{"product_id":"madagascar-p97a-100-ariary-nd2017-unc-poison-frog-moth-zebu-cathedral","title":"Madagascar P97a 100 Ariary ND(2017) UNC—Poison Frog—Moth—Zebu—Cathedral","description":"\u003ch3\u003eBanknote Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVarieties:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eP# 97a — ND (2017), Gov. Alain Hervé Rasolofondraibe (this note)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eP# 97\"b\", banknote.ws P-97(2)—ND (2022), Gov. Henri Edmond Rabarijohn\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eP# 97\"c\", banknote.ws P-97(3)—ND (2025), Gov. \u003cspan\u003eAivo Andrianarivelo\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Obverse: dark blue, dark red, and dark green on predominantly blue multicolor underprint; Reverse: dark blue and grey on light blue and orange underprint\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFront:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ambozontany_Cathedral\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAmbozontany Cathedral\u003c\/a\u003e and view of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fianarantsoa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFianarantsoa\u003c\/a\u003e at right; butterfly at left; map outline of Madagascar above; birds in flight beside the cathedral; latent image of denomination \"100\" in blue space at lower right (visible when tilted)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBack:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mantella_baroni\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMadagascar poison frog (\u003cem\u003eMantella baroni\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/a\u003e at center; waterfall in background; \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Argema_mittrei\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ecomet moth \/ Madagascan moon moth (\u003cem\u003eArgema mittrei\u003c\/em\u003e)\u003c\/a\u003e at far right; volute ornament; anti-counterfeiting warning in Malagasy and French\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWatermark:\u003c\/strong\u003e Head of a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Zebu\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ezebu\u003c\/a\u003e (\u003cem\u003eBos taurus indicus\u003c\/em\u003e); electrotype denomination \"100\" below\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 114 × 60 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing entity:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Central_Bank_of_Madagascar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eCentral Bank of Madagascar\u003c\/a\u003e (Banky Foiben’i Madagasikara)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Giesecke_%26_Devrient\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eGiesecke+Devrient\u003c\/a\u003e, Leipzig\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemonetized:\u003c\/strong\u003e Current — not \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Demonetization_(currency)\" target=\"_blank\"\u003edemonetized\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignatures:\u003c\/strong\u003e Alain Hervé Rasolofondraibe, Governor\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Malagasy_ariary\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMalagasy ariary\u003c\/a\u003e (2003–date); replaced the Malagasy franc at a rate of 1 ariary = 5 francs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout Madagascar\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCapital:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Antananarivo\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAntananarivo\u003c\/a\u003e (city pop. ~1.4 million; metro pop. ~3.1 million)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePopulation:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~30 million (UN 2024) — similar to Texas; between Romania and Poland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArea:\u003c\/strong\u003e 587,041 km² (~226,658 mi²) — similar to Texas; between France and Spain combined\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGDP per capita at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Purchasing_power_parity\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ePPP\u003c\/a\u003e:\u003c\/strong\u003e ~$1,800 USD (IMF 2024) — ranks ~183rd out of 193 globally\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain exports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vanilla, cloves, nickel, cobalt, clothing, seafood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBorders:\u003c\/strong\u003e None — island nation in the Indian Ocean\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguages:\u003c\/strong\u003e Malagasy, French (both official)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSovereignty:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kingdom_of_Madagascar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eKingdom of Madagascar\u003c\/a\u003e (unified ~1810–1896)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/French_Madagascar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eFrench colony\u003c\/a\u003e (1896–1960)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Madagascar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMalagasy Republic \/ Republic of Madagascar\u003c\/a\u003e (26 June 1960–date); Fourth Republic from 2010–date — this note issued during this period\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMadagascar Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMadagascar has been isolated from the African mainland for ~88 million years.\u003c\/strong\u003e The result: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Endemism_in_Madagascar\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eover 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth\u003c\/a\u003e — including both species on this note, the \u003cem\u003eMantella baroni\u003c\/em\u003e poison frog and the \u003cem\u003eArgema mittrei\u003c\/em\u003e comet moth.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Argema_mittrei\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ecomet moth\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e on the reverse has a wingspan of up to 20 cm and a tail span of up to 15 cm — making it one of the largest silk moths in the world. Its cocoon is perforated with hundreds of tiny holes to prevent waterlogging in the rainforest.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMadagascar produces \u003cstrong\u003e~80% of the world’s vanilla\u003c\/strong\u003e. The global price of vanilla has at times exceeded the price of silver per kilogram, making vanilla farming both a livelihood and a target for theft — farmers have resorted to tattooing their beans to prove ownership.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fianarantsoa\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFianarantsoa\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, the city on the obverse, is Madagascar’s intellectual and religious capital — home to the country’s oldest university and the \u003cstrong\u003eAmbozontany Cathedral\u003c\/strong\u003e, built by Norwegian missionaries in the 19th century. Its name means “place where one learns to be good.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eA Note Printed with Species Found Nowhere Else on Earth\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth animals on the reverse — the \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMantella baroni\u003c\/em\u003e poison frog\u003c\/strong\u003e and the \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eArgema mittrei\u003c\/em\u003e comet moth\u003c\/strong\u003e — are endemic to Madagascar. They exist on no other banknote in the world because they exist in no other country in the world. The note is, in this sense, a document of biological uniqueness as much as monetary value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Cathedral That Gave a City Its Soul\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eAmbozontany Cathedral\u003c\/strong\u003e on the obverse has watched over Fianarantsoa since the 19th century. The city below it — whose name means “place where one learns to be good” — is Madagascar’s center of education, religion, and wine production. The birds in flight beside the cathedral are not decorative. They are the note’s quiet argument that beauty and function can share the same space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOwn This Note from the Most Biodiverse Island on Earth\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMadagascar’s 100 Ariary note is one of the most visually rich small-denomination notes in circulation anywhere. A poison frog. A comet moth. A cathedral. A zebu watermark. A latent image that appears only when you tilt it. All of this on a note worth less than three cents at current exchange rates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA denomination that costs almost nothing and contains almost everything.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51843654123831,"sku":"MG97aU","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/Screenshot_2026-03-31_at_12.43.11.png?v=1774975477","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/madagascar-p97a-100-ariary-nd2017-unc-poison-frog-moth-zebu-cathedral","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}