Madagascar P97a 100 Ariary ND(2017) UNC—Poison Frog—Moth—Zebu—Cathedral

Banknote Characteristics

• Varieties:
  • P# 97a — ND (2017), Gov. Alain Hervé Rasolofondraibe (this note)
  • P# 97"b", banknote.ws P-97(2)—ND (2022), Gov. Henri Edmond Rabarijohn
  • P# 97"c", banknote.ws P-97(3)—ND (2025), