Centime
Encyclopedia
Centime is French
for "cent
", and is used in English as the name of the fraction currency
in several Francophone
countries
(including Switzerland
, Algeria
, Belgium
, Morocco
and France
).
In France the usage of centime goes back to the introduction of the decimal monetary system under Napoleon. This system aimed at replacing non-decimal fractions of older coins. A five-centime coin was known as a sou, i.e. a solidus
or shilling
.
Conversely in Quebec
, one hundredth of a Canadian dollar
is called a sou
(penny).
. However, in French-speaking countries the word centime is the preferred term. Indeed, the Superior Council of the French language of Belgium recommended in 2001 the use of centime, since cent is also the French word for "hundred". An analogous decision was published in the Journal officiel in France (December 2, 1997).
In Morocco, dirham
s are divided into 100 centimes and one may find prices in the country quoted in centimes rather than in dirhams. Sometimes centimes are known as francs or in former Spanish areas
, pesetas.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
for "cent
Cent (currency)
In many national currencies, the cent is a monetary unit that equals 1⁄100 of the basic monetary unit. Etymologically, the word cent derives from the Latin word "centum" meaning hundred. Cent also refers to a coin which is worth one cent....
", and is used in English as the name of the fraction currency
Currency
In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
in several Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
(including Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
).
In France the usage of centime goes back to the introduction of the decimal monetary system under Napoleon. This system aimed at replacing non-decimal fractions of older coins. A five-centime coin was known as a sou, i.e. a solidus
Solidus (coin)
The solidus was originally a gold coin issued by the Romans, and a weight measure for gold more generally, corresponding to 4.5 grams.-Roman and Byzantine coinage:...
or shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
.
Conversely in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, one hundredth of a Canadian dollar
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
is called a sou
Penny (Canadian coin)
In Canada, a penny is a coin worth one cent or of a dollar. According to the Royal Canadian Mint, the official national term of the coin is the "one-cent piece", but in practice the term penny or cent is universal. Originally, "penny" referred to a two-cent coin. When the two-cent coin was...
(penny).
Subdivision of euro: cent or centime?
In the European community cent is the official name for one hundredth of a euroEuro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
. However, in French-speaking countries the word centime is the preferred term. Indeed, the Superior Council of the French language of Belgium recommended in 2001 the use of centime, since cent is also the French word for "hundred". An analogous decision was published in the Journal officiel in France (December 2, 1997).
In Morocco, dirham
Dirham
Dirham or dirhem is a unit of currency in several Arab or Berber nations, and formerly the related unit of mass in the Ottoman Empire and Persian states...
s are divided into 100 centimes and one may find prices in the country quoted in centimes rather than in dirhams. Sometimes centimes are known as francs or in former Spanish areas
Spanish Morocco
The Spanish protectorate of Morocco was the area of Morocco under colonial rule by the Spanish Empire, established by the Treaty of Fez in 1912 and ending in 1956, when both France and Spain recognized Moroccan independence.-Territorial borders:...
, pesetas.
Current
- Algerian dinarAlgerian dinarThe dinar is the currency of Algeria and it is subdivided into 100 santeem .-History:The dinar was introduced on 1 April 1964, replacing the Algerian new franc at par.-Coins:...
- Burundian francBurundian francThe franc is the currency of Burundi. It is nominally subdivided into 100 centimes, although coins have never been issued in centimes since Burundi began issuing its own currency...
- CFP francCFP francThe CFP franc is the currency used in the French overseas collectivities of French Polynesia, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna. The initials CFP originally stood for Colonies Françaises du Pacifique...
- CFA francCFA francThe CFA franc is the name of two currencies used in Africa which are guaranteed by the French treasury. The two CFA franc currencies are the West African CFA franc and the Central African CFA franc...
- Comorian francComorian francThe franc is the official currency of Comoros. It is nominally subdivided into 100 centimes, although no centime denominations have ever been issued.-History:...
- Congolese francCongolese francThe franc is the currency of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is subdivided into 100 centimes.-First franc, 1887-1967:During Belgian colonial rule, currency denominated in centimes and francs was issued for use in Congo. These francs were equal in value to the Belgian franc. From 1916, the...
- Djiboutian francDjiboutian francThe franc is the currency of Djibouti. The ISO 4217 currency code is DJF. Historically it was subdivided into 100 centimes.- History :...
- Ethiopian birrEthiopian birrThe birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well....
(as santim) - Guinean francGuinean franc-First Guinean franc:The first Guinean franc was introduced in 1959 to replace the CFA franc. There were 1, 5, 10 and 25 francs coins with banknotes in 50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 francs denominations. A second series of banknotes was issued in 1960, without the 10,000 francs...
- Haitian gourdeHaitian gourde- Banknotes :In 1875, banknotes were issued by the "National Bank of Haiti" in denominations of 25 centimes, 1 and 5 piastres . Following this, banknotes were issued in denominations ranging from 10 centimes to 5 gourdes by the various Haitian governments until 1916, when the "National Bank of the...
