View source for Pound (currency)

{{Short description|Unit of currency}}
[[Image:Global Usage of the Pound and Lira.svg|thumb|250px|Countries where a unit of the national currency is "pound" (dark blue) or "lira" (light blue).]]
'''Pound''' is a name of various units of [[currency]]. It is used in some countries today and previously was used in many others. The English word "pound" derives from the [[Latin language|Latin]] expression {{lang|la|lībra pondō}}, in which {{lang|la|lībra}} is a noun meaning 'scale' and {{lang|la|pondō}} is an adverb meaning 'by weight'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harper |first=Douglas |title=Libra (n.) |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/libra |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602074523/https://www.etymonline.com/word/libra |archive-date=2 June 2022 |website=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Harper |first=Douglas |title=pound (n.1) |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/pound |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525191519/https://www.etymonline.com/word/pound |archive-date=25 May 2022 |website=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> The currency's [[Pound sign|symbol]] is {{`}}'''£'''{{`}}, a stylised form of the [[blackletter]] 'L' (<math>\mathfrak{L}</math><!-- Please do  not replace this markup with {{Script|Latf|𝔏}} because the aim is to mimic Textualis, not Fraktur (which was not used in England) -->) (from {{lang|la|libra}}), crossed to indicate abbreviation.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/Default.aspx?PageID=14314417 | title=The Origins of £sd | publisher=The Royal Mint Museum |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200308111135/http://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/Default.aspx?PageID=14314417 |archive-date= 8 March 2020}}</ref>

[[Pound sterling#History (600 to 1945)|The term was adopted in England]] from the weight{{efn|The [[Pound (mass)]] in question was a [[Tower pound]] (5,400 grains, {{convert|349.9|g|ozt|abbr=off}}, about 0.77 avoirdupois pounds, also called the 'Moneyers' Pound' (referring to the Saxon [[moneyer]]s before the Conquest).<ref>{{cite web|title=Tower pound |url=https://sizes.com/units/pound_tower.htm|access-date=17 September 2016 |website=Sizes.com}}</ref> "In practice they" [the silver pennies] "varied considerably in weight and 240 of them seldom added up to a pound".<ref name=Lowther /> }} of silver used to make 240 pennies,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Britannica |title=Pound sterling |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/pound-sterling |quote="Silver coins known as "sterlings" were issued in the Saxon kingdoms, 240 of them being minted from a pound of silver... Hence, large payments came to be reckoned in "pounds of sterlings", a phrase later shortened..." |access-date=22 July 2021 |archive-date=16 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616065649/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061103/pound-sterling |url-status=live }}</ref> and eventually spread to British colonies all over the world. While silver pennies were produced seven centuries earlier, the first pound coin was minted under [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] in 1489.<ref name=Lowther>{{Cite web |last=Lowther |first=Ed |date=14 February 2014 |title=A short history of the pound |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-26169070 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301061620/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-26169070 |archive-date=1 March 2014 |website=BBC News}}</ref>

