English banknotes and coins

The official currency of the Unites Kingdom is the pound sterling that is equal to one hundred pence.

English banknotes are issued by the Bank of England. As to coins they are minted also by this state bank. There are banknotes of the following denominations: £ 1, £ 5, £ 10, £ 20, £ 50 and £ 100. The following coins are in circulation: halfpenny, one penny, two pence, five pence, ten pence, fifty pence.

On the face of English banknotes one can read the denomination given both in figures and in words. Then the inscription on the face of the banknote reads: I promise to pay the bearer (предъявитель) on demand the sum of …And then there are two signatures. The first signature is that of the person authorized by the Government and the Bank of England. The second signature is that of the Chief Cashier.

The back of English banknotes, like many other banknotes, feature portraits of different famous people: William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727) a well-known English scientist who made a few very important discoveries including gravitation law, the Duke of Wellington, a famous Irish general who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, Belgium in 1815, Florence Nightingale, founder of the nursing profession. She volunteered as a nurse to Turkey to take care of he wounded soldiers from Crimean War, war of England and France versus Russia.

Дополнительная информация о британский фунтах

A British pound is subdivided into 100 pence. The word "A British Pound” or "Pound of Sterling” dates back to Anglo-Saxon times (12 century) when coins called sterlings were minted from silver; 240 of these sterlings weighed one pound. Before 1971 1 pound was equal to 240 pence.

Дополнительная информация о соотношении денежных единиц до 1971 года

1 гинея (guinea) =21 шиллинг (schillings)

1 фунт стерлингов (pound sterling) = 20 шиллингов

1 крона (crown piece) =5 шиллингов

1 полукрона =2,5 шиллинга

1 флорин (florin) =2 шиллинга

1 шиллинг=12 пенсов

1 гроут=4 пенса

1 пенни=2 полпенни или 4 фартинга

1. Ответьте на вопросы по тексту:

1. What is the official currency of the U.K.?

2. What is the smallest unit?

3. How many pence are there in one pound?

4. What banknotes and coins are in circulation in the U.K. now?

5. What famous people are featured on the back of various English banknotes?