the Qatar Monetary Agency in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 100, and 500 riyal; a 50-riyal note was issued in 1976. The Qatar Central Bank was established by decree 15 on 5 August 1993. All coins and notes issued by the Qatar Monetary Agency became the property of the bank but continued to circulate for several years.[4]
| Current Series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Main Colour | Description | ||
| Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||
| File:1 QAR obverse.jpg | File:1 QAR reverse.jpg | 1 Riyal | Brown | Coat of arms of Qatar | Native birds |
| File:5 QAR obverse.jpg | File:5 QAR reverse.jpg | 5 Riyal | Green | National Museum, Native animals | |
| File:10 QAR obverse.jpg | File:10 QAR reverse.jpg | 10 Riyal | Orange | Sand dunes | |
|
|
50 Riyal | Purple | Oyster and Pearl monument | |
|
|
|
100 Riyal | Green & Purple | Old Mosque and Al-Shaqab Institute | |
| File:500 QAR obverse.jpg | File:500 QAR reverse.gif | 500 Riyal | Blue | Dhow, with a view of the Mosque of the Sheikhs | |
Fixed exchange rate
In March 1975, the riyal was officially pegged to the IMF's special drawing rights (SDRs). In practice, it has been fixed at 1 U.S. dollar = 3.64 riyal since 1980,[5][6] which translates to approximately 1 riyal = 27.4 cents. This rate was made official in July 2001.
| Current QAR exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From XE.com: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
| From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR KRW |
Note: Rates obtained from these websites may contradict with pegged rate mentioned above
See also
References
- ^ "Monetary System in Qatar Historical Background".
- ^ The Bank Notes of the Qatar and Dubai Currency Board
- ^ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Qatar & Dubai". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
- ^ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Qatar". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
- ^ Exchange Rate Policy, Qatar Central Bank
- ^ Tables of modern monetary history: Asia
External links
| Preceded by: Saudi riyal Reason: delivery of local currency Ratio: 1.065 Qatari and Dubai riyal = 1 Saudi riyal, or 1 Qatari and Dubai riyal = 1 pre-devalued Gulf rupee |
Currency of Qatar 1966 – 1973 |
Succeeded by: Qatari riyal Reason: withdrawal of Dubai from common currency Ratio: at par |
| Currency of Trucial States except for Abu Dhabi 1966 – 1973 |
Succeeded by: United Arab Emirates dirham Reason: formed United Arab Emirates (in 1971) Ratio: at par | |
| Preceded by: Qatari and Dubai riyal Reason: withdrawal of Dubai from common currency Ratio: at par |
Currency of Qatar 1973 – |
Succeeded by: Current |