Indonesian Rupiah

The rupiah (sign: Rp; code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia which was introduced in 1946 after World War II to replace the Netherlands Indies gulden. For centuries prior to WWII Indonesia was controlled by the Netherlands and during WWII it was occupied by Japan. Nationalists fought for independence after the war and Indonesia became a sovereign state in 1949. The introduction of the rupiah was a first step towards independence. The rupiah is locally nicknamed "perak" (which translates to "silver" in English). The rupiah is subdivided into 100 sen, however sen coins and bills are no longer in circulation. The rupia is commonly available in denominations of Rp. 1,000, Rp. 2,000, Rp. 5,000, Rp. 10,000, Rp. 20,000, Rp. 50,000, Rp. 100,000 bills and Rp. 500, Rp. 1,000 coins.