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Guinea-Bissau peso

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Guinea-Bissau peso
peso da Guiné-Bissau (Portuguese)
500 pesos banknote from 1990
ISO 4217
CodeGWP
Denominations
Subunit
1100centavos
Banknotes50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000 pesos
Coins50 centavos, 1, 2 12, 5, 20 pesos
Demographics
Date of introduction1975
ReplacedPortuguese Guinean escudo
Date of withdrawal1997
User(s)Guinea-Bissau
Issuance
Central bankNational Bank of Guinea-Bissau
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete.

The peso was the currency of Guinea-Bissau from 1975 to 1997 and was divided into 100 centavos. It replaced the escudo at par. In 1997, in an effort to stop high inflation, Guinea-Bissau adopted the CFA franc, using a conversion rate of 65 pesos to the franc.

History

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The peso replaced the escudo in 1975. It was originally equivalent to the Portuguese escudo.

Historical exchange rates

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  • 1975–1976: fixed exchange rate with the Portuguese escudo at parity.
  • 1976–1977: fixed exchange rate with the Portuguese escudo (0.85 GWP = 1.00 PTE)
  • 1977–1978: fixed exchange rate with the Portuguese escudo (0.74 GWP = 1.00 PTE)
  • 26 May 1978–22 December 1983: fixed exchange rate with the special drawing rights at a rate of 44 pesos per SDR.
  • 23 December 1983: Peso devalued to 88 per SDR.
  • 4 May 1987: Peso devalued to 650 per USD.

Continued rapid inflation had eroded the value of the peso. By 1996, the exchange rate had reached 225 pesos per Portuguese escudo.

Coins

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Coins were issued in denominations of 50 centavos, 1, 2 12, 5 and 20 pesos.

Banknotes

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Banknotes in denominations of 50, 100, and 500 pesos dated 24-9-1975 (24 September 1975) were issued on 2 March 1976.[1] 1000 peso notes were introduced in 1978, followed by 5000 pesos notes in 1984 and 10,000 pesos notes in 1990.

Current Series
Image Value Main Colour Description
Obverse Reverse Obverse Reverse
[1] [2] 50 pesos Reddish-purple Pansau Na Isna Villagers
[3] [4] 100 pesos Khaki Domingos Ramos Central Bank building in Bissau
[5] [6] 500 pesos Blue Francisco Mendes Slavery
[7] [8] 1000 pesos Brown Amílcar Cabral "Apoteose ao Triunfo"
[9] [10] 5000 pesos Purple and brown Amílcar Cabral Fieldwork
[11] [12] 10,000 pesos Green Amílcar Cabral Fishermen

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Guinea-Bissau". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
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Guinea-Bissau peso
Preceded by:
Portuguese Guinean escudo
Reason: independence
Ratio: at par
Currency of Guinea-Bissau
1975 – 1997
Succeeded by:
West African CFA franc
Reason: joining currency union and inflation
Ratio: 1 franc = 65 pesos