The
Somaliland shilling (
Somali Soomaaliland shilin) is the official currency of the secessionist northwestern
Somaliland region of
Somalia.
[1][2] It was introduced on 18 October 1994 at one new Somaliland shilling to 100 Somali shillings. The Somali shilling ceased to be accepted as legal tender in Somaliland on 31 January 1995.
Nominally, one Somaliland shilling is divided into 100 cents, but coins denominated in cents have never been issued, probably due to the low value of one shilling. The coin with the lowest value is the one shilling coin, first minted in 1994 at the Pobjoy Mint in England and therefore bearing the PM mintmark. In 2002, 2 and 5 shilling coins were issued, bearing depictions of the explorer Sir Richard Burton and of a rooster, respectively. Other coins that have been issued at some point are the 10 shilling coin (depicting a monkey), the 20 shilling coin (depicting a dog), and a silver 1,000 shilling coin (also depicting Sir Richard Burton). The reverse side of the 1,000 shilling coin contains an interesting error Instead of depicting the Coat of arms of Somaliland, they depict the Coat of arms of Somalia instead.
Banknotes are issued with denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 shillings. The 500 shilling has the most recent issue of 2005 [3]. Other dates of issue include, 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2002.
The central bank provides exchange services for various currencies at the official government rate, but most people prefer the better, although unofficial, rates provided by the Hawala agents and moneychangers found on the streets of main cities.
