The Maltese lira, known in the Maltese language as the Lira Maltija, is the currency of Malta. It was previously known as the Maltese pound. The lira (plural liri) is abbreviated as LM, although the traditional £ sign may still be seen locally. The abbreviation "MTL" is also sometimes used. In English, the Maltese currency is still known as the pound. Maltese is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... The pound as a unit of currency, may mean: // Current currencies British Pound sterling or GBP (Great Britain Pound, represented by the pound sign: £), issued by the Bank of England (for use in England and Wales), Bank of Scotland (for use in Scotland) and Bank of Northern Ireland (for use...

History

In 1825, British currency was declared the sole legal tender, replacing a situation where various coinages circulated, including that issued in Malta by the Knights of St John. The pound was valued at 12 scudi of the local currency. This exchange rate meant that the smallest Maltese coin, the grano, was worth one third of a farthing. Consequently, 1/3 farthing coins were issued for use in Malta until 1913. 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... The Scudo has been used as a unit of currency in several different states. ... Farthing is an old word meaning a quarter. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Although using British coins, Malta did not decimalize with the UK in 1971. Instead, Malta adopted a decimal system in 1972, with 1000 mils and 100 cents to the lira. The name lira was used on banknotes beginning in 1973 and exclusively on both coins and banknotes since 1986. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The mill or mille(â‚¥) (sometimes mil in the UK) is an abstract unit of currency. ... A two cent euro coin A United States cent In currency, the cent is a monetary unit that equals th of the basic unit of value. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Malta's entry into the European Union means that the lira is scheduled to be replaced by the euro by 1 January 2008, as part of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union, see [1]. However, Malta needs to meet some tough fiscal criteria before it can be admitted to the Eurozone. The euro (plural euro--but note linguistic issues concerning the euro, symbol: €; banking code: EUR) is the official currency of the European Union and single currency for over 300 million Europeans in the following twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In economics, a monetary union is a situation where several countries have agreed to share a single currency among them. ...

Exchange Rate

The Maltese pound was on a par with the British Pound Sterling (GBP) until the late 1970s, since when the Maltese pound/lira has traditionally been worth around £1.60 sterling. After the Kuwaiti dinar, it is the second highest valued currency unit in the world being worth US$2.76790 as of February 26, 2006. GBP redirects here. ... GBP may be: short for Game Boy Player the ISO currency code for the British Pound Sterling. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The Kuwaiti Dinar (ISO 4217 code KWD) is Kuwaits official currency. ... This article is about general United States currency. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The currency entered the Exchange Rate Mechanism II on May 2, 2005, and its value must be maintained within a 15% band around the pivot value of 0.429300 LM per Euro. The European exchange rate mechanism (or ERM) was a system introduced by the European Community in March 1979, as part of the European Monetary System (EMS), to reduce exchange-rate variability and achieve monetary stability in Europe, in preparation for Economic and Monetary Union and the introduction of a single... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Coins and Banknotes

The first decimal coinage contained the following denominations: 2 mils, 3 mils, 5 mils (these three minted in aluminium), 1 cent (bronze), 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 50 cents (cupronickel). The 25 cent coin was introduced in June, 1975 to commemorate Malta becoming a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations on December 13, 1974. The 1 Lira coin was introduced on May 19, 1986 replacing the former banknote [2] General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Atomic mass 26. ... Assorted ancient bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... Cupronickel is an alloy of copper, nickel and stengthening impurities, such as iron and manganese. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as The Commonwealth, is an association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Coins in circulation [3] A coin is usually a piece of hard material, generally metal and usually in the shape of a disc, which is issued by a government to be used as a form of money. ...

• 1 cent (showing the weasel)
• 2 cents (showing a branch of the olive tree)
• 5 cents (showing the fresh water crab)
• 10 cents (showing the lampuka fish)
• 25 cents (showing the ghirlanda)
• 50 cents (showing tulliera, an evergreen plant that grows in the Mediterranean region)
• 1 lira (the face shows the merill, the National bird)

Banknotes in circulation [4] Binomial name Monticola solitarius (Linnaeus, 1758) The Blue Rock Thrush or Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius) is a member of the thrush family (Turdidae). ... A £20 Ulster Bank banknote. ...

