Cypriot pound
The pound, or lira (Greek: λίρα, plural λίρες, and Turkish: lira, Ottoman Turkish: لیره, from the Latin libra via the Italian lira; sign: £, sometimes £C for distinction), was the currency of Cyprus, including the Sovereign Base Areas in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, from 1879 to 2007, when the Republic of Cyprus adopted the euro. However, the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus uses the Turkish lira as its official currency.
£20 note | |
| ISO 4217 | |
| Code | CYP |
| Unit | |
| Plural | pounds λίρες (Greek) |
| Symbol | £ |
| Denominations | |
| Subunit | |
| 1⁄100 | cent σεντ (Greek) sent (Turkish) |
| 1⁄1000 | mil |
| Plural | |
| cent σεντ (Greek) sent (Turkish) | cents σεντ (Greek) |
| Banknotes | £1, £5, £10, £20 |
| Coins | |
| Freq. used | 1c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c |
| Rarely used | 2c |
| Demographics | |
| User(s) | None, previously: Cyprus (except Northern Cyprus) Akrotiri and Dhekelia |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Central Bank of Cyprus |
| Website | www |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 2.8% |
| Source | The World Factbook, 2005 est. |
| EU Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) | |
| Since | 2 May 2005 |
| Fixed rate since | 7 December 2007 |
| Replaced by euro, non cash | 1 January 2008 |
| Replaced by euro, cash | 1 January 2008 |
| 1 € = | £C 0.585274 |
| Band | pegged in practice, 15% de jure |
| This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete. | |
The Cypriot pound was introduced in 1879 and was equal in value to one pound sterling. It remained at that value until 1972, some twelve years after Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom. The Cypriot pound was replaced by the euro as official currency of the Republic of Cyprus on 1 January 2008 at the irrevocable fixed exchange rate of £C 0.585274 = €1.00.