The nuevo sol (plural: nuevos soles) (S/.) is the currency of Peru. It is subdivided into 100 céntimos. The ISO 4217 currency code is PEN.
The name is a return to that of Peru's historic currency, the sol in use from the 19th century to 1985. Although the derivation of sol is from the Latin solidus, the name means sun in Spanish. There is a continuity therefore with the old Peruvian inti, which was named after Inti, the Sun God of the Incas.
History
Because of the bad state of economics in the 1980s and hyperinflation in the late 1980s the government was forced to abandon the inti and introduce the nuevo sol as the country's new currency. The currency was put into use on July 1, 1991 (by Law N° 25295) to replace the inti at a rate of 1 nuevo sol = 1,000,000 intis. Coins denominated in the new unit were introduced on October 1, 1991 and the first banknotes on November 13, 1991.Hitherto the nuevo sol currently retains a low inflation rate of 1.5%. Since the new currency was put into effect, it had managed to maintain a stable exchange rate between 3.3 and 3.00 nuevo soles per United States dollar.
Out of all the currencies of the Latin-American region, the Peruvian nuevo sol has been the most stable and reliable currency plus being also the least affected currency by the weak dollar global tendency. During the late months of 2007 and the first months of 2008, the rate fell down just a bit to 2.69 nuevos soles per USD a rate not seen since 1997. As of June, 2008 the nuevo sol went up again and is trading at 2.94 nuevos soles per USD.
Coins
The current coins were introduced in 1991 in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 céntimos and 1 nuevo sol. The 2 and 5 nuevos soles coins were added in 1994. Although 1 and 5 céntimo coins are officially in circulation, they are very rarely used. An aluminium 1 céntimo coin was introduced in December 2005., and a 5 céntimos coin in 2007 . All coins show the coat of arms of Peru surrounded by the text Banco Central de Reserva del Perú (Central Reserve Bank of Peru) on the obverse. The reverse of all coins shows the denomination. Included in the design of the bi-metallic 2 and 5 nuevos soles coins are the Nazca lines hummingbird and frigate bird figures.| Image | Value | Diameter | Thickness | Mass | Composition | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 céntimo | 16 mm | 1.05 mm | 1.78 g | Brass | Smooth | |
| 1 céntimo | 16 mm | 1.50 mm | 0.82 g | Aluminium | Smooth | |
| 5 céntimos | 18 mm | 1.26 mm | 2.70 g | Brass | Smooth | |
| 5 céntimos | 18 mm | 1.50 mm | 1.02 g | Aluminium | Smooth | |
| 10 céntimos | 20.5 mm | 1.26 mm | 3.50 g | Brass | Smooth | |
| 20 céntimos | 23 mm | 1.26 mm | 4.40 g | Brass | Smooth | |
| 50 céntimos | 22 mm | 1.65 mm | 5.45 g | Cu–Zn–Ni | Reeded | |
| 1 nuevo sol | 25.5 mm | 1.65 mm | 7.32 g | Cu–Zn–Ni | Reeded | |
| 2 nuevos soles | 22.2 mm | 2.07 mm | 5.62 g | Bi-metallic Outside ring: Steel Centre: Cu–Zn–Ni | Smooth | |
| 5 nuevos soles | 24.3 mm | 2.13 mm | 6.67 g | Bi-metallic Outside ring: Steel Centre: Cu–Zn–Ni | Smooth |
Banknotes
In 1991, banknotes for 10, 20, 50 and 100 nuevos soles were introduced. The banknote for 200 nuevos soles was subsequently introduced in August 1995. All notes are of the same size (140 x 65 mm) and contain the portrait of a well-known historic Peruvian on the obverse.| Obverse | Reverse | Value (S/.) | Dimensions | Main colour | Depicted person (obverse) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 140 × 65 mm | Green | José Abelardo Quiñones Gonzáles | ||
| 20 | Orange | Raúl Porras Barrenechea | |||
| 50 | Brown | Abraham Valdelomar Pinto | |||
| 100 | Blue | Jorge Basadre Grohmann | |||
| 200 | Pink | Saint Rose of Lima |
See also
References
External links
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Thursday July 24, 2008 at 12:20:24 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.