 10 cents, 50 cents, N$1, N$5 | |
| ISO 4217 | |
|---|---|
| Code | NAD (numeric: 516) |
| Subunit | 0.01 |
| Unit | |
| Symbol | $, N$ |
| Denominations | |
| Subunit | |
| 1⁄100 | cent |
| Symbol | |
| cent | c |
| Banknotes | N$10, N$20, N$30, N$50, N$60, N$100, N$200 |
| Coins | 5c, 10c, 50c, N$1, N$5, N$10 |
| Demographics | |
| Date of introduction | 15 September 1993 |
| User(s) |  Namibia (alongsideSouth African rand at a ratio of 1 Dollar to 1 Rand at par) |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Bank of Namibia |
| Website | www |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 6.8% |
| Source | The World Factbook, 2016 est. |
| Pegged with | South African rand at par |
TheNamibia dollar (symbol:$ orN$;code:NAD) has been thecurrency ofNamibia since 1993. It is normally abbreviated with thedollar sign ($), or alternativelyN$ to distinguish it from other currencies called “dollar.” It is divided into 100cents.
The dollar replaced theSouth African rand, which had been the country's currency while it was underSouth African rule asSouth-West Africa from 1920 until 1990, at par. The rand is stilllegal tender, as the Namibian dollar islinked to the South African rand and can be exchanged on a one-to-one basis locally. Namibia was also part of theCommon Monetary Area from independence in 1990 until the introduction of the dollar in 1993.
In the beginning, alternative names for the Namibian dollar were suggested, includingNamibian kalahar, referencing the Kalahari Desert in the east of Namibia, but ultimately the government settled on the nameNamibian dollar. The first notes were issued on 15 September 1993.[1]
TheBank of Namibia issued the first banknotes on 15 September 1993 and, in December, issued the first national coins.
Coins in circulation
| denomination: | obverse: | reverse: |
|---|---|---|
| 5c | ||
| 10c | ||
| 50c | ||
| N$1 | ||
| N$5 |  |  |
Years of mintage are 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015. The cent coins are made ofnickelplatedsteel and the dollar coins ofbrass. From January 2019, 5c coins are no longer produced, but they are still used for daily transactions.
The followingbanknotes are currently in circulation:
Historically,Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi, once chief of theNama people and instrumental in leading the revolts against German rule at the turn of the 20th century, has been depicted on all Namibian banknotes. However, on 21 March 2012, theBank of Namibia introduced a new series of banknotes to be issued in May 2012. The new family of banknotes will have the same denomination structure as the current series. All denominations have improved anti-counterfeiting features, and the portrait of Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi is retained for all but the 10 and 20 dollar notes, which feature a new portrait ofSam Nujoma, the founding president and father of the Namibian nation.[4][5]
The Bank of Namibia has discovered that the diamond-shaped optically variable ink patch on the N$10 and N$20 notes was cracking after multiple folding and handling. The Bank of Namibia has recently issued in limited quantity, the N$10 and N$20 notes on paper with improved quality and shifted the placement of the diamond-shaped optically variable ink feature.[6]
On 21 March 2020, the Bank of Namibia unveiled a new 30 dollar polymer note to commemorate the 30th anniversary of independence. The theme of the note is '3 Decades of Peace and Stability', represented by the smooth transition of power between the three presidents since independence.[7]
| 2012 Series | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Color | Description | Date of issue | Date of first issue | Watermark | ||
| Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||||||
| [1] | [2] | N$10 | 129 × 70mm | Blue | H.E. Dr. Sam Nujoma; Parliament building in Windhoek | Namibian coat of arms; three standingspringbok antelope (Antidorcas marsupialis) | 2011 | 15 May 2012 | Sam Nujoma and electrotype 10 |
| [3] | [4] | N$20 | 134 × 70mm | Orange | Namibian coat of arms; three standingred hartebeest | Sam Nujoma and electrotype 20 | |||
| [5] | [6] | N$50 | 140 × 70mm | Green | Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi; Parliament building in Windhoek | Namibian coat of arms; five standingkudo antelope (Tragelaphus stepsiceros) | 2012 | Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi and electrotype 50 | |
| [7] | [8] | N$100 | 146 × 70mm | Red | Namibian coat of arms; three standingoryx antelope (Oryx gazella) | Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi and electrotype 100 | |||
| [9] | [10] | N$200 | 152 × 70mm | Purple | Namibian coat of arms; three standingroan antelope | Kaptein Hendrik Witbooi and electrotype 200 | |||
During the planning phase of the introduction of a new national currency replacing the South African rand, the newly foundedBank of Namibia minted a proof series of coins denominated indollars as well as inmarks, for the consideration of the NamibianMinistry of Finance. The decision then fell in favour of the name ‘dollar’ for the new currency.
The proof series consisted of four differentcoins: 1 mark, 1 dollar (both incopper/nickel), 10 marks and 10 dollars (both insilver). The obverse of the mark pieces shows a sittinglion where the dollar pieces depict aSan (Bushman) withbow andarrow. All obverse sides bear the indication of denomination as well as the remark ‘PROBE’/‘ESSAI’ (proof). The reverse of the 1-mark/1-dollar pieces shows Namibia's formercoat of arms surrounded by the inscription ‘NAMIBIA’, the year (1990) and two ears of corn. The ten-mark/ten-dollar pieces bear the inscription ‘INDEPENDENCE’/‘UNABHÄNGIGKEIT’ ("independence" inGerman) instead of the ears.
There was a series of Namibian pattern coins denominated in Rand dated 1990. This short-lived tender was cited in the 2005 edition of Krause's 'Unusual World Coins'.
| Current NAD exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| FromGoogle Finance: | AUDCADCHFCNYEURGBPHKDJPYUSDZARJPYUSD |
| FromYahoo! Finance: | AUDCADCHFCNYEURGBPHKDJPYUSDZARJPYUSD |
| FromXE.com: | AUDCADCHFCNYEURGBPHKDJPYUSDZARJPYUSD |
| From OANDA: | AUDCADCHFCNYEURGBPHKDJPYUSDZARJPYUSD |
| Preceded by: South African rand Reason: independence andCommon Monetary Area Ratio: at par | Currency ofNamibia 1993 – Concurrent with:South African rand | Succeeded by: Current |
Currency:Namibian dollar(South African rand) | |
| Sectors | |
| Services | |
| Macroeconomics | |
| Miscellaneous | |
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