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Franc

The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably that of France France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 before it adopted the euro Euro

The euro is the official currency [i] of the European Union [i] member states of Austria [i], Belgium [i] ... 

. The name is said to derive from the Latin Latin

Latin is an ancient Indo-European language [i] originally spoken in Latium [i], ... 

 inscription francorum rex on early French France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 coin Coin

A coin is usually a piece of hard material, generally metal [i] and usually in the shape of a disc [i] ... 

s, or from the French French language

French is the third-largest of the Romance languages [i] in terms of number of native speakers, after Spanish [i] ... 

 franc, meaning "free" . The countries that use francs include Switzerland Switzerland

Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked [i] Alpine country [i] in Central Europe [i] ... 

, Liechtenstein Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small, doubly landlocked [i] ... 

, and most of the Francophone Francophone

A Francophone is a person who is able to speak the French language [i]. ... 

 countries of Africa Africa

Africa is one of the greatest sized continents of the Earth.... 

. Before the introduction of the euro, francs were also used in France, Belgium Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe [i] bordered by the Netherlands [i] ... 

 and Luxembourg Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small landlocked [i] country in western Europe [i], bordered by Belgium [i] ... 

, while Andorra Andorra

The Principality of Andorra is a small, landlocked [i] principality [i] in southwest ... 

 and Monaco Monaco

The Principality of Monaco , more commonly known as Monaco, is a constitutional monarchy [i] and city-state [i] ... 

 accepted the French franc as legal tender.

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Timeline

1803   France France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 - the Livre Tournois (Tours Pound) is replaced by the Franc.



Encyclopedia

Franc
1 Swiss franc 1983
1 French franc 1991
1 Belgian franc 1996
1 Luxembourg franc 1990
1 Monegasque franc 1978
5 Comorian francs 1992


The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably that of France France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 before it adopted the euro Euro

The euro is the official currency [i] of the European Union [i] member states of Austria [i], Belgium [i]... 

. The name is said to derive from the Latin Latin

Latin is an ancient Indo-European language [i] originally spoken in Latium [i], ... 

 inscription francorum rex on early French France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 coin Coin

A coin is usually a piece of hard material, generally metal [i] and usually in the shape of a disc [i] ... 

s, or from the French French language

French is the third-largest of the Romance languages [i] in terms of number of native speakers, after Spanish [i] ... 

 franc, meaning "free" .

The countries that use francs include Switzerland Switzerland

Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked [i] Alpine country [i] in Central Europe [i] ... 

, Liechtenstein Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small, doubly landlocked [i] ... 

, and most of the Francophone Francophone

A Francophone is a person who is able to speak the French language [i].
... 

 countries of Africa Africa

Africa is one of the greatest sized continents of the Earth.... 

. Before the introduction of the euro, francs were also used in France, Belgium Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe [i] bordered by the Netherlands [i] ... 

 and Luxembourg Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small landlocked [i] country in western Europe [i], bordered by Belgium [i] ... 

, while Andorra Andorra

The Principality of Andorra is a small, landlocked [i] principality [i] in southwest ... 

 and Monaco Monaco

The Principality of Monaco , more commonly known as Monaco, is a constitutional monarchy [i] and city-state [i] ... 

 accepted the French franc as legal tender. The Franc was also used within the French Empire's colonies, including Algeria Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is a country in north Africa [i],... 

 and Cambodia Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia [i] with a population of more than 13 million. ... 

.

One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The French franc symbol was an F with a line through it .

Origins

The franc was originally a French gold Gold

Gold is a highly sought-after precious metal [i] that for many centuries has been used as money [i], a store of value [i] ... 

 coin of 3.87 g minted in 1360 on the occasion of the release of King John II John II of France

John II of France, was Count of Anjou [i], Count of Maine [i], and Duke of Normandy [i] from 1332, Count of Poitiers [i] ... 

, held by the English since his capture at the Battle of Poitiers four years earlier. It was equivalent to one livre tournois .

French franc

The French franc French franc

The franc is a former currency [i] of France [i]. ... 

 was the national currency of France France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

 from 1360 until 1641 and again from 1795 until 1999 . Though abolished as a legal coin by Louis XIII Louis XIII of France

Louis XIII , called the Just , was King of France [i] from 1610 [i] to 1643 [i] ... 

 in 1641 in favor of the gold louis and silver écu, the term franc continued to be used in common parlance for the livre tournois. The franc was also minted for many of the former French colonies, such as Morocco, Algieria, French West Africa, and others. Today, after independence, many of these countries continue to use the franc as their standard denomination.

CFA and CFP francs

Fourteen African countries use the franc CFA , originally worth 1.7 French francs and then from 1948, 2 francs but after January 1994 worth only 0.01 French franc. Therefore, from January 1999, 1 CFA franc is equivalent to 0.00152449 euro.

A separate circulates in France's Pacific territories, worth 0.0084 euro .

Comorian franc

In 1981, The Comoros Comoros

The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros , is a country in the Indian Ocean [i], situated ... 

 established an arrangement with the French government similar to that of the CFA franc. Originally, 50 Comorian franc Comorian franc

The Comorian franc is the official currency [i] of Comoros [i]. It has existed in its present form sinc ... 

s were worth 1 French franc. In January 1994, the rate was changed to 75 Comorian francs to the French franc. Since 1999, the currency has been pegged to the euro.

