Jordanian dinar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jordanian dinar
Fifth edition Jordanian bank notes and coins
ISO 4217 Code	JOD
Official user(s)	Jordan
Unofficial user(s)	West Bank
Inflation	1.35%
Source	The World Factbook, 2021 est.
Pegged with	US dollar US$ = JOD 0.708 (buy) US$ = JOD 0.71 (sell)
Subunit
1⁄10	dirham
1⁄100	qirsh or piastre
1⁄1000	fils
Symbol	د.أ‎
Coins	1, 5, 10 piastres/qirsh, 1⁄4, 1⁄2 dinar
Banknotes	1, 5, 10, 20, 50 dinars

The Jordanian dinar (Arabic: دينار أردني‎; code: JOD; unofficially abbreviated as JD) has been the currency of Jordan since 1950. The dinar is divided into 100 qirsh (also called piastres) or 1000 fulus. Fils are effectively obsolete; however, monetary amounts are still written to three decimal places representing fils. It is pegged to the US dollar.

The Central Bank of Jordan commenced operations in 1964 and became the sole issuer of Jordanian currency, in place of the Jordan Currency Board.

The Jordanian dinar is also widely used in the West Bank alongside the Israeli shekel.

History

In 1927, the British administration of the Palestinian Mandate established the Palestine Currency Board which issued the Palestine pound which was the official currency in both Mandatory Palestine and the Emirate of Transjordan. Though Jordan became an independent kingdom on 25 May 1946, it continued to use the Palestinian pound for a while. In 1949, it passed the Provisional Act No. 35 of 1949, which established the Jordan Currency Board as the sole authority in the kingdom entitled to issue Jordanian currency, called the Jordanian dinar. The Board was based in London and consisted of a president and four members, and began issuing Jordanian dinars in 1949 and was exchangeable for Palestinian pounds at parity.

After Jordanian occupation of the West Bank in April 1950, the dinar replaced the Palestinian pound. On 1 July 1950, the Jordanian dinar became the kingdom's official currency and legal tender. The use of the Palestine pound ceased in the country on 30 September 1950. The Central Bank of Jordan was established in 1959 and took over note production in 1964. In 1967, Jordan lost control of the West Bank, but the Jordanian dinar continued to be used there. It continues to be widely used in the West Bank alongside the Israeli shekel.

Coins

Coins were introduced in 1949 in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 fils. The first issue of 1 fils were mistakenly minted with the denomination given as "1 fil". 20 fils coins were minted until 1965, with 25 fils introduced in 1968 and 1⁄4 dinar coins in 1970. The 1 fils coin was last minted in 1985. In 1996, smaller 1⁄4 dinar coins were introduced alongside 1⁄2 and 1 dinar coins.

Until 1992, coins were denominated in Arabic using fils, qirsh, dirham and dinar but in English only in fils and dinar. Since 1992, the fils and dirham are no longer used in the Arabic and the English denominations are given in dinar and either qirsh or piastres.

Value	Diameter	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse	Reverse	First Minted Year	Common Reference
1 qirsh	25 mm	5.5 g	Copper-plated steel	Plain			2000
5 piastres (qirsh)	26 mm	5 g	Nickel-plated steel	Milled			2000	50 fils 'Shilin'
10 piastres (qirsh)	28 mm	8 g						100 fils, 'Bareezah'
1⁄4 dinar	26.5 mm Heptagonal	7.4 g	Brass	Plain			2004	Rub'a1, 25 piastres, 250 fils
1⁄2 dinar	29 mm Heptagonal	9.6 g	Ring: Aluminium bronze Center: Cupronickel	Plain			2000	Nusf2, 50 piastres, 500 fils

1. rub'a is Arabic for "piece of four" or "quarter".
2. nusf is Arabic for "piece of two" or "half".

Banknotes

The Central Bank of Jordan is the sole authority to issue Jordanian banknotes since its establishment in 1964. It released into circulation its first series of Jordanian notes on August 4, 1965. From 1949 to 1965, currency issue was entrusted in the Jordan Currency Board. Before 1949, the Palestinian pound was used.

In 1949, banknotes were issued by the Jordan Currency Board in denominations of 1⁄2, 1, 5, 10 and 50 dinars. They bore the country's official name, "The Hashemite Kingdom of the Jordan". 20 dinar notes were introduced in 1977. The 50 dinar note was redesigned and the 1⁄2 dinar notes were replaced by coins in 1999.

Issues by the Jordan Currency Board

First Issue (1949–1952)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse	Reverse	Printed Date
		500 fils	128 x 76 mm	Dark Purple	Wadi Al Arab Irrigation Project	View of shepherd with his flock	1949 (Gregorian) 1368 (Hijri)
		1 dinar	160 x 86 mm	Green	The late His Majesty King Abdullah	Oval Plaza - Jerash
		5 dinar	169 x 88 mm	Red		View of Al-Khazneh
		10 dinar	185 x 97 mm	Blue
		50 dinar	190 x 100 mm	Brown		View from Aqaba

Second Issue (1952–1965)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse	Reverse	Printed Date
		500 fils	128 x 76 mm	Dark Purple	Wadi Al Arab Irrigation Project	View of shepherd with his flock	1952 (Gregorian) 1371 (Hijri)
		1 Dinar	160 x 86 mm	Green	His Majesty the late King Hussein bin Talal	Oval Plaza - Jerash
		5 Dinar	169 x 88 mm	Red		View of Al-Khazneh
		10 Dinar	185 x 97 mm	Blue

