Home > Decimalization
Decimalization refers to any process of converting from traditional units, usually of money, to a decimal system.This process has been undergone by all countries except Mauritania and Saudi Arabia, but the former has in practice dropped their smaller unit since it is worth so little, and the latter is currently phasing out their non-decimal unit by not minting any new coins in it.
France decimalised first, abandoning the Livre tournois at the time of the Revolution, and imposed decimalisation on a number of countries that it invaded at that time. The United States introduced a decimal currency after achieving independence from Britain. However, many Commonwealth countries retained traditional money systems (pounds, shillings & pence) after achieving effective independence as Dominions, and only decimalised in the second half of the 20th century.
South Africa decimalised in 1961, introducing the rand as the new unit of currency. When Australia decimalised in 1966, the new Australian dollarThe Australian dollar AUD or A is the official currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and Norfolk Island, as well as the indepen was fixed at ten shillings (i.e. half an Australian pound). A similar strategy was followed in New ZealandFor alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). New Zealand is a country formed of two major islands and a number of smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. A common Mori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa popularly translated as Land in 1967Events January January 4 British motorboat racer Donald Campbell dies while attempting a water speed record in Coniston Lake. January 4 Algerian revolutionary Mohammed Khider is shot in Madrid. January 6 Vietnam War: USMC and ARVN troops launch " Operatio, with the introduction of the New Zealand dollarThe New Zealand dollar ( ISO 4217: NZD sometimes NZ and often informally known as the Kiwi dollar is the official currency of New Zealand and the Cook Islands. It was introduced in 1967 to replace the New Zealand pound, when the country decimalised its cu.
The United Kingdom and the Republic of IrelandThe Republic of Ireland ( Irish: Poblacht na hEireann is the common term for a state which covers approximately five-sixths of the island of Ireland, off the coast of northwest Europe. It is the western-most state of the European Union. The remaining sixt decimalised the Pound Sterling and the Irish poundThe Irish pound ( Irish language: punt was the currency unit of the Irish Free State, and later of the republic of Ireland until 1 January, 1999; the ISO 4217 code was IEP and the usual notation was the prefix IR where confusion might have arisen with Ste on Decimal DayOn February 15, 1971, variously known as Decimal Day Decimalisation Day and D-Day the United Kingdom and Ireland decimalised their historical currencies. Although both currencies were separate — Irish Pounds and British Pounds — they were at the time tied, 15 February 1971.
Many other former British colonies, such as Singapore, Malaya, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and the Seychelles used decimal currencies, even while under British rule.
India changed from the Rupee, Anna, Pie system to decimal currency in 1957. Pakistan followed in 1961. Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) has used a decimal currency since 1869.
In France, decimalisation of the coinage was accompanied by metrication of other measures. However, in general the two have not gone hand in hand: the U.S. has never metricated, Canada has only recently done so despite having long had a decimal coinage, and the U.K. has only metricated to a limited extent.