== Countries and territories currently using currency units named "pound" ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Country/territory
! Currency
! [[ISO 4217]] code
!Tied to sterling?
|-
| {{flag|Egypt}}
| [[Egyptian pound]]
| EGP
|No
|-
| {{flag| Falkland Islands}}
| [[Falkland Islands pound]]
| FKP
| Yes
|-
| {{flag| Gibraltar}}
| [[Gibraltar pound]]
| GIP
| Yes
|-
| {{flag|Guernsey}}
| [[Guernsey pound]]
| GBP<!-- "GGP" is an abbreviation not an ISO code so cannot be listed here. -->
| Yes
|-
| {{flag|Alderney}}
| [[Alderney pound]]
| GBP (informally)
| Yes
|-
| {{flag|Isle of Man}}
| [[Manx pound]]
| GBP<!-- "IMP" is an abbreviation not an ISO code so cannot be listed here. -->
| Yes
|-
| {{flag|Jersey}}
| [[Jersey pound]]
| GBP<!-- "JEP" is an abbreviation not an ISO code so cannot be listed here. -->
| Yes
|-
| {{flag|Lebanon}}
| [[Lebanese pound]]
| LBP
| No
|-
| {{flag|Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha}}
| [[Saint Helena pound]]
| SHP
| Yes
|-
| {{flag|South Sudan}}
| [[South Sudanese pound]]
| SSP
| No
|-
| {{flag|Sudan}}
| [[Sudanese pound]]
| SDG
| No
|-
| {{flag|Syria|revolution}}
| [[Syrian pound]]
| SYP
| No
|-
| {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|rowspan=4|[[Pound sterling|Sterling]]{{efn|The correct name for the currency is "sterling" and the "pound" is its primary unit. When necessary to distinguish sterling from other pounds, the qualified names "[[pound sterling]]" or "British pound" are used, especially in international trade contexts,  where those names are used even when disambiguation is not needed.<ref name="HbIFT">{{cite book |title=The Handbook of International Financial Terms | first1=Peter |last1=Moles |first2=Nicholas |last2=Terry |isbn= 9780198294818 |date=1999 | url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-handbook-of-international-financial-terms-9780198294818 | quote= '''Sterling (UK).''': The name given to the currency of the United Kingdom (cf. [[Cable (foreign exchange)|cable]]). Also called pound sterling or pounds.}}</ref> This qualified form is almost never encountered in the United Kingdom, except in banking.}}
|rowspan=4|GBP
|rowspan=4|''N/A''
|-
| {{flag|British Antarctic Territory}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018952685006|title=Foreign and Commonwealth Office country profiles: British Antarctic Territory|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030902013951/http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018952685006|archive-date=2003-09-02|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|British Indian Ocean Territory}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018952687077|title=Foreign and Commonwealth Office country profiles: British Indian Ocean Territory|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016235404/http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018952687077|archive-date=October 16, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365&a=KCountryProfile&aid=1018965251662|title=Foreign and Commonwealth Office country profiles: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|date=19 February 2024 }}</ref>
|-
|}

==Historical currencies==
* [[Australian pound]] (until 1966, replaced by the [[Australian dollar]]). The Australian pound was also used in the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]], [[Nauru]], [[New Hebrides]] and [[Papua and New Guinea]]. It was replaced in the New Hebrides/Vanuatu in 1981 by the [[Vanuatu vatu]].
* [[Bahamian pound]] (until 1966, replaced by the [[Bahamian dollar]])
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Bermudian Pound Bank Notes.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Bermudian pound and first pattern dollar notes.]] -->
* [[Bermudian pound]] (until 1970, replaced by the [[Bermudian dollar]])
* [[Biafran pound]] (1968 to 1970, replaced by the [[Nigerian pound]])
* [[British West African pound]]
** in [[British Cameroon]] replaced by the [[CFA franc]] in 1961
** in [[Gambia]], replaced by the [[Gambian pound]] in 1968
** in [[Ghana]], replaced by the [[Ghanaian pound]] in 1958
** in [[Liberia]], replaced by the [[U.S. dollar]] in 1943
** in [[Nigeria]], replaced by the [[Nigerian pound]] in 1958
** in [[Sierra Leone]], replaced by the [[Sierra Leonean leone|leone]] in 1964
* [[Canadian pound]] (until 1859, replaced by the [[Canadian dollar]])
* [[Cypriot pound]] (Cyprus and Sovereign Base Areas of [[Akrotiri and Dhekelia]], until 1 January 2008, replaced by the [[euro]])
* [[Fijian pound]] (until 1969, replaced by the [[Fijian dollar]])
* [[Gambian pound]] (1968 to 1971, replaced by the [[Gambian dalasi|dalasi]])
* [[Ghanaian pound]] (1958 to 1965, replaced by the [[Ghanaian cedi|cedi]])
* [[Irish pound]] (Irish: ''Punt na hÉireann'') (until 2002, replaced by the [[euro]])
* [[Israeli pound]], also known as the Israeli lira (until 1980, replaced by the [[Old Israeli shekel|shekel]])
* [[Jamaican pound]] (until 1968, replaced by the [[Jamaican dollar]]). The Jamaican pound was also used in [[Cayman Islands]] and [[Turks and Caicos Islands]] until 1968.
* Jordanian pound; ''see Palestine pound,'' below.
* [[Libyan pound]] (until 1971, replaced by the [[Libyan dinar]])
* [[Malawian pound]] (1964 to 1970, replaced by the [[Malawian kwacha]])
* [[Maltese pound]] (also known as the [[Maltese lira]] and replaced by the euro on 1 January 2008)
* [[New Brunswick pound]] (until 1860, replaced by the [[New Brunswick dollar]])
* [[Newfoundland pound]] (until 1865, replaced by the [[Newfoundland dollar]])
* [[New Guinean pound]]
* [[New Zealand pound]] (until 1967, replaced by the [[New Zealand dollar]]). The New Zealand pound was also used in the [[Cook Islands]] and the [[Pitcairn Islands]].
* [[Nigerian pound]] (1958 to 1973, replaced by the [[naira]])
* [[Nova Scotian pound]] (until 1860, replaced by the [[Nova Scotian dollar]])
* [[Oceanian pound]] (1942-1945 under Japanese occupation of [[Kiribati]], [[Nauru]], [[New Guinea]], [[Solomon Islands]] and [[Tuvalu]])
* [[Palestine pound]] (replaced by the Israeli pound; also served as Jordanian pound, replaced in Jordan by the [[Jordanian dinar]])
* [[Pound Scots]] of Scotland (until 1707 union with England)
* [[Prince Edward Island pound]] (until 1871, replaced by the [[Prince Edward Island dollar]])
* [[Rhodesian pound]] (1964 until 1970 in Rhodesia, replaced by the [[Rhodesian dollar]])
* [[Rhodesia and Nyasaland pound]] (1955-1964, replaced in Southern Rhodesia renamed Rhodesia by the [[Rhodesian pound]], in Northern Rhodesia renamed Zambia by the [[Zambian pound]], and in Nyasaland renamed Malawi by the [[Malawian pound]])
* [[Samoan pound]] (1914–1920 provisional issue by the New Zealand Government military administration. 1920–1959 by the New Zealand Government administration (Treasury notes). 1960–1963 by the Bank of Western Samoa. Replaced 1967 by the [[Samoan tala|tala]] ($).)
* Scottish pound: see ''Pound Scots,'' above.
* [[Solomon Islands pound]] (1916-1932, replaced by the [[Australian pound]])
* [[South African pound]] (until 1961, replaced by [[South African rand]]). The South African pound was also used in [[Basutoland]], [[Bechuanaland]], [[South West Africa]] and [[Eswatini|Swaziland]].
* [[South African Republic pond]] (refers to the republic in Transvaal, issued 1867–1902, replaced by the [[South African pound]])
* [[South West African pound]] (1930s to 1961, replaced by [[South African rand]])
* [[Southern Rhodesian pound]] (1896-1955, circulated also in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland; replaced by [[Rhodesia and Nyasaland pound]])
* [[Sudanese pound]] (until 1992 and since January 2007)
* [[Tongan pound]] (1921–1966 Government of Tonga Treasury notes. 1967 replaced by the [[pa'anga]] ($))
* [[Transvaal pound]] (see above, South African Republic pond)
* West Indian pound (until 1949, replaced by [[East Caribbean dollar]])
* [[Western Samoan pound]] (1920-1967, replaced by [[Samoan tala]])
* [[Zambian pound]] (1964 to 1968, replaced by the [[Zambian kwacha]])

