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The tenge (Kazakh: теңге, teñge) is the currency of Kazakhstan. It is divided into 100 tïın (тиын, also transliterated as tiyin or tijin). It was introduced on 15 November 1993 to replace the Soviet ruble at a rate of 1 tenge = 500 rubles. The ISO-4217 code is KZT.
The word tenge in the Kazakh and most other Turkic languages means a set of scales (cf the old Uzbek tenga or the Tajik borrowedterm tanga). The origin of the word is the Turkic teŋ- which means being equal, balance. The name of this currency is thus similar to the lira, pound and peso. The name of the currency is related to the Russian word for money Russian: деньги / den'gi, which was borrowed from Turkic.

Coins [edit]


1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 tenge coins
In 1993, the first series of coins were introduced indenominations of 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 tiyin featuring the national arms and were struck in bronze. 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 tenge were struck in cupro-nickel and depicted stylized and mythical animals. The coins of this period circulated alongside tiyin and low denomination tenge notes of equal value.

In 1995, a new series of coins was introduced, which excluded the tiyin having 1 tenge being thesmallest denomination. 50 tenge were later introduced in 1997, followed by 100 tenge in 2002 replacing the equivalent notes. An irregular 2 tenge coin was also introduced later in 2005. Coins currently in circulation are:
1 tenge (Brass)
2 tenge (Brass)
5 tenge (Brass)
10 tenge (Brass)
20 tenge (Copper-Nickel)
50 tenge (Copper-Nickel)
100 tenge (Bimetallic, Brass and Copper-Nickel)
Commemorativecoins are issued in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 and 10,000 tenge. Silver and gold bullion coins exist in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 tenge. Many of the 20 and 50 tenge commemoratives are also struck in cupro-nickel and occasionally make it out into general circulation as a side coinage with face value.
While older coins were struck in Germany, currentcoins are struck domestically, by the Kazakhstan Mint in Ust-Kamenogorsk.

Kazakhstan (i/ˌkɑːzəkˈstɑːn/ or /ˌkæzəkˈstæn/; Kazakh: Қазақстан Qazaqstan, pronounced [qɑzɑqstɑ́n]; Russian: Казахстан [kəzɐxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country in Central Asia, with its smaller part west of the Ural River in Eastern Europe.[2] Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlockedcountry by land area and the ninth largest country in the world; its territory of 2,727,300 square kilometres (1,053,000 sq mi) is larger than Western Europe.[2][7] It is neighbored clockwise from the north by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, andTurkmenistan, and also borders on a large part of the Caspian Sea. The terrain of Kazakhstan includes flatlands, steppe, taiga, rock canyons, hills, deltas,snow-capped mountains, and deserts. With 16.6 million people (2011 estimate)[8] Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world, though its population density is less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The capital is Astana (previously Almaty).
The territory of modern-day Kazakhstan has historically been inhabited by nomadic tribes. By the 16th century,the Kazakhs emerged as a distinct group, divided into three jüz (ancestor branches occupying specific territories). The Russians began advancing into the Kazakh steppe in the 18th century, and by the mid-19th century all of Kazakhstan was part of the Russian Empire. Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, and subsequent civil war, the territory of Kazakhstan was reorganized several times before becoming the KazakhSoviet Socialist Republic in 1936, a part of the Soviet Union.
Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet republics to declare independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991; the current President,Nursultan Nazarbayev, has been leader of the country since 1990. Nazarbayev maintains strict[citation needed] control over the country's politics. Since independence, Kazakhstan has...