Belgian franc Belgian franc

The Belgian franc was the currency of Belgium [i], before the adoption of the euro [i].
... 

 and Luxembourg franc

The conquest of most of western Europe by Revolutionary and Napoleonic France led to the franc's wide circulation. Following independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the new Kingdom of Belgium Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe [i] bordered by the Netherlands [i] ... 

 in 1832 adopted its own franc, equivalent to the French one, followed by Luxembourg Luxembourg

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small landlocked [i] country in western Europe [i], bordered by Belgium [i] ... 

 in 1848 and Switzerland in 1850. Newly unified Italy Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic , is a Southern European [i] country. ... 

 adopted the lira on a similar basis in 1862.

In 1865, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy created the Latin Monetary Union Latin Monetary Union

The Latin Monetary Union was a 19th century [i] attempt to unify several Europe [i]an currencies [i]... 

 : each would possess a national currency unit worth 4.5 g of silver or 0.290 322 g of gold , all freely exchangeable at a rate of 1:1. In the 1870s the gold value was made the fixed standard, a situation which was to continue until 1914.

In 1926 Belgium Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe [i] bordered by the Netherlands [i] ... 

 as well as France experienced depreciation and an abrupt collapse of confidence, leading to the introduction of a new gold currency for international transactions, the belga of 5 francs, and the country's withdrawal from the monetary union, which ceased to exist at the end of the year. The 1921 monetary union of Belgium and Luxembourg survived, however, forming the basis for full economic union in 1932.

Like the French franc, the Belgian/Luxemburgese franc ceased to exist in January 1, 1999, when it became fixed at 1 EUR= 40.3399 BEF/LUF, thus a franc was worth 0.024789 €. Old franc coins and notes lost their legal tender status in February 28, 2002.

1 Luxembourg franc was equal to 1 Belgian franc. Belgian francs were legal tender inside Luxembourg, and Luxembourg francs were legal tender in Belgium.

The equivalent name of the Belgian franc in Dutch Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

, Belgium's other official language, was "Belgische Frank."

Swiss franc Swiss franc

The franc is the currency [i] and legal tender [i] of Switzerland [i] and Liechtenstein [i].... 

The Swiss franc Swiss franc

The franc is the currency [i] and legal tender [i] of Switzerland [i] and Liechtenstein [i].... 

 , which appreciated significantly against the new European currency from April to September 2000, remains one of the world's strongest currencies, worth today around two-thirds of a euro. The Swiss franc Swiss franc

The franc is the currency [i] and legal tender [i] of Switzerland [i] and Liechtenstein [i].... 

 is used in Switzerland Switzerland

Switzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked [i] Alpine country [i] in Central Europe [i] ... 

 and in Liechtenstein Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a small, doubly landlocked [i] ... 

.

The name of the country "Swiss Confederation" is found on some of the coins in Latin Latin

Latin is an ancient Indo-European language [i] originally spoken in Latium [i], ... 

 , as Switzerland has four official languages, all of which are used on the notes. The denomination is abbreviated "Fr" on the coins which is the abbreviation in all four languages.

Congolese franc

The Congolese franc is used in the Democratic Republic of Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also often referred to as DRC, 'RDC, 'DR Congo, ... 

. Suppressed in 1967 by Mobutu Mobutu Sese Seko

Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa za Banga , known commonly as Mobutu, or Joseph Mobutu-Sese Sek... 

, it was re-established in 1998 by Laurent Kabila Laurent-Désiré Kabila

Laurent-Dsir Kabila was President [i] of the ... 

.

Burundian franc

Used in Burundi Burundi

Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi, is a small country in the Great Lakes [i]... 

.

Rwandan franc

Used in Rwanda Rwanda

Rwanda , officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a small landlocked [i] country in the Great Lakes region [i] ... 

.

Djiboutian franc

Used in Djibouti Djibouti

Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a small country in eastern Africa [i], located ... 

. Pegged to the US dollar United States dollar

For details of current paper money [i] and coins, see Federal Reserve Note [i] and United States coinage [i] ... 

 since 1973.

Guinean franc

Used in Guinea Guinea


Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea , is a nation in West Africa [i], formerly known as French Guinea [i]... 

. Suppressed in 1972 by dictator Sékou Touré, re-established in 1986 by his successor Lansana Conté Lansana Conté

Lansana Cont has been the President [i] of Guinea [i] since 3 April [i] 1984 [i] ... 

.

Malagasy franc

The Malagasy franc was replaced by the Malagasy ariary on January 1, 2005. This controversial decision was taken by President Marc Ravalomanana.

See also

  • Belgian franc Belgian franc

    The Belgian franc was the currency of Belgium [i], before the adoption of the euro [i].

... 


  • Burundian franc
  • Cape Verdean escudo
  • Comorian franc Comorian franc

    The Comorian franc is the official currency [i] of Comoros [i]. It has existed in its present form sinc ... 

  • Congolese franc
  • Djiboutian franc
  • Latin Monetary Union Latin Monetary Union

    The Latin Monetary Union was a 19th century [i] attempt to unify several Europe [i]an currencies [i]... 

  • The Latverian Franc is the currency of the fictional country of Latveria Latveria

    Latveria is a fictional nation [i] in the Marvel Universe [i].

... 

.
  • Malagasy franc
  • Rwandan franc
  • Special settlement currencies
    • UIC franc
    • gold franc
  • Livre tournois
  • Roman currency Roman currency

    The main Roman currency during most of the Roman Republic [i] and the western half of the Roman Empire [i]... 

  • New Hebrides franc

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