On January 1, 2002, France was one of twelve European Union countries to change over to a single currency, the euro (EU$). The euro is split into 100 cents. There are seven euro notes in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, and 5 euros, each a different colour and size and eight different coin denominations, including 2 and 1 euros, then 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 cents. Euro coins feature a common EU design on one face, but different country-specific designs on the other. No matter what the design, all euro coins and notes can be used in any of the twelve member states (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and The Netherlands).At the time of writing, the exchange rate hovered around €1.60 to the pound, €1 to the US dollar, €0.66 to the Canadian dollar, €0.57 to the Australian dollar, and €0.50 to the New Zealand dollar. For the most up-to-date exchange rates, consult the Currency Converter website www.oanda.com.
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