Jamaican dollar
| File:Jamaican Dollar.jpg 1 dollar coin | |
| ISO 4217 | |
|---|---|
| Code | JMD (numeric: 388) |
| Subunit | 0.01 |
| Unit | |
| Symbol | $ |
| Denominations | |
| Subunit | |
| 1/100 | cent |
| Banknotes | $50, $100, $500, $1000 |
| Coins | 1, 10, 25 cents, $1, $5, $10, $20 |
| Demographics | |
| User(s) | Jamaica |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Bank of Jamaica |
| Website | www.boj.org.jm |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 9.1% |
| Source | The World Factbook, 2006 est. |
The dollar (currency code JMD) has been the currency of Jamaica since 1969. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign, $, or, alternatively, J$ or JA$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is divided into 100 cents.
History
On January 30, 1968, the Jamaican House of Representatives voted to decimalize the currency by introducing the dollar, worth 10 shillings, to replace the pound. Coins and banknotes went into circulation on September 8, 1969.
Coins
At the time of its introduction, coins of 1 cent (1.2 pence), 5 cents (6 pence), 10 cents (1 shilling), 20 cents (2 shillings) and 25 cents (2 shillings 6 pence) were produced. With the exception of the 1 cent, the sizes of the coins were identical to those they replaced.
50 cents coins were introduced in 1976 but production for circulation ceased in 1989, along with that of the 20 cents. In 1990, 1 dollar coins were introduced, followed by 5 dollars in 1994, 10 dollars in 1999 and 20 dollars in 2000.
Coins currently in circulation are
- 1 cent
- 10 cent
- 25 cent
- $1
- $5
- $10
- $20
Banknotes
In 1969, banknotes of 50 cents (5 shillings), $1 (10 shillings), $2 (£1), and $10 (£5) were introduced. The $5 note was introduced in 1970, followed by the $20 in 1976, when the 50 cents note was replaced by a coin. $100 notes were added in 1986, followed by $50 notes in 1988. The $2 note was dropped in 1989, whilst the $1 note was replaced by a coin in 1990. In 1994, coins replaced the $5 notes and $500 notes were introduced. In 1999, $10 coins replaced notes, whilst, in 2000, $20 coins replaced the notes and $1000 notes were introduced.
Banknotes currently in circulation are
- $50
- $100
- $500
- $1000
Use outside of Jamaica
The Jamaican dollar was used not only by Jamaica, but also by the Cayman Islands, a former dependency of Jamaica, until 1972. In that year, the territory stopped using the Jamaican dollar and adopted its own currency, the Cayman Islands dollar.
Trivia
- The five dollar coin is magnetic.
| Current JMD exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From XE.com: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |