Botswana pula - wikipedia Botswana pula Botswana pula Obverse of 2 pula ( 1980s ) Reverse of 2 pula ( 1980s ) ISO 4217 Code BWP Denominations Subunit 1 / 100 Thebe Symbol Banknotes 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 pula Coins 5, 10, 25, 50 thebe, 1, 2, 5 pula Demographics Official user ( s ) Botswana Unofficial user ( s ) Zimbabwe Issuance Central bank Bank of Botswana Website www.bankofbotswana.bw Valuation Inflation 2.8 % ( May 2016 ) Source Bank of Botswana, 7 July 2016 Method CPI The pula is the currency of Botswana. It has the ISO 4217 code BWP and is subdivided into 100 thebe. Pula literally means `` rain '' in Setswana, because rain is very scarce in Botswana -- home to much of the Kalahari Desert -- and therefore valuable and a blessing. The word also serves as the national motto of the country. A sub-unit of the currency is known as thebe, or `` shield '', and represents defence. The names were picked with the help of the public. Contents 1 History 2 Coins 3 Banknotes 4 Zimbabwe 5 Lesotho 6 In literature 7 See also 8 References 9 External links History The pula was introduced in 1976, replacing the South African rand at par. Despite a 12 % devaluation in May 2005, the pula remains one of the strongest currencies in Africa. Coins In 1976, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 thebe and 1 pula. The 1 thebe was struck in aluminium, with the 5 thebe in bronze and the others in cupro - nickel. These coins were round except for the scalloped 1 pula. Bronze, dodecagonal 2 thebe coins were introduced in 1981 and discontinued after 1985. In 1991, bronze - plated steel replaced bronze in the 5 thebe, nickel - plated steel replaced cupro - nickel in the 10, 25 and 50 thebe and the 1 pula changed to a smaller, nickel - brass, equilateral - curve seven - sided coin. A similarly shaped, nickel - brass 2 pula was introduced in 1994. In 2004, the composition was changed to brass - plated steel and the size was slightly reduced. In 1998, following the withdrawal of the 1 and 2 thebe, smaller 5, 10, 25 and 50 thebe coins were introduced, with the 5 and 25 thebe coins being seven - sided and the 10 and 50 thebe coins remaining round. A bimetallic 5 pula depicting a mopane caterpillar and a branch of the mopane tree it feeds on was introduced in 2000 composed of a cupronickel center in a ring made of aluminium - nickel - bronze. A new series of coins was introduced in 2013. Banknotes On August 23, 1976, the Bank of Botswana introduced notes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 10 pula ; a 20 - pula note followed on February 16, 1978. The 1 and 2 pula notes were replaced by coins in 1991 and 1994, whilst the first 50 and 100 pula notes were introduced on May 29, 1990 and August 23, 1993, respectively. The 5 pula note was replaced by a coin in 2000. The original 1, 2 and 5 pula banknotes were demonetized on 1 July 2011. The previous series of notes was introduced on 23 August 2009 and contains for the first time, a 200 - pula banknote. The new P 10 polymer banknote version was introduced on late November 2017, and released to the public on February 1, 2018. Banknotes of the Botswana pula ( 2009 issue ) Image Value Main color Obverse Reverse Watermark 10 pula Green President Seretse Khama Ian Khama Parliament building, Gaborone Rampant zebra and electrotype 10 20 pula Red Kgalemang Tumediso Motsete Mining equipment Rampant zebra and electrotype 20 50 pula Brown President Sir Seretse Khama Okavango Delta swamps, boat, fish eagle Rampant zebra and electrotype 50 100 pula Blue Three chiefs ( Sebele I, Bathoen I, Khama III ) Diamond sorting, open - pit diamond mine Rampant zebra and electrotype 100 200 pula Purple Female teacher and children Zebras Rampant zebra and electrotype 200 Current BWP exchange rates From Google Finance : AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR From Yahoo ! Finance : AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR From XE : AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR From OANDA : AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR From fxtop.com : AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR Zimbabwe Due to hyperinflation in Zimbabwe in 2006 to 2008, the government has allowed circulation of foreign currency since September 2008. Local currency became obsolete on April 12, 2009. Several currencies, including the South African rand and Botswana pula circulate in Zimbabwe, along with the Zimbabwean Bond Coins. Lesotho The word Pula also serves as part of the national motto of the Kingdom of Lesotho. As in Botswana, it means `` rain '' in the Sotho language and is considered a synonym for blessing. In literature The Botswana Pula became widely known internationally through numerous references in the No. 