Editing Decimalisation (section)

===The Americas===

==== North America ====
===== United States =====
Decimalisation was introduced into the [[Thirteen Colonies]] by the [[American Revolution]], and then enshrined in US law by the [[Coinage Act of 1792]].

===== Canada =====
Decimalisation in Canada was complicated by the different jurisdictions before Confederation in 1867. In 1841, the united [[Province of Canada]]'s Governor General, [[Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham|Lord Sydenham]], argued for establishment of a bank that would issue dollar currency (the [[Canadian dollar]]). [[Francis Hincks]], who would become the Province of Canada's Prime Minister in 1851, favoured the plan. Ultimately the provincial assembly rejected the proposal.<ref>McCulloch, A. B. "Currency Conversion in British North America, 1760–1900". ''Archivaria'' 16, (Summer 1983): 83–94.</ref> In June 1851, the Canadian legislature passed a law requiring provincial accounts to be kept decimalised as dollars and cents. The establishment of a [[Bank of Canada|central bank]] was not touched upon in the 1851 legislation. The British government delayed the implementation of the currency change on a technicality, wishing to distinguish the Canadian currency from the United States' currency by referencing the units as "Royals" rather than "Dollars".<ref name="Canadian Mint 2003">Canadian Mint. "Currency Reforms, 1841–71". ''A History of the Canadian Dollar''. Ottawa: Canadian Mint, 2003.</ref> The British delay was overcome by the Currency Act of 1 August 1854. In 1858, coins denominated in cents and imprinted with "Canada" were issued for the first time.

Decimalisation occurred in:<ref name="Canadian Mint 2003"/>

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
!
! Date
! Notes
|-
| [[Province of Canada]]
| 1 August 1854
|
|-
| Nova Scotia
| 1 July 1860
| Ordered its first coinage in 1860, but the coins were not shipped by the Royal Mint until 1862
|-
| New Brunswick
| 1 November 1860
| Like Nova Scotia, the coins were received in 1862
|-
| Newfoundland
| 1866
| Took effect in early 1865 and had different coinage from 1865 to 1947
|-
| Vancouver Island
| 1863
|
|-
| British Columbia
| 1865
|
|-
| Manitoba
| 1870
|
|-
| Prince Edward Island
| 1871
|
|}

The colonial elite, the main advocates of decimalisation, based their case on two main arguments.<ref>Mushin, Jerry. "Twentieth Century Currency Reforms: A Comment". ''Kyklos'' 50 (1997): 247–249.</ref> The first was for facilitation of trade and economic ties with the United States, the colonies' largest trading partner; the second was to simplify calculations and reduce accounting errors.<ref>W. T. Easterbrook and Hugh G. J. Aitken, ''Canadian Economic History'' (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988), 381.</ref>

===== Mexico =====
The [[Mexican peso]] was formally decimalised in the 1860s with the introduction of coins denominated in centavos; however, the currency did not fully decimalise in practice immediately and pre-decimal reales were issued until 1897.

===== Bermuda =====
Bermuda decimalised in 1970, by introducing the [[Bermudian dollar]] equal to 8 shillings 4 pence (100 pence, effectively equal to the US dollar under the [[Bretton Woods system]]).

====Caribbean====
* The [[Cuban peso]] decimalised in 1869 (became equal to 100 centavos instead of 8 reales).
* The [[Dominican peso]] decimalised in 1877 (became equal to 100 centavos instead of 8 reales).
* The [[Haitian gourde]] decimalised in 1881 by peg to French franc (became equal to 100 centimes/santim).
* The [[Netherlands Antillean guilder]] decimalised in 1892 by peg to Dutch guilder (became equal to 100 centen).
* The [[British West Indies dollar]] decimalised in 1955.
* The [[Jamaican dollar]] decimalised in 1969.

==== Central America ====

*[[Costa Rican peso]] decimalised in 1864, divided into 100 centavos, instead of 8 reales.
*[[Honduran peso]] decimalised in 1871, divided into 100 centavos, instead of 8 reales.
*[[Belize dollar|British Honduran (Belize) dollar]] decimalised in 1885, divided into 100 cents.

==== South America ====
* The [[Venezuelan peso]] decimalised in 1843.
* The [[Colombian peso]] decimalised in 1847 (became equal to 10 décimos instead of 8 reales, later became equal to 100 centavos).
* The [[Chilean peso (1817–1960)|Chilean peso]] decimalised in 1851 (became equal to 10 décimos or 100 centavos instead of 8 reales).
* The [[Currency_of_Uruguay#1863–1875_Peso_and_Doblón, 1817–1960|Uruguayan peso]] decimalised in 1863.
* The [[Peruvian sol (1863–1985)|Peruvian sol]] decimalised in 1863 (equal to 10 dineros or 100 centavos).
* The [[Paraguayan peso]] decimalised in 1870 (became equal to 100 centésimos, later centavos, instead of 8 reales).
* The [[Ecuadorian peso]] decimalised in 1871.
* The [[Argentine peso moneda nacional|Argentine peso]] decimalised in 1881.