Sahrawi peseta

The Sahrawi peseta (Arabic: البيزيتا الصحراوي‎, Spanish: Peseta Saharaui) is the currency of the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. It is divided in 100 céntimos, although coins with this denomination have never been minted, nor have banknotes been printed.

Sahrawi peseta
البيزيتا الصحراوي (Arabic)
Peseta Saharaui (Spanish)
Denominations
Subunit
 1/100céntimo
Symbol₧ (rare, see Spanish peseta) / Ptas.
Coins1, 2, 5, 50, 100, 200, 500 pesetas
Demographics
User(s) Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Issuance
Central bankPolisario Front
Valuation
InflationNA%
 SourceThe World Factbook.
Pegged withEuro (166.386 pesetas = €1)

The first Sahrawi pesetas were minted in 1990,[1] but they were not adopted as the national coin of Western Sahara until 1997. As this territory is mostly controlled by Morocco, the circulating currency in that part of the country is the Moroccan dirham, with Algerian dinars and Mauritanian ouguiyas circulating alongside the Sahrawi peseta in the Sahrawi refugee camps and the SADR-controlled part of Western Sahara.

As it is not an official currency and not circulating, the exchange rate is not realistic. Despite this, the Sahrawi peseta was pegged at par to the Spanish peseta[1] and, when the latter was phased out for the euro, the rate became €1 for 166.386 Pts.

Coins

Non-commemorative coins are supposedly designated for circulation. They are made from cupronickel. The denominations are: 1, 2, 5, 50, 100, 200 and 500 pesetas.

Denomination Year Metal Diameter
(mm.)		 Weight
(gr.)		 Obverse Reverse Image
1 Peseta 1992 Cu+Ni 17.00 2.99
Bedouin and dromedary
TRANSPORTE TIPICO
النقل التقليدي
Value
Coat of Arms
REPUBLICA ARABE SAHARAUI DEMOCRATICA
2 Pesetas 1992 Cu+Ni 20.00 3.51
Bedouin and dromedary
TRANSPORTE TIPICO
النقل التقليدي
Value
Coat of Arms
REPUBLICA ARABE SAHARAUI DEMOCRATICA
5 Pesetas 1992 Cu+Ni 21.00
Bedouin and dromedary
TRANSPORTE TIPICO
النقل التقليدي
Value
Coat of Arms
REPUBLICA ARABE SAHARAUI DEMOCRATICA
50 Pesetas 1990 Cu+Ni 24.40 6.4
Bedouin and dromedary
TRANSPORTE TIPICO
النقل التقليدي
Value
Coat of Arms
REPUBLICA ARABE SAHARAUI DEMOCRATICA

There have also been commemorative issues in copper, silver and gold, as some of those shown here:

  • Gold 40,000 pesetas. 15th Anniversary of diplomatic relations with Venezuela (1997)

See also

References
  1. San Martín, Pablo (2010). Western Sahara: The Refugee Nation. University of Wales Press. p. 193. ISBN 9781783161188. The first Saharawi pesetas were coined in 1990, with an equivalence of 1:1 with the Spanish peseta.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.