- This article is about the current currency of the Republic of South Sudan. For the proposed notes printed by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in 2002, see Pound banknotes of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
The South Sudanese pound (code: SSP) is the currency of South Sudan. It is subdivided into 100 piasters. The currency was approved by the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly prior to the country's secession from Sudan on July 9, 2011, and was officially introduced on July 18, 2011, replacing the Sudanese pound at par. It is regulated by the Bank of South Sudan.
Introduction[]
- Main article: South Sudan
Southern Sudan used the first Sudanese pound until 2007.
The area of Southern Sudan was until around 1500 mostly controlled by Central Sudanic speaking peoples. Following the collapse of the local Nubian kingdoms, Nilotic peoples from Northern and Central Sudan, such as the Dinka, Shilluk, and Luo, gradually began to dominate the region. Egypt, under Khedive Isma'il Pasha, first attempted to control the region in the 1870s, and it eventually became part of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, a condominium of Egypt and the United Kingdom. In 1955, one year before Sudan became independent, the First Sudanese Civil War began between the northern part of Sudan and rebel guerrillas in the south, who demanded representation and more regional autonomy. The war ended in favor of the south in 1972, and the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region was established. However, region was later abolished in 1983, and in response, the Second Sudanese Civil War erupted. It ended in 2005, and resulted in the restoration of Southern Sudan's autonomy. The area became independent from Sudan on July 9, 2011 following an independence referendum held in Southern Sudan in which 98.83% of the population voted for the region's independence.
When the Egyptians arrived in Southern Sudan, they introduced their currency, the pound, to the area. In 1957, a year after Sudan was declared independent from Egypt and the United Kingdom, the country introduced its own currency bearing the same name. When Sudan relinquished the first Sudanese pound and replaced it with the dinar in 1992, Southern Sudan continued to use the old currency. However, upon the introduction of the second Sudanese pound in 2007, Southern Sudan adopted the new currency. Once South Sudan gained its independence in 2011, it introduced its own currency, the South Sudanese pound, which continues to circulate to this day.
Coins[]
The South Sudanese Government announced in 2011 that coins of the pound denominated at 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 piasters would be issued. Tong Acek, an administrative officer of the Bank of South Sudan, stated in September 2012 that the bank has considered using a smiling image of John Garang, the founder of the Sudan People's Liberation Army and Sudan People's Liberation Movement, on the obverses of South Sudanese coins, and possibly featuring images of local fauna and flora on their reverses.[2]
On July 9, 2015, the fourth anniversary of South Sudan's independence, the first official coins of the country were introduced. Such a series consisted of pieces denominated at 10, 20, and 50 piasters, and 1 and 2 pounds. The coat of arms of South Sudan appears on all the pieces, in place of the proposed image of John Garang.
Banknotes[]
The first issue of South Sudanese banknotes was issued on July 18, 2011, consisting of notes denominated at 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 pounds. Three new banknotes for 5, 10, and 25 piasters were released later that year, on October 19. All denominations feature the image of John Garang on their obverses. The notes are printed by the British company De La Rue, which produces paper money for several countries worldwide.
References[]
South Sudanese pound on the English Wikipedia- Banknote News – South Sudan issued new pound notes 18 July 2011
- Coin Update – World’s Newest Country Issues Circulation Coins on National Independence Day
External links[]
| South Sudanese pound | |
|---|---|
| Banknotes | 5 p • 10 p • 25 p • 1 P • 5 P • 10 P • 25 P • 50 P • 100 P |
| Coins | 10 p • 20 p • 50 p • 1 P • 2 P |
| Miscellaneous | Bank of South Sudan • De La Rue • Piaster • Pound • Sudanese pound |