Haitian gourde
The gourde (French: [ɡuʁd]) or goud (Haitian Creole: [ɡud]) is the currency of Haiti. Its ISO 4217 code is HTG and it is divided into 100 centimes (French) or santim (Creole).
| Haitian gourde | |
|---|---|
| gourde haïtienne (French) goud ayisyen (Haitian Creole) | |
| ISO 4217 | |
| Code | HTG |
| Denominations | |
| Superunit | |
| 5 | Dollar |
| Subunit | |
| 1/100 | Centime |
| Symbol | G |
| Banknotes | |
| Freq. used | 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, 1000 gourdes |
| Rarely used | 1, 2, 5, 20 gourdes |
| Coins | 5, 10, 20, 50 centimes, 1, 5 gourdes |
| Demographics | |
| User(s) |  |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Banque de la République d'Haïti |
| Website | www |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 3.5% |
| Source | Central Bank, October 2009 |
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The word "gourde" is a French cognate for the Spanish term "gordo", from the "pesos gordos" (also known in English as "hard" pieces of eight, and in French as "piastres fortes espagnoles") in which colonial-era contracts within the Spanish sphere of influence were often denominated.[1]
First gourde, 1813-1870
The first gourde was introduced in 1813 and replaced the livre at a rate of 1 gourde = 8 livres and 5 sous.
Coins
The first issues of coins were silver pieces of 6, 12, and 25 centimes. In 1827, 50 and 100 centimes coins were introduced, followed by 1 and 2 centimes in 1828. In 1846 and 1850, 6¼ centimes coins were issued as well as 6 centimes pieces. In 1863, bronze coins, produced by the Heaton mint of Birmingham, were issued. These were in denominations of 5, 10 and 20 centimes and were the last coins of the first gourde.
Banknotes
The governments of Haiti issued paper money in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 gourdes.
Second gourde, 1870-1872
In 1870 the gourde was revalued at a rate of ten to one. Only banknotes were issued for this second gourde, with the government issuing notes of 10 and 25 gourdes.
Third gourde, 1872-
In 1872, the gourde was again revalued, this time at a rate of three hundred to one. In the early years of this third gourde, only banknotes were being issued and the name piastre was sometimes used instead of gourde, especially on a banknote issue dated 1875. In 1881, the gourde was linked to the French franc at 5 francs = 1 gourde and coin production recommenced.
The peg to the franc did not last but, in 1912, the gourde was pegged to the US dollar at a value of 5 gourdes to the US dollar. Although this peg was abandoned in 1989 and the currency now floats, because of the old link, five gourdes is often referred to as a "Haitian dollar". Likewise, 5 centimes is a "Haitian penny". Indeed, in many places, prices are given not in gourdes, but rather in "Haitian dollars", which must be multiplied by five to convert to gourdes.
Coins
| 10 centimes 1949 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dumarsais Estimé | Coat of arms |
The 1881 issue of coins consisted of denominations of 1, 2, 10, 20, and 50 centimes and 1 gourde. 5 centimes coins were added in 1889. Production of the 1 and 2 centimes and 1 gourde pieces ceased in the mid-1890s, whilst coin production ceased entirely from 1908 until 1949, when 5 and 10 centimes coins were again minted. These were followed by 20 centimes pieces in 1956, 50 centimes in 1972 and 1 and 5 gourdes in 1995.
Coins currently in circulation are:
- 50 centimes
- 1 gourde
- 5 gourdes
Banknotes
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In 1875, banknotes were issued by the Banque nationale d'Haïti in denominations of 25 centimes, 1 and 5 piastres (equal to gourdes). Following this, banknotes were issued in denominations ranging from 10 centimes to 5 gourdes by the various Haitian governments until 1916, when the Banque nationale de la République d'Haïti began issuing notes. In 1920, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 gourdes notes were issued, with 50 and 100 gourdes added in 1925. In the 1970s, 25, 250, and 500 gourdes notes were introduced. In 1979, the Banque de la République d'Haïti replaced the National Bank as the paper money issuing body. A 1000 gourdes note was introduced in 1999, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of Port-au-Prince. A 20 gourdes note was released into circulation in 2001, both as a commemorative (to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution of Toussaint L'Ouverture) and as a regular issue. In 2004, the Banque de la République d'Haïti issued a series of notes to commemorate the bicentennial of Haiti.
Banknotes currently in circulation are:
- 10 gourdes
- 25 gourdes
- 50 gourdes
- 100 gourdes
- 250 gourdes
- 500 gourdes
- 1000 gourdes
| Older series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Obverse | Reverse | Year |
| 10 gourdes | Catherine Flon Arcahaie sewing the first flag of Haiti (1803) | Coat of arms of Haiti | 2000 | |
| 20 gourdes | François-Dominique Toussaint l'Ouverture | Constitution of Haiti | 2001 | |
| 25 gourdes | The Palace of Justice in Port-au-Prince | Coat of arms of Haiti | 2000 | |
| 50 gourdes | Lysius Félicité Salomon Jeune | Coat of arms of Haiti | 2000 | |
| 100 gourdes | Henri Christophe (President of Northern Haiti, later King Henri I of Haiti) | Coat of arms of Haiti | 2000 | |
| 250 gourdes | Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Emperor Jacques I of Haiti) | Coat of arms of Haiti | 2000 | |
| 500 gourdes | Alexandre Sabès Pétion (President of Southern Haiti) | Coat of arms of Haiti | 2000 | |
| 1000 gourdes | President Florvil Hyppolite | Marché Vallière | 1999 | |
Biccentenial of the Independence (1804-2004) series
| Biccentenial of the Independence (1804-2004) currently in circulation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Obverse | Reverse | Year |
| 10 gourdes (Dix Gourdes; Dis Goud) | Sanité Belair (Attack and take of the Crête-à-Pierrot) | Fort Cap Rouge (Jacmel) | 2004 | |
| 25 gourdes (Vingt-Cinq Gourdes; Vennsenk Goud) | General fr:Nicolas Geffrard (Governor of Southern Haiti) | Des Platons fortress (Dussis) | 2004 | |
| 50 gourdes (Cinquante Gourdes; Senkant Goud) | François Cappoix | Fort Jalousière (Marmelade) | 2004 | |
| 100 gourdes (Cent Gourdes; San Goud) | Henri Christophe (President of Northern Haiti, later King Henri I of Haiti) (Invasion of Cape Haitian by the French army) | Henry Citadel (Milot) | 2004 | |
| 250 gourdes (Deux Cent Cinquante gourdes; Desan Senkant Goud) | Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Emperor Jacques I of Haiti) | Fort Décidé (Marchand) | 2004 | |
| 500 gourdes (Cinq Cent Gourdes; Senksan Goud) | Alexandre Sabès Pétion (President of Southern Haiti) | Fort Jacques (Fermathe) | 2004 | |
| 1000 gourdes | President Florvil Hyppolite | Marché Vallière | 1999 | |
Note: The 1, 2, 5, 20 gourde notes are no longer produced and may no longer be in circulation.
| Current HTG exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From XE.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
| From fxtop.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
See also
- Central banks and currencies of the Caribbean
- Economy of Haiti