Mauritanian ouguiya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mauritanian ouguiya
ISO 4217 Code	MRU
User(s)	Mauritania
Inflation	2.2%
Source	The World Factbook, 2019 est.
Subunit
1⁄5	khoums
Symbol	UM
Plural	ouguiya
Coins
Freq. used	1, 2, 5, 10, 20 ouguiya
Rarely used	1 khoums
Banknotes	20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 ouguiya
Printer	Canadian Bank Note Company

The ouguiya (pronounced oo-gee-yah) is the money used in Mauritania, a country in West Africa. Its special sign is UM.

Each ouguiya is made up of five khoums. The word ouguiya comes from an Arabic word meaning "ounce."

The ouguiya we use today was introduced in 2018. It replaced an older version of the ouguiya. One new ouguiya was worth ten old ouguiya. Before that, the old ouguiya replaced the West African CFA franc in 1973.

First Ouguiya (MRO)

Coins of the First Ouguiya

In 1973, Mauritania started using its first ouguiya coins. These coins came in different values. You could find coins for 1⁄5 (which was 1 khoums), 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 ouguiya.

The 1 khoums coin was only made in 1973. This is because one ouguiya was equal to five CFA Francs. So, one khoums was like one franc. Most of these coins were made at the Kremnica mint in Slovakia.

Later, in 2009, some coins changed a bit. The 1 ouguiya coin became smaller. A new 20 ouguiya coin was made with two different metals. In 2010, a 50 ouguiya coin was also introduced. It was also made of two metals.

Banknotes of the First Ouguiya

In 1973, the Central Bank of Mauritania started printing banknotes. The first notes were for 100, 200, and 1,000 ouguiya.

In 1974, new versions of these notes were printed. A 500-ouguiya note was added in 1979. These banknotes were printed by a company called Giesecke & Devrient in Germany.

In 2004, new banknotes were introduced. These notes had new designs on the front and back. A completely new 2,000-ouguiya note was also added.

Later, in 2010, a brand new 5,000-ouguiya note was released. A redesigned 2,000-ouguiya note followed in 2012.

Second Ouguiya (MRU)

On December 5, 2017, the Central Bank of Mauritania announced a big change. They decided to revalue their money. This means they made the currency worth more by changing its value. One new ouguiya would be worth ten old ouguiya.

As part of this change, new coins and banknotes were released.

Coins of the Second Ouguiya

The new coins included 1 khoums (1⁄5 ouguiya), 1, 5, 10, and 20 ouguiya. The 20 ouguiya coin was special because it was made of three different metals.

In 2018, a 2 ouguiya coin was also put into circulation. This coin helped fill the gap between the 1 and 5 ouguiya coins.

Banknotes of the Second Ouguiya

The new banknotes came in values of 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 ouguiya. These new notes are special because they are made entirely of polymer. Polymer notes are made of plastic, which makes them more durable.

On November 28, 2021, a 20 ouguiya banknote was released. It is used alongside the 20 ouguiya coin. On June 15, 2023, a new 50 ouguiya banknote was issued. This was to celebrate 50 years of the ouguiya being used in Mauritania.

See also

• Economy of Mauritania

Images for kids

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  Obverse of 1 ouguiya

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  Reverse of 1 ouguiya

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  Obverse of 100 ouguiya note issued in 2011 with Eastern Arabic numerals. The reverse features text in French and Western Arabic numerals.