South African rand as Daan Desimaal). This was accompanied by a radio jingle, to inform the public about the new currency. One Rand was worth US$1.40 from the time of its inception in 1961 until late 1971. Its value thereafter fluctuated as various exchange rate dispensations were implemented by the South African authorities. By the early-1980s, high inflation and mounting political pressure combined with sanctions placed against the country due to international opposition to the apartheid system started to erode its value. The currency broke above parity with the dollar for the first time in March 1982, and continued to trade between R
Optimum currency area rationale behind the creation of the euro is that the individual countries of Europe do not each form an optimal currency area, but that Europe as a whole does. The creation of the euro is often cited because it provides the most modern and largest-scale case study of an attempt to identify an optimum currency area, and provides a comparative before-and-after model by which to test the principles of the theory. In theory, an optimal currency area could also be smaller than a country. Some economists have argued that the United States, for example, has some regions that do not