The shilingi is the currency

Currency

In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...

 of Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

, although widespread use of U.S. dollars is accepted. It is subdivided into 100 senti (cents in English).
The Tanzanian shilling replaced the East African shilling

East African shilling

The shilling was the currency issued for use in British controlled areas in East Africa from 1921 until 1969. It was produced by the East African Currency Board...

 in 1966 at par.

For earlier currencies used in Tanzania, see East African florin

East African florin

The florin was the currency of the British colonies and protectorates of East Africa between 1920 and 1921. It was divided into 100 cents. It replaced the rupee at par and was replaced by the shilling at a rate of 2 shillings = 1 florin...

, East African rupee

East African rupee

The rupee was the currency of Britain's East African colonies and protectorates between 1906 and 1920. It was divided into 100 cents.The rupee replaced the Indian rupee, which had previously circulated. In 1920, the rupee was revalued against sterling to a peg of 1 rupee = 2 shillings...

, Zanzibari rupee

Zanzibari rupee

The rupee was the currency of Zanzibar from 1908 to December 31, 1935. It was subdivided into 100 cents .-History:The rupee replaced the Zanzibari ryal at a rate of 2⅛ rupees = 1 ryal and was equivalent to the Indian rupee, which was also in circulation...

, Zanzibari riyal

Zanzibari riyal

The ryal was the currency of Zanzibar between 1882 and 1908. It was subdivided into 136 pysa and circulated alongside the Indian rupee and Maria Theresa thaler. The ryal was replaced by the rupee at 2⅛ rupees = 1 ryal.-Coins:...

 and German East African rupie

German East African rupie

The Rupie was the currency of German East Africa between 1890 and 1916, continuing to circulate in the Tanganyika Territory until 1920.-History:...

.

Symbol

Amount in the Tanzanian shilingi is written in the form of x/y, where x is the amount above 1 shilingi, while y is the amount in senti. An equals sign

Equals sign

The equality sign, equals sign, or "=" is a mathematical symbol used to indicate equality. It was invented in 1557 by Robert Recorde. The equals sign is placed between the things stated to have the same value, as in an equation...

 or hyphen

Hyphen

The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes , which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign which is also longer...

 represent zero amount. For example, 50 senti is written as "=/50" or "-/50", while 100 shilingi is written as "100/=" or "100/-".

Coins

In 1966, coins were introduced in denominations of 5, 20 and 50 senti and 1 shilingi, with the 5 senti struck in bronze, the 20 senti in nickel-brass and the 50 senti and 1 shilingi in cupro-nickel. Cupro-nickel 5 shilingi coins were introduced in 1972, followed by scalloped, nickel-brass 10 senti in 1977. This First Series coins set, in circulation from 1966 up to 1984, was designed by Christopher Ironside

Christopher Ironside

Christopher Ironside FSIA 1970, OBE 1971, FRBS 1977 was an English painter and coin designer, particularly known for the reverse sides of the new British coins issued on decimalisation in 1971....

 OBE.

In 1987, nickel-clad steel replaced cupro-nickel in the 50 senti and 1 shilingi, and cupro-nickel 5 and 10 shilingi coins were introduced, with the 5 shilingi octagonal in shape. In 1990, nickel-clad-steel 5, 10 and 20 shilingi were introduced, followed by brass coins for 100 shilingi in 1994, 50 shilingi in 1996 and 200 shilingi in 1998.

Coins currently in circulation are the 50, 100 and 200 shilingi.

Banknotes

In 1966, the Benki Kuu Ya Tanzania (Bank of Tanzania

Bank of Tanzania

The Bank of Tanzania is the central bank of the United Republic of Tanzania. It is responsible for issuing the national currency, the Tanzanian shilling....

) introduced notes for 5, 10, 20 and 100 shilingi (also denominated in shillings on the first series of notes). The 5 shilingi note was replaced by a coin in 1972. 50 shilingi notes were introduced in 1985, followed by 200 shilingi in 1986, 500 shilingi in 1989 and 1000 shilingi in 1990. The 10, 20, 50 and 100 shilingi notes were replaced by coins in 1987, 1990, 1996 and 1994, respectively. 5000 and 10,000 shilingi notes were introduced in 1995, followed by 2000 shilingi in 2003. A new series of notes came out in 2011. These new notes include many security features that prevent counterfeiting.

Banknotes in circulation today are 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 shilingi.

2003 Series http://www.bot-tz.org/BankingOperations/Currency/currencyInCirculation.asp
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	Watermark
		500/=	130 × 63 mm	Green	African Buffalo African Buffalo The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...	Nkrumah Hall, University of Dar es Salaam University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam is a university in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. The university was born out of a decision taken in 1970 to split the then University of East Africa into three independent universities; Makerere University , University of Nairobi and University of Dar es...	Giraffe Giraffe The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...	2003
		1000/=	135 × 66 mm	Blue-violet	Julius Nyerere Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere was a Tanzanian politician who served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country's founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985....	Statehouse, Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
		2000/=	140 × 69 mm	Orange-brown	Lion Lion The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger... , Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...	Old Fort, Stone Town Stone Town Stone Town also known as Mji Mkongwe is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania, as opposed to Ng'ambo . It is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago... , Zanzibar Zanzibar Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
		5000/=	145 × 72 mm	Purple	Black Rhinoceros Black Rhinoceros The Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola...	Geita gold Mine and House of Wonders Zanzibar
		10 000/=	150 × 75 mm	Red	Elephant Elephant Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...	Bank of Tanzania Bank of Tanzania The Bank of Tanzania is the central bank of the United Republic of Tanzania. It is responsible for issuing the national currency, the Tanzanian shilling....

External links

• Bank of Tanzania page on circulating banknotes