Sri Lankan rupee
| |||||
| ISO 4217 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code | LKR (numeric: 144) | ||||
| Subunit | 0.01 | ||||
| Unit | |||||
| Symbol | Rs | ||||
| Denominations | |||||
| Subunit | |||||
| 1/100 | cents | ||||
| Banknotes | |||||
| Freq. used | Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 50, Rs. 100, Rs. 500 Rs. 1000 | ||||
| Coins | |||||
| Freq. used | 25, 50 cents, Rs. 1, Rs. 2, Rs. 5 | ||||
| Rarely used | 1, 2, 5, 10 cents | ||||
| Demographics | |||||
| User(s) | Sri Lanka | ||||
| Issuance | |||||
| Central bank | Central Bank of Sri Lanka | ||||
| Website | www.centralbanklanka.org | ||||
| Printer | De la Rue Lanka Currency and Securities Print (Pvt) Ltd | ||||
| Mint | Royal Mint, United Kingdom | ||||
| Valuation | |||||
| Inflation | 11.2% | ||||
| Source | CIA World Fact Book, 2005 est. | ||||
The rupee is the official currency of Sri Lanka, divided into 100 cents. The currency code is LKR. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Until 1870, the British pound was Ceylon's official currency, having replaced the rixdollar in 1828. Quarter farthings (one sixteenth of a penny), half farthings (one eighth of a penny) and three halfpennies (11⁄2 pence) were issued in addition to those coins used in Britain.
The rupee was introduced in 1870. It was equal to the Indian rupee and replaced the British currency at a rate of 1 rupee = 2 shillings 3 pence. Unlike the Indian rupee, it was a decimal currency from the outset.
In December 2005, a new set of coins with denominations 5 rupee, 2 rupee, 1 rupee, 50 cents and 25 cents have been released, for circulation along side the older coins.
The lower cent denominations of 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent and 10 cent, although legal tender are not seen in circulation and not issued by the bank in general.
Coins
On 14 December 2005, the Sri Lanka central bank issued a new series of coins in the denominations of
- 25 cent
- 50 cent
- 1 rupee
- 2 rupees
- 5 rupees
The observe and reverse designs of the new coins remained identical to the exsisting circulating coins of the same denominations. However their weights and alloys have been changed for easy identification purposes.
-
25 cent coin -
One rupee coin
Commemorative coins
.
Coins in denominations of 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 rupees issued as commemorative coins were also in circulation at the end of 2003. Commemorative coins issued by Sri Lanka central bank include:
- 1957 5 rupee "2500th Buddha Jayanthi"
- 1968 2 rupee "Second World Food Congress"
- 1976 2 & 5 rupee "5th Non-Aligned Nations Summit Conference - Colombo"
- 1978 1 rupee "First Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka"
- 1981 5 rupee "50th Anniversary of the Universal Adult Franchise in Sri Lanka"
- 1981 2 rupee "Accelerated Mahaweli Scheme"
- 1987 10 rupee "International Year of Shelter for the Homeless"
- 1990 500 rupee "40th Anniversary of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka"
- 1991 100 & 500 rupee "5th South Asian Games held in Colombo - December 1991"
- 1992 1 rupee "3rd Anniversary of the Induction of the President R. Premadasa"
- 1993 500 rupee "2300th Anubudu Mihindu Jayanthi"
- 1995 2 rupee "50th Anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation"
- 1995 5 rupee "50th Anniversary of the UNO"
- 1996 1 rupee "50th Anniversary of the United Nations Childrens Fund"
- 1998 1000 & 5000 rupee "50th Anniversary of Independence - Sri Lanka"
- 1999 1000 rupee "Cricket World Cup"
- 1999 1 rupee "50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army"
- 2000 1000 rupee "50th Anniversary of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka"
- 2000 1 rupee "50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Navy"
- 2001 1 rupee "50th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Air force"
- 2001 2 rupee "50th Anniversary of the Colombo Plan"
- 2003 5 rupees "250th Anniversary of Syamopali Maha Nikaya, Asgiriya and Malwatta Chapters" (Two Coins)
Banknotes
Sri Lankan banknotes are unusual in that they are printed vertically on the reverse. The currency note of 200-rupee is printed on a polymer substrate. Banknotes are printed by
the De la Rue Lanka Currency and Securities Print (Pvt) Ltd, a joint venture of the Government of Sri Lanka and De la Rue, a printing company in the United Kingdom.
- 10 rupees
- 20 rupees
- 50 rupees
- 100 rupees
- 200 rupess (1998 polymer note still seen in circulation)
- 500 rupees
- 1000 rupees
| Current LKR exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From XE.com: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
See also
External links
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