1 Ladies ' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, making it possible for readers worldwide to get an idea of the Pula 's purchasing power. See also Economy of Botswana References Jump up ^ `` Accessed 2009 - 09 - 02 ''. Banknotenews.com. Retrieved 2011 - 11 - 28. ^ Jump up to : Alongside Zimbabwean dollar ( suspended indefinitely from 12 April 2009 ), euro, US dollar, pound sterling, South African rand, Indian rupee, Australian dollar, Chinese yuan and Japanese yen. The US dollar has been adopted as the official currency for all government transactions in Zimbabwe. Jump up ^ Masire, Ketumile ( 2006 ). Very brave or very foolish ?. Macmillan Botswana. p. 81. ISBN 978 - 99912 - 404 - 8 - 0. Pula ( rain ) was an easy choice for the currency, and the decimal coins were called thebe ( shield ). ( Memoirs of a former president of Botswana ) ^ Jump up to : Standard Chartered Review. Standard Chartered Bank. 1976. p. 9. The new names pula and thebe were chosen following an invitation to the public to submit their suggestions (... ) The meaning of `` thebe '' is shield -- the traditional means of defence. ^ Jump up to : Linzmayer, Owen ( 2011 ). `` Botswana ''. The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA : www.BanknoteNews.com. Retrieved 2011 - 08 - 21. Jump up ^ Botswana issues new note series, BanknoteNews.com, Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 05. Krause, Chester L. ; Clifford Mishler ( 1991 ). Standard Catalog of World Coins : 1801 -- 1991 ( 18th ed. ). Krause Publications. ISBN 0873411501. Pick, Albert ( 1994 ). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money : General Issues. Colin R. Bruce II and Neil Shafer ( editors ) ( 7th ed. ). Krause Publications. ISBN 0 - 87341 - 207 - 9. Schön, Günter und Gerhard, Weltmünzkatalog 1900 -- 2010, 39. Auflage, 2011, Battenberg Gietl Verlag, ISBN 978 - 3 - 86646 - 057 - 7 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Botswana pula. Historical banknotes of Botswana Preceded by : South African rand Reason : creation of independent currency Ratio : at par Currency of Botswana 1976 -- Succeeded by : Current Economy of Botswana Currency : Botswana pula Communications Banking Communications History of Trade Transportation Industries : Agriculture Mining Tourism Currency symbols ( ¤ ) Circulating ؋ ฿ ₵ ₡ ¢ $ ₫ ֏ € ƒ ₲ ₴ ₾ ₭ ₺ ₼ ₦ ₱ £ 元 圆 圓 ریال ៛ ₽ ₹ ૱ ௹ ꠸ Rs ₪ ৳ ₸ ₮ ₩ ¥ 円 Historic ₳ ₢ ₰ ₯ ₠ ₣ ₤ ₶ RM M ₧ 𐆚 𐆖 𐆙 𐆗 𐆘 Uncirculated ₿ ₥ ₷ Currencies of Africa North Algerian dinar Egyptian pound Euro Plazas de soberanía Libyan dinar Mauritanian ouguiya Moroccan dirham Sahrawi peseta ( unrecognized ) Sudanese pound Tunisian dinar Central Angolan kwanza Burundian franc Central African CFA franc Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon Congolese franc Rwandan franc East Comorian franc Djiboutian franc Eritrean nakfa Ethiopian birr Kenyan shilling Seychellois rupee Somali shilling Somaliland shilling ( unrecognized ) South Sudanese pound Tanzanian shilling Ugandan shilling South Botswana pula British pound sterling Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Zimbabwe Euro French Southern and Antarctic Lands Mayotte Réunion Zimbabwe Lesotho loti Malagasy ariary Malawian kwacha Mauritian rupee Mozambican metical Namibian dollar Saint Helena pound South African rand Lesotho Namibia Swaziland Zimbabwe Swazi lilangeni U.S. dollar Zimbabwe Zambian kwacha Zimbabwean dollar ( defunct due to hyperinflation since April 2009 ) Zimbabwean bond coins ( since 18 December 2014 - denominated in U.S. Cents ) Zimbabwean bond notes ( since 28 November 2016 - denominated in U.S. Dollars ) West Cape Verdean escudo Euro Canary Islands Madeira Gambian dalasi Ghanaian cedi Guinean franc Liberian dollar Nigerian naira São Tomé and Príncipe dobra Sierra Leonean leone West African CFA franc Benin Burkina Faso Guinea - Bissau Ivory Coast Mali Niger Senegal Togo Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Botswana_pula&oldid=831932785 '' Categories : ISO 4217 Currency symbols Currencies of Africa Circulating currencies Currencies of Botswana Currencies of the Commonwealth of Nations Currencies of Zimbabwe Currency introduced in 1976 Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Asturianu Azərbaycanca Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Hrvatski বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Lietuvių Magyar Македонски मराठी Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Scots Setswana Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska Tagalog Тоҷикӣ Türkçe Українська Yorùbá 中文 39 more Edit links This page was last edited on 22 March 2018, at 22 : 09. 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Question: when did the botswana currency first come into circulation
Answer: 1976; 1976