Guinea-Bissau peso

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Guinea-Bissau peso
peso da Guiné-Bissau (Portuguese)
Banknote of Guinea-Bissau 1990 issue 500 pesos.jpg
500 pesos banknote from 1990
ISO 4217
CodeGWP
Denominations
Subunit
1100 centavos
Banknotes50, 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10,000 pesos
Coins50 centavos, 1, 2+12, 5, 20 pesos
Demographics
Date of introduction1975
Replaced Portuguese Guinean escudo
Date of withdrawal1997
User(s) Guinea-Bissau
Issuance
Central bank National 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.

Contents

History

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

Historical exchange rates

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

The adoption of the CFA Franc in 1997 created a steep inflation, which in turn contributed to the social unrest that led to the 1998 coup. [1]

Coins

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

Banknotes

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

Current Series
ImageValueMain ColourDescription
ObverseReverseObverseReverse
50 pesosReddish-purple Pansau Na Isna Villagers
100 pesosKhaki Domingos Ramos Central Bank building in Bissau
500 pesosBlue Francisco Mendes Slavery
1000 pesosBrown Amílcar Cabral "Apoteose ao Triunfo"
5000 pesosPurple and brown Amílcar Cabral Fieldwork
10,000 pesosGreen Amílcar Cabral Fishermen

See also

References

  1. "One war ends". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 2025-12-09.
  2. Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Guinea-Bissau". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
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