Issues by the Central Bank of Jordan

First Issue (1965–1975)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse	Reverse	Issue Date
		1⁄2 dinar	140 x 70 mm	Dark Orange	His Majesty the late King Hussein bin Talal	Oval Forum - Jerash	August 4, 1965
		1 dinar	150 x 75 mm	Green		Dome of the Rock	August 4, 1965
		5 dinar	164 x 82 mm	Red		View of Al-Khazneh	August 4, 1965
		10 dinar	175 x 88 mm	Blue		Al-Maghtas	August 4, 1965

Second Issue (1975–1992)

Obverse/Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse	Reverse	Issue Date
	1⁄2 dinar	136 × 67.5 mm	Brown	His Majesty the late King Hussein bin Talal	Oval Forum - Jerash	November 16, 1975
	1 dinar	144 × 71.5 mm	Green		Dome of the Rock	November 16, 1975
	5 dinar	152 × 76 mm	Red		View of Petra	November 16, 1975
	10 dinar	160 × 80 mm	Dark Purple		The Cultural Palace at Al-Hussein Youth Sports City Roman Amphitheater (Amman) Three Roman columns in Jerash	November 16, 1975
	20 dinar	168 × 84 mm	Olive Green/Blue		View of the Al-Hussein Thermal Power Station in Zarqa Olive grove	June 3, 1978 (Olive Green) August 25, 1990 (Blue)

Third Issue (1992–2002)

Obverse/Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Primary Color	Obverse	Reverse	Issue Date
	1⁄2 dinar	131 × 62 mm	Brown	Hussein bin Talal	Qusayr 'Amra	August 1, 1992
	1 dinar	137 × 66 mm	Green		The Cardo in Jerash
	5 dinar	143 × 70 mm	Red		Al-Khazneh	October 1, 1992
	10 dinar	149 × 74 mm	Blue		Ajloun Castle
	20 dinar	155 × 78 mm	Olive green and gray		Dome of the Rock	August 1, 1992

Fourth Issue (2002–2022)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Printed Date	Issued Date	Watermark
		1 dinar	133 × 74 mm	Green	Hussein bin Ali A silver Hashemite coin minted in the Kingdom of Hejaz	Flag of the Great Arab Revolt Supreme Order of the Renaissance in the center Antique compass in the top right	2002 Hijri 1423	March 30, 2003	Sharif Hussein bin Ali
		5 dinars	137 × 74 mm	Brick orange	Abdullah bin al-Hussein I Official Seal of Abdullah bin Al-Hussein I in the bottom right	Ma’an Palace Umayyad coin minted in Jordan bearing the phrase "There is no god but Allah alone" on the left side		December 22, 2002	Abdullah I bin al-Hussein
		10 dinars	141 × 74 mm	Blue	Talal bin Abdullah Umm Qais Museum Commemorative stamp issued for the establishment of the first Jordanian parliament, at the bottom right	First Jordanian Parliament Building Picture of Wadi Rum on the right side Decorative motif from the Al Qastal area dating back to the Umayyad period on the left side			Talal bin Abdullah
		20 dinars	145 × 74 mm	Brown and Olive Green	Hussein bin Talal King Abdullah I Mosque	Dome of the Rock		February 2, 2003	Hussein bin Talal
		50 dinars	149 × 74 mm	Brown and Purple	Abdullah bin al-Hussein II	Raghadan Palace Marble carvings from Al-Aqsa Mosque. Black Iris Flower - the national flower of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.			Abdullah II bin al-Hussein

Fifth Issue (2022–present)

Obverse	Reverse	Value	Dimensions	Main Color	Obverse	Reverse	Printed Date	Issued Date	Watermark
		1 dinar	133 × 74 mm	Green	Hussein bin Ali Acanthus syriacus	Mountains of Wadi Rum Sinai Rosefinch, the national bird of Jordan	2022 Hijri 1443	26 December 2022	Sharif Hussein bin Ali
		5 dinars	137 × 74 mm	Orange	Abdullah bin al-Hussein I Petra	Treasury, Petra		16 August 2023	Abdullah I bin al-Hussein
		10 dinars	141 × 74 mm	Blue	Talal bin Abdullah Qusayr 'Amra	Roman Theater in Amman		26 July 2023	Talal bin Abdullah
		20 dinars	145 × 74 mm	Cyan	Hussein bin Talal King Hussein Mosque	Wadi Mujib		21 March 2023	Hussein bin Talal
		50 dinars	149 × 74 mm	Purple	Abdullah bin al-Hussein II Jerusalem	Wadi Rum		5 February 2023	Abdullah bin al-Hussein II

Fixed exchange rate

Since October 23, 1995, the dinar has officially been pegged to the IMF's special drawing rights (SDRs), while in practice it was fixed at 1 U.S. dollar = 0.709 dinar most of the time, which is approximately 1 dinar = 1.41044 dollars. The Central Bank buys U.S. dollars at 0.708 dinar per dollar, and sells U.S. dollars at 0.710 dinar per dollar.

A sample exchange rate of Jordanian dinars to US dollars:

See also

• British currency in the Middle East
• Economy of Jordan
• Economy of the Palestinian territories
• Iraqi dinar