Somaliland shilling

Somaliland shilling
شلن صوماليلاندي (Arabic) Soomaaliland shilin (Somali)
250 USD equivalent in January 2011
Denominations
Symbol	Sl. Sh.
Banknotes	5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 shillings
Coins	1, 5, 10, 20 shillings
Demographics
User(s)	Somaliland
Issuance
Central bank	Bank of Somaliland
Website	www.somalilandgov.com

The Somaliland shilling (Somali: Soomaaliland shilin) is the official currency of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia.

The Somaliland shilling was introduced on 18 October 1994 at a rate of one new Somaliland shilling to 100 Somali shillings. The Somali shilling ceased to be accepted as legal tender in Somaliland on 31 January 1995. Although the authorities in Somaliland have since attempted to ban usage of the Somali shilling, Somalia's official currency is still the preferred means of exchange for many peoples in the region.

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 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, it depicts the coat of arms of Somalia.

Somaliland coins are not currently being minted or circulated.

There are nominally 100 cents in one Somaliland shilling. The 1/- coin was struck at the Pobjoy Mint in England. The 1/- and 5/- coins are composed of aluminium. The 10/- coin is composed of brass, the 20/- coin is composed of stainless steel, and the 1,000/- coin is composed of .999 fine silver.