The
pula is the
currencyIn economics, the term currency can refer either to a particular currency, for example the US dollar, or to the coins and banknotes of a particular currency, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
of
BotswanaThe Republic of Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. It has the
ISO 4217ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three-letter codes to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization...
code
BWP and is subdivided into 100
thebe. Pula literally means "rain" in Setswana, because
rainRain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to other kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. On Earth, it is the condensation of atmospheric water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall, often making it to the surface...
is very scarce in Botswana - home to much of the
Kalahari DesertThe Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area in Southern Africa extending , covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa, as semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains. The Kalahari Desert is the southern part of Africa, and the geography...
- and therefore valuable. Pula also means "blessing" as rain is considered a blessing. Thebe means "shield".
The pula was introduced in 1976, replacing the
South African randThe rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
at par.
The
pula is the
currencyIn economics, the term currency can refer either to a particular currency, for example the US dollar, or to the coins and banknotes of a particular currency, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
of
BotswanaThe Republic of Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Citizens of Botswana are called "Batswana" , regardless of ethnicity. Formerly a British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. It has the
ISO 4217ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three-letter codes to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization...
code
BWP and is subdivided into 100
thebe. Pula literally means "rain" in Setswana, because
rainRain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to other kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. On Earth, it is the condensation of atmospheric water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall, often making it to the surface...
is very scarce in Botswana - home to much of the
Kalahari DesertThe Kalahari Desert is a large arid to semi-arid sandy area in Southern Africa extending , covering much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa, as semi-desert, with huge tracts of excellent grazing after good rains. The Kalahari Desert is the southern part of Africa, and the geography...
- and therefore valuable. Pula also means "blessing" as rain is considered a blessing. Thebe means "shield".
History
The pula was introduced in 1976, replacing the
South African randThe rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
at par. Despite a 12% devaluation in May 2005, the pula remains one of the strongest currencies in Africa.
Coins
In 1976, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 thebe and 1 pula. The 1 thebe was struck in aluminium, with the 5 thebe in bronze and the others in cupro-nickel. These coins were round except for the scalloped 1 pula. Bronze,
dodecagonIn geometry, a dodecagon is any polygon with twelve sides and twelve angles.- Regular dodecagon :In a regular dodecagon, all sides have equal length and all angles have measure 150°...
al 2 thebe coins were introduced in 1981, but discontinued after 1985. In 1991, bronze-plated steel replaced bronze in the 5 thebe, nickel-plated steel replaced cupro-nickel in the 10, 25 and 50 thebe and the 1 pula changed to a smaller, nickel-brass, equilateral-curve seven-sided coin. A similarly shaped, nickel-brass 2 pula was introduced in 1994. In 1998, following the withdrawal of the 1 and 2 thebe, smaller 5, 10, 25 and 50 thebe coins were introduced, with the 5 and 25 thebe coins being seven-sided and the 10 and 50 thebe coins remaining round. A bimetallic 5 pula was introduced in 2000 composed of a copper-nickel center in a brass ring.
Banknotes
In 1976, the
Bank of Botswana-See also:*Central banks and currencies of Africa*Economy of Botswana*List of central banks-External links:*...
introduced notes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 pula. The 1 and 2 pula notes were replaced by coins in 1991 and 1994, whilst 50 and 100 pula notes were introduced in 1992 and 1993, respectively. The 5 pula note was replaced by a coin in 2000. According to a press release, the old 1, 2 and 5 pula banknotes were demonetized on 1 July 2006, but can be exchanged at the central bank for 5 years.
New note series in august 2009.
External links