Thepula is thecurrency ofBotswana. It has theISO 4217 codeBWP and is subdivided into 100thebe.Pula literally means "rain" inSetswana, becauserain is very scarce in Botswana—home to much of theKalahari Desert— playing a major role in rites of traditional Tswana belief; therefore valuable and the word extends its meaning as "blessing" or "fortune".[1][2][3] The word also serves as the national motto of the country.
A sub-unit of the currency is known asthebe, or "shield",[4] and represents defence. The names were picked with the help of the public.[5]
The pula was introduced on 23 August 1976, subsequently known as "Pula Day", replacing therand at par. One hundred days after the pula was introduced, the rand ceased to be legal tender in Botswana.[6]
At its introduction, the pula was pegged to the US dollar. In January 1979, the pula was changed to a floating, unpegged currency. Since June 1980, it has been pegged to a basket of currencies that reflects the country's trading patterns, comprising theSouth African rand and theInternational Monetary Fund'sspecial drawing rights.[7]
In 1976, coins were introduced in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 thebe. The 1 thebe was struck in aluminium, with the 5 thebe in bronze and the others incupro-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-curveheptagonal 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.[8]
Following the withdrawal of the 1 and 2 thebe in 1991 and 1998 respectively, 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.[9] A bimetallic 5 pula depicting amopane caterpillar and a branch of themopane tree it feeds on was introduced in 2000 composed of a cupronickel centre in a ring made of aluminium-nickel-bronze.[10]
A new series of coins was introduced in 2013.[11] All previous coins were demonetized with effect from 28 August 2014, and remained exchangeable to current coins for 5 years until 28 August 2019.[12]
The word "Ipelegeng" is found on the coins, which literally means "to carry your own weight" or "to be self-sufficient or independent" but in general has various different meanings in the Tswana language.[13]
On 23 August 1976, theBank of Botswana introduced notes in denominations of 1, 2, 5, and 10 pula; a 20 pula note followed on 16 February 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 29 May 1990 and 23 August 1993, respectively.[14] The 5 pula note was replaced by a coin in 2000. The original 1, 2 and 5 pula banknotes weredemonetized on 1 July 2011.
The current series of notes was introduced on 23 August 2009[15] and contains, for the first time, a 200 pula banknote.
In response to the concern of the poor quality of the paper of the 10 pula banknote, the Bank of Botswana unveiled a 10 pula banknote inpolymer in November 2017 which was issued to the public on 1 February 2018.[16]
In 2020, the Bank of Botswana issued a new 10 pula polymer banknote that features an image of the former President of Botswana,Mokgweetsi Masisi.[17]
The wordpula also serves as part of the national motto of theKingdom of Lesotho. As in Botswana, it means "rain" in theSotho language and is considered a synonym for "blessing".
^Gewald, Jan-Bart (Oct 2001). "El Negro, El Niño, Witchcraft and the Absence of Rain in Botswana".African Affairs.100 (401):559–60.doi:10.2307/3518701.
^Standard Chartered Review. Standard Chartered Bank. 1976. p. 9.The new namespula andthebe were chosen following an invitation to the public to submit a their suggestions [...] The meaning of "thebe" is shield — the traditional means of defence.
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