• 2 liri (depicting Banka Guratali at Mdina and at Rabat, Gozo)
• 5 liri (depicting The back of Mdina Gate, Torre dello Standardo, extract from Maltese Declaration of rights)
• 10 liri (depicting 7 June 1919 Monument in Valletta, a national assembly meeting held on 7 June 1919, the day when four Maltese citizens were killed.)
• 20 liri (depicting Dr Borg Olivier, Prime Minister in 1964 when Malta was granted its Independence, raising of the Maltese flag and a marble tablet in Valletta commemorating Independence on 21st September 1964.)

See also

• Other coins named Lira
• Maltese euro coins

Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City. ... Maltese euro coins have not yet been designed. ...

Pre-euro and other EU currencies

Eurozone Austrian schilling | Belgian franc | Dutch gulden | Finnish mark | French franc | German mark | Greek drachma | Irish pound | Italian lira | Luxembourgian franc | Portuguese escudo | San Marinese lira | Spanish peseta | Vatican lira ERM Cypriot pound | Danish krone | Estonian kroon | Latvian lats | Lithuanian litas | Maltese lira | Slovak koruna | Slovenian tolar Other EU British pound | Czech koruna | Gibraltar pound | Hungarian forint | Polish złoty | Swedish krona

The euro (plural euro--but note linguistic issues concerning the euro, symbol: €; banking code: EUR) is the official currency of the European Union and single currency for over 300 million Europeans in the following twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands... Image File history File links European_flag. ... The Eurozone (also called Euro Area, Eurosystem or Euroland) is the subset of European Union member states which have adopted the euro, creating a currency union. ... The Schilling was the currency of Austria until 1999, when the Euro was introduced at a fixed parity of €1 = 13. ... The Belgian franc (Dutch Belgische frank, French franc belge) was the currency of Belgium, before the adoption of the euro. ... The gulden (sometimes called guilder in English), represented by the symbol ƒ or fl. ... The markka (or Finnish mark) was the currency used in Finland from 1860 until January 1, 1999 (in practice on January 1, 2002), when it was replaced by the euro (€). The currency code used for the markka was FIM, and the usual familiar notation was a postfix mk. ... French Franc. ... The Deutsche Mark (DEM, DM) or German mark was the official currency of West and, from 1990 onwards, unified Germany. ... Drachma can also refer to a fictional country in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist. ... The harp has long been associated with the Irish pound, here on a 1990 Irish pound coin. ... The lira (plural lire) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. ... The franc was the currency of Luxembourg from 1854 until 2002. ... The escudo was the official currency of Portugal prior to the introduction of the euro in 1 January 1999 (euro coins and notes were not introduced until 2002). ... The San Marinese lira (plural lire) was the official unit of San Marino. ... The peseta is the former currency of Spain and, (along with the French Franc), of Andorra. ... The Vatican lira (plural lire) was the official unit of the Vatican City State. ... The European exchange rate mechanisms (or ERM) was a system introduced by the European Community in March 1979, as part of the European Monetary System (EMS), to reduce exchange-rate variability and achieve monetary stability in Europe, in preparation for Economic and Monetary Union and the introduction of a single... ISO 4217 code: CYP Symbol: £ 1/100th unit: σεντ / sent Introduced in: 1879 Exchange Rates May 2006 USD exchange: 0. ... The Danish krone is the currency used in Denmark and the Danish dependency of Greenland. ... The Kroon is the official currency of Estonia. ... The 5 lats coin, used before WWII, becamed a popular symbol of independence during the Soviet era The lats (in Latvian: lats, plural lati, the ISO 4217 currency code: LVL) is the official currency of Latvia. ... The litas (ISO currency code LTL, symbolized as Lt; Lithuanian plural form is litai) is the official currency of Lithuania. ... This article deals with the currency of modern Slovakia. ... The tolar has been the currency of Slovenia since October 1991. ... GBP redirects here. ... The Koruna (English translation Crown) is the currency used in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. ... ISO 4217 code: GIP Symbol: £ 1/100th unit: penny Introduced in: 1927 Exchange Rates May 2006 USD exchange: 0. ... The forint (currency code HUF) is the currency of Hungary. ... Złoty (literally meaning golden, plural: złote or złotych, depending on the number) is the Polish currency unit. ... The krona (currency code SEK) has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. ...