- Latvian latsLatvian latsThe lats is the currency of Latvia. It is abbreviated as Ls. The lats is sub-divided into 100 santīmi ....
(Latvian: santīms) - Moroccan dirhamMoroccan dirhamThe dirham is the currency of Morocco. The plural form is pronounced darahim, although in French and English "dirhams" is commonly used. Its ISO 4217 code is "MAD". It is subdivided into 100 santimat . The dirham is issued by the Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank of Morocco...
- Rwandan francRwandan francThe Rwandan franc is the currency of Rwanda. It is subdivided into 100 centimes.-History:...
- Swiss francSwiss francThe franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...
(by FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
speakers only, see RappenRappenA Rappen originally was a variant of the medieval Pfennig common to the Alemannic German regions Alsace, Sundgau and Northern Switzerland. As with other German pennies, its half-piece was a Haller, the smallest piece which was struck.Today, one-hundredth of a Swiss franc is still officially...
)
Obsolete
- Algerian francAlgerian francThe franc was the currency of Algeria between 1848 and 1964. It was subdivided into 100 centimes.-History:The franc replaced the budju when France occupied the country. It was equivalent to the French franc and was revalued in 1960 at a rate of 100 old francs = 1 new franc to maintain the equivalence...
- Belgian francBelgian francThe franc was the currency of Belgium until 2002 when the euro was introduced into circulation. It was subdivided into centimes , 100 centiem or Centime .-History:...
- Cambodian francCambodian francThe franc was the currency of Cambodia between 1875 and 1885. It was equal to the French franc and was similarly subdivided into 100 centimes. It circulated alongside the piastre with 1 piastre = 5.37 francs. It replaced the tical and was replaced by the piastre...
- French Camerounian francFrench Camerounian franc-History:Following the occupation of eastern Cameroon by French forces, the French franc was introduced as currency to replace the German mark. This was augmented from 1922 by local issues of paper money and by local coins from 1924. In 1958, the coins of French Equatorial Africa were issued with...
- French Guianan francFrench Guianan francThe franc was the currency of French Guiana until 2002. The French franc circulated alongside banknotes issued specifically for French Guyana between 1888 and 1961 and notes issued for French Guyana, Guadeloupe and Martinique between 1961 and 1975.-Banknotes:In 1888, the Banque de la Guyane...
- French francFrench francThe franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
- Guadeloupe francGuadeloupe francThe franc was the currency of Guadeloupe until 2002. It was subdivided into 100 centimes.-History:The franc was introduced following France's recovery of the Islands from the U.K. in 1816. It replaced the livre...
- Katangan francKatangan francThe franc was the currency of Katanga between 1960 and 1963 during the Congolese province's brief independence. It replaced the Congolese franc at par and was consequently initially equal to the Belgian franc. This established an exchange rate of 50 francs = 1 U.S. dollar. Just before Katanga was...
- Luxembourgish francLuxembourgish francThe Luxembourgish franc was the currency of Luxembourg between 1854 and 1999 . The franc remained in circulation until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro...
- Malagasy francMalagasy francThe franc was the currency of Madagascar until January 1, 2005. It was subdivided into 100 centimes.-History:The first francs to circulate in Madagascar were French francs...
- Malian francMalian francThe franc was the independent currency of Mali between 1962 and 1984. Although technically subdivided into 100 centimes, no subdivisions were issued.-History:...
- Martinique francMartinique francThe franc was the currency of Martinique until 2002. It was subdivided into 100 centimes. The French franc circulated, alongside banknotes issued specifically for Martinique between 1855 and 1961 and notes issued for Martinique, French Guiana and Guadeloupe between 1961 and 1975.-Banknotes:In...
- Monegasque francMonegasque francThe franc was the official currency of the Principality of Monaco until 2002 , when it changed to the euro. The franc was subdivided into 100 centimes or 10 decimes. The Monégasque franc circulated alongside the French franc with the same value...
- Moroccan francMoroccan francThe franc was the currency of French Morocco from 1921. It became the currency of all Morocco in 1957 and circulated until 1974. It was divided into 100 centimes .-History:...
- New Hebrides francNew Hebrides francThe franc was the currency of the Anglo-French Condominium of the Pacific island group of the New Hebrides . It circulated alongside British and later Australian currency. The New Hebrides franc was nominally divided into 100 centimes, although the smallest denomination was the 1 franc...
- Réunion francRéunion francThe franc was the currency of Réunion until 2002. Before 1973, Réunion had its own franc, distinct from that of France. After 1973, the French franc circulated. Réunion now uses the euro. The Réunion franc was subdivided into 100 centimes.-History:...
- Spanish PesetaSpanish pesetaThe peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
- Tunisian francTunisian francThe franc was the currency of Tunisia between 1891 and 1958. It was divided into 100 centimes and was equivalent to the French franc.-History:...
- Westphalian frankWestphalian frankThe Frank was a currency of the Kingdom of Westphalia between 1808 and 1813. It circulated alongside the Thaler, was equal to the French franc and was subdivided into 100 Centimen.See "Standard Catalog of World Coins" by Krause and Mishler....