Honduran lempira

The lempira (/lɛmˈpɪrə/, sign: L, ISO 4217 code: HNL) is the currency of Honduras. It is subdivided into 100 centavos.

Honduran lempira
lempira hondureño  (Spanish)
ISO 4217
CodeHNL
Denominations
Subunit
 1/100centavo
SymbolL
BanknotesL1, L2, L5, L10, L20, L50, L100, L500
Coins5, 10, 20, 50 centavos
Demographics
User(s) Honduras
Issuance
Central bankCentral Bank of Honduras
 Websitewww.bch.hn
Valuation
Inflation7.7%
 SourceCentral Bank of Honduras, June 2011.

Etymology

The lempira was named after the 16th-century cacique Lempira, a ruler of the indigenous Lenca people, who is renowned in Honduran folklore for leading the (ultimately unsuccessful) local native resistance against the Spanish conquistador forces. He is a national hero, and is honoured on both the 1 lempira note and the 20 and 50 centavos coins.

History

The lempira was introduced in 1931, replacing the peso at par. In the late 1980s, the exchange rate was two lempiras to the United States dollar (the 20-centavos coin is called a daime as it was worth the same as a U.S. dime). As of March 1, 2019, the lempira was quoted at 24.35 HNL to 1 USD.

Coins

In 1931, coins were introduced in denominations of 5, 20 & 50 centavos, and 1 lempira. One-, 2- and 10-centavos coins were added in 1935, 1939 and 1932, respectively. The silver 1-lempira coins ceased production in 1937, with the other silver coins (20 & 50 centavos) replaced by cupro-nickel in 1967. The 1- and 2-centavos coins were discontinued in 1974 and 1998, respectively.

Coins currently in circulation are[1]

  • 5 centavos
  • 10 centavos
  • 20 centavos
  • 50 centavos

Banknotes

The Bank of Honduras and the Banco Atlantida issued the first lempira banknotes in 1932. They were in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 lempiras. The Central Bank of Honduras took over production of paper money in 1950, introducing 50 and 100 lempiras notes in 1950, followed by the 500-lempiras note in 1995.

In January, 2010, a new 20-lempira note was introduced to market made by a polymer base, 60 million notes were issued.[2]

Banknotes in circulation are[3]

ImageNewValueColorDimensionsObverseReverse
L1 Red 156 × 67 mm Lempira Copán
L2 Purple Marco Aurelio Soto Amapala
L5 Gray Francisco Morazán Battle of 'La Trinidad'
L10 Brown José Trinidad Cabañas Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras
L20 Green Dionisio de Herrera Presidential palace
L50 Blue Juan Manuel Gálvez Central Bank of Honduras
L100 Orange José Cecilio del Valle Casa Valle
L500 Violet Ramón Rosa San Juancito

Exchange rates
Current HNL exchange rates
From Google Finance: AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR CNY TWD
From Yahoo! Finance: AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR CNY TWD
From XE.com: AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR CNY TWD
From OANDA: AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR CNY TWD
From fxtop.com: AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD INR CNY TWD

See also
  • Economy of Honduras

References
  1. Bonilla, Francisco Javier Morazán Matute, Henri López, Mario. "Banco Central de Honduras, Gobierno de la Republica de Honduras". Bch.hn. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2010-04-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Bonilla, Francisco Javier Morazán Matute, Henri López, Mario. "Banco Central de Honduras, Gobierno de la Republica de Honduras". Bch.hn. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
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