Haitian Gourde (HTG)

Basic Concepts of the Haitian Gourde

The Haitian Gourde is the official currency of the Republic of Haiti, with the currency code HTG and the symbol "G". It is issued and managed by the Bank of the Republic of Haiti and is mainly used for daily domestic transactions and economic activities.

Country of use

The Haitian Gourde circulates and is used only in the Republic of Haiti. The Haitian Gourde, located in the Caribbean and sharing the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, is the only legal tender in the country.

Units and denominations

The Haitian Gourde is divided into a primary unit called the "Gourde" and a secondary unit called the "cent", with one Gourde equaling 100 cents. Common banknote denominations include 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1,000 gourdes, while coin denominations are 5, 10, 20, 50 cents and 1 and 5 gourdes.

Historical Background

The Haitian Gourde was first introduced in 1813, replacing the previously used French franc, reflecting Haiti's monetary autonomy following its independence from French colonial rule. Historically, the Haitian Gourde was pegged to the United States dollar, but was later converted to a floating exchange rate system, which was subject to domestic economic fluctuations and inflation.