Lira
1lira1863retro.jpg
Vittorio Emanuele II: 1 Italian lira 1863

Lira is the name of the monetary unit of a number of countries, as well as the former currency of Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City.

The term originates from the value of a Troy pound weight (Latin libra) of high purity silver, and as such is a direct cognate of the British pound sterling; in some countries, such as Cyprus, the words lira and pound are used as equivalents. L, sometimes in a double-crossed script form (₤) or less often single-crossed (£), is usually used as the symbol.

Former currencies

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• Italian lira
• San Marinese lira
• Vatican lira

Current uses

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Turkey

The Turkish Lira was introduced in the mid 1870s. The New Turkish Lira, equivalent to 1,000,000 old lira, is the current currency of Turkey, issued on January 1 2005.

Malta

The Maltese Lira, known in the Maltese language as the Lira Maltija, is the currency of Malta. It is sometimes referred to as a pound.

Cyprus

The Cyprus pound is called "lira" in local languages.

Lebanon

The Lebanese pound is called "lira" in local languages.

External link

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• Overview of Italian lira from the BBC

Currencies of Europe | Currencies replaced by the Euro | Economy of Italy | Economy of Malta | San Marino | Vatican City

Lira (moneda) | Lira | Λίρα | Lire (devise) | Lira | Lira (valuta) | Лира (валюта)