Tanzania is a country in East Africa known for its expansive wilderness areas. The official currency of the United Republic of Tanzania is the Tanzanian Shilling (TZS). The currency is issued and managed by the Central Bank of Tanzania and the Benki Kuu Ya Tanzania in Swahili. The Tanzanian shilling is composed of 100 senti (Swahili for cents). When written, it shows as x/y with the x as the amount of shillings, and y as the amount of senti. The currency is free-floating and not pegged to any other monetary unit.
The Tanzania shilling has been in use since 1966 after replacing the East African shilling at par, or at the ratio of 1:1. Originally, the Tanzanian shilling was circulated in denominations of 5, 20 and 50 senti, along with the 1 shilling. The the half-shilling and one-shilling coins are cupro-nickel, the 20-senti is nickel-brass, and the 5-senti coin is bronze. The Tanzanian shilling currently circulates in both coin and banknote form. The banknotes currently in circulation are in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10,000 shilingi while the coins have denominations of 50, 100, 200, and 500 shilingi. The current series of coins are all constructed from brass, except for the nickel-plated steel 500 shilling.
