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United States is a place where many cultures meet.
We're from all over the world! Approximately
1 out of every 10 people who live in the United
States were born in another country. And millions
of tourists visit us here every year from lands
outside our nation.
Just as each country has its
own customs and language, they also have their
own money. The money in Germany is called the
Deutsche Mark. The people in England
call their money United Kingdom Pounds. There are "dollars" in the
United States, Canada, Australia Hong Kong, Jamaica and Singapore. Here are some
others:The "Euro" dollar is used in 12 West European countries
1.3
billion Chinese people use the "Yuan"
The "Peso", used by our southern neighbors
in Mexico, has a window you can
see through
Most countries have coins and currency or paper notes. And each currency
is valued differently. For example:
10 Pesos = about 1 U.S. dollar
10 Yuan = about 7 U.S. dollars
10 Euro = about 12.3 U.S. dollars
A little confusing? Perhaps we can make it easier
to understand by using the "Big Mac Index".
Let's see approximately how much a Big Mac would cost
in other countries:
The United States - $2.71
Great Britain - 1.99 British Pounds (about $3.14)
Japan - 262 Japanese Yen (about $2.19)
Russia - 41 Rouble (about $1.32)
Mexico - 23 Peso (about $2.18)
Learn
more about the Big Mac Index.
But when do we
use international money? When we travel abroad,
we must use the currency of that country. So,
when we visit Canada, we must use the Canadian
dollar. When in Japan, we need the Yen. When visitors come to the United States
from another country, they must exchange their own money for U.S. currency.
People
who have international money they don't need
can donate to UNICEF's
Change for Good program.
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