Archive for April 2014

For much of its history, Vietnam used the currency of those that ruled it.  The first declaration of an independent currency came in 1946, when the Viet Minh government (what would eventually become the government of North Vietnam) issued a currency, called the dong, to replace the current currency, the French Indochinese piaster.  The State…

Located just across the Mediterranean Sea from Spain, Algeria has been a center of commerce between Africa and Europe for centuries. As a strategic trade location, Algeria has seen its fair share of conflict as different civilizations fight over the land, and its own citizens struggle for balance within. Today, Algeria finds itself still reeling…

The Korean Won has had a few different iterations.  The very first (short-lived) appearance of the Won was in 1902.  The name is derived from the Chinese yuan and the Japanese yen. In 1909, it began to be distributed by the new Bank of Korea.  However, with the Japanese annexation of Korea is 1910, the…

Bahrain is a small island country in the Persian Gulf. It is a center of activity for the Middle East, a worldwide banking center, and a popular tourist destination for the area. Political tensions result in periodic uprisings, but Bahrain continues to grow and thrive in the face of them. Politics As with all Middle…