The human race has a long and rather convoluted history; economics is merely part of the tangle. As tangled as it is, it's no wonder we humans can't just decide on a single way to pay each other off and buy stuff online. The sad truth is, we can't. Because of that, we have to worry about trying to work between Euros and dollars, dinars and yen, and any number of other currencies in use all around the world.
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Ever since the first stages of globalization, currency has been an important issue. In the 17th and 18th centuries, worldwide commerce first began to call for a currency that could be used across the board by merchants everywhere. At that time, the currency of choice was the famous Spanish dollar, or “pieces of eight,” made famous by countless pirate tales and popular movies today. This Spanish currency was legal tender on most markets, and its connection with naval commerce and international trade of that time period is still strong in our minds today.
Today, though, a different currency is foremost. At the moment, that currency is the American dollar. American dollars, or USD in standard international abbreviation, are used around the world for a number of purposes. Internet based companies, for instance, primarily use United States Dollars for their commerce, and online services exist to convert other currencies into United States Dollars. The United States Dollar has been strong in non-digital markets, as well – in 1996, it counted for around two thirds of the world’s foreign exchange reserves. In 2001, Robert Galpin wrote in Global Political Economy: Understanding the International Economic Order that between 40 and 60 percent of all international transactions at that time were conducted in United States Dollars.
In the last few years, the United States Dollar has begun to see a fall against the newer and more valuable Euro. Used across Europe and in consideration in other countries for possible introduction in the next decade or so, the Euro is worth approximately 1.35 US dollars at the moment and has just recently surpassed the dollar in total worldwide value in circulation. As of the last month in 2006, the Euro was at 610 billion in circulation, equivalent to approximately eight hundred billion United States dollars. The Euro has continued to rise against the dollar recently and, if trends continue, may become the leading force in international economics.
The only other serious competitor in the international currency market is the Japanese yen, which gained some use worldwide during the 1980s, but relapsed slightly in the Japanese economic recession a decade later. These days, most countries peg their own currencies against the United States dollar, but more are increasingly switching to the Euro or the yen as the dollar falls in value against its competition.
All of this is very interesting if you plan to go into international economics, but what if your interests are more personal? What if, say, you want to take a vacation this summer to Thailand or England or France or Japan, and you want to be able to buy a few souvenirs while you’re there? Do you need to take anything more than American dollars?
The answer really depends on where you plan to go. Some countries accept United States dollars as currency – Mexican businesses and merchants, for instance, often allow you to pay them directly in American dollars without having to convert first to the country’s official currency, the peso. In cases like that, you’re saved the trouble of having to look for currency exchange rates and local currencies before you go. Check with a travel agent or read a travel guide to see if the locals will accept American dollars.
Many places, such as England or most of Europe, for example, rarely accept American dollars as legal tender. In those cases, you’ll have to either convert some cash before you go or visit an exchange table when you arrive. Many tourist oriented currency exchange tables artificially inflate exchange rates in order to make a profit, so you’ll probably be better off going with a more official and less “profitable” source. Check into the currency exchange rates before you leave.