Francs, or French francs, are a type of French money that is no longer in use. The franc was also used in most French dependencies such as Andorra and Monaco. In other, countries such as Belgium, they were referred to as Belgian francs and in Luxembourg, they were called Luxembourg francs. The franc is still in use as the standard monetary unit in Benin, Burundi and Cameroon.
The franc first came into use in France in 1360. It was a 24-karat gold coin imprinted with an image of King Jean II Le Bon riding horseback, which was used as a ransom payment to free the King from England. Other versions of the franc were used throughout history, such as the franc à pied in 1365 and the franc à cheval in 1422. The modern franc was born at the beginning of the French Revolution, in 1793.
In 2002, the Euro officially replaced the franc as the standard currency for many countries that belonged to the European Union including France, Belgium and Andorra. France was one of the first countries to accept the euro as its currency in 1999 when it began to phase out process of the franc. The Euro is used by 329 million people in 16 European countries as well as in other neighboring countries and in former colonies.
Exchange rates are constantly changing with economic fluctuations as well as with political and global changes. The euro has grown in strength since its introduction. In countries where the franc is still in use, such as in Cameroon, exchange rates should be checked at the time of travel to ensure accurate currency conversion.