===Currencies of the former British colonies in America===
All of the following currencies have been replaced by the [[US dollar]].
* [[Connecticut pound]] ([[Connecticut]])
* [[Delaware pound]] ([[Delaware]])
* [[Georgia pound]] ([[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]])
* [[Maryland pound]] ([[Maryland]])
* [[Massachusetts pound]] ([[Massachusetts]])
* [[New Hampshire pound]] ([[New Hampshire]])
* [[New Jersey pound]] ([[New Jersey]])
* [[New York pound]] ([[New York (state)|New York]])
* [[North Carolina pound]] ([[North Carolina]])
* [[Pennsylvania pound]] ([[Pennsylvania]])
* [[Rhode Island pound]] ([[Rhode Island]])
* [[South Carolina pound]] ([[South Carolina]])
* [[Virginia pound]] ([[Virginia]])

==See also==
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics}}
* [[Green pound]], used within the [[European Union|European Union's]] [[Common Agricultural Policy]] until 1999
* [[Carolingian pound]] ({{langx|la|libra}}), a unit of weight and coinage, ancestor of {{langx|de|[[Pfund]]}}, {{langx|fr|[[Livre (disambiguation)|livre]]}}, {{langx|es|[[peso]]}}, [[Lira]] ({{langx|it|[[Italian lira|lira]]}}, {{langx|tr|[[Turkish lira|lira]]}}) as well as the English word [[pound (disambiguation)|pound]]
** [[Libra (weight)]], an ancient Roman unit of weight, basis for the Carolingian pound
* [[Local exchange trading system]]: many British LETS use(d) the term "pound"
** [[Bristol pound]], a LETS unit

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Pound (currency)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pound (currency)| ]]
[[Category:Denominations (currency)]]