Тонга пааңғасы: тарихы мен ерекшеліктері

Currency of Tonga

The paanga is the currency of Tonga. It is controlled by the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (Pangikē Pule Fakafonua o Tonga) in Nukualofa. The paanga is not convertible and is pegged to a basket of currencies comprising the Australian, New Zealand, and United States dollars and the Japanese yen. Tonga is the second smallest country in the world, by population, after the Seychelles to have its own currency and monetary policy. The paanga is subdivided into 100 seniti. The ISO code is TOP, and the usual abbreviation is T$ (¢ for seniti). In Tonga, the paanga is often referred to in English as the dollar, the seniti as the cent and the hau as the union. There is also the unit of hau (1 hau = 100 paanga), but this is not used in everyday life and can be found only on commemorative coins of higher denominations.

In 1967, notes (bearing the portrait of Queen Salote Tupou III) were introduced by the government in denominations of 1/2, 1, 2, 5 and 10 paanga. From 1974, the portrait of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV appeared on the notes. 1/2 paanga notes were issued until 1983, with 20 paanga notes introduced in 1985, followed by 50 paanga in 1988. In 1992, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga took over production of paper money. On 30 July 2008, a new banknote series with greater security features was introduced featuring George Tupou V and a redesigned look. During this issue, a 100 paanga banknote was introduced for the first time. The obverse of Tongan notes features text in the Tongan language and shows the portrait of the monarch. The reverse is in English language and shows typical motives and landmarks of Tonga: the Haamonga a Maui Trilithon, a humpback whale, burial mounds, school students and rugby players, the royal palace, the Tongan Development Bank, the Port of Vavau (twice, once depicted as it was around 1900, and the other in contemporary depiction), and ngatu making. On June 29, 2015, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga introduced a new family of paanga banknotes in six denominations, from 2 to 100 paanga. Banknotes of 50 and 100 paanga are made of a paper/polymer hybrid substrate. They feature a portrait of the current king of Tonga, Tupou VI. On 4 December 2023, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga introduced a new family of six banknotes to commemorate the birthday of the Kingdom’s moderniser King Tupou I.