riel

The riel (; ; sign: ៛; code: KHR) is the currency of Cambodia. There have been two distinct riel, the first issued between 1953 and May 1975. Between 1975 and 1980, the country had no monetary system. A second currency, also named "riel", has been issued since 20 March 1980. Since the 1990s, citizens have used the riel alongside the U.S. dollar at the well-known rate of 4,000 KHR/USD for retail payments. Popular belief suggests that the name of the currency comes from the Mekong river fish, the riĕl ("small fish" in Khmer). It is more likely that the name derives from the high silver content Spanish-American dollar whose value is eight reales, a coin widely used for international trade in Asia and the Americas from the 16th to 19th centuries. Concurrent use with foreign currencies In rural areas the riel is used for virtually all purchases, large and small. However, the United States dollar is also used, particularly in urban Cambodia and tourist areas. In areas near the Thai border, the Thai baht is also accepted. Dollarization started in the 1980s and continued to the early 90s when the United Nations contributed humanitarian aid, refugees began sending remittances home, and inflation as high as 177% per year eroded confidence in the riel. From 1991-1993, the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia stationed 22,000 personnel throughout Cambodia, whose spending represented a large part of the Cambodian economy.