Special Facts about Belize Dollar
The official currency of Belize is the Belize dollar. Formerly¸ it was also known as British Honduras until its independence. The sign used to denote Belize dollar is $ though alternatively it is also represented by BZ$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. The Belize dollar can be pided into 100 cents. The official value of Belize dollar to the US dollar is pegged at 2 BZ$ = 1 US$ since 1978. The ISO 4217 code for Belize dollar is BZD and the issuing authority responsible for Belize dollar is the Central Bank of Belize. The alternative currencies that are used in Belize are US Dollars and British Pounds. However¸ Mexican Pesos are also accepted.
Belize Dollar Coin Types
1 cent coins struck in Bronze were introduced in the Belize currency in the year 1885. The introduction of silver 5¸ 10¸ 25 and 50 cents followed in 1894. The coins minted at the Royal Mint closely resembled the other British colonial dollar fractional coinage used in Hong Kong and Canada. In 1907¸ cupro-nickel started being used for making the 5 cent coins instead of silver. However¸ it was replaced again by nickel-brass in 1942. In 1952¸ the 25 cent coins also began to be cast in silver and the same thing happened to the 50 and 10 cents in 1954 and 1956¸ respectively. The 1 cent coin was made into a smaller size in 1954¸ and ultimately it became scalloped in shape in 1956. Aluminium 1 and 5 cents were issued in 1976.
In 1990¸ a decagonal nickel-brass 1 dollar coin got issued.
Belize Dollar Banknote Types
The Belize government issued notes in denominations of 1¸ 2¸ 5¸ 10¸ 50 and 100 dollars in the year 1894. However¸ after 1928¸ 50 and 100 dollars were no more printed and ceased to be in circulation. 1952 saw the introduction of 20 dollar notes.
The 100 dollar note had a come-back in 1980 after the Monetary Authority of Belize took over note production and introduced the 100 dollar note again. The Central bank of Belize took over the responsibility of production of banknotes from the Monetary Authority of Belize in 1983 and the 50 dollar notes were reintroduced.
The 1 dollar note got replaced by a 1 dollar coin during this time.
Currency Exchange Rate to other World Famous Currencies like US¸ UK etc
As of February 23rd¸ 2011¸ the currency exchange rates of Belize Dollar to the currencies of US and UK are:
1.00 USD = 1.95354 BZD
1.00 GBP = 3.17531 BZD
Official Website Details for Belize Dollar
You can check the official website for Belize Dollar at www.centralbank.org.bz for more information on the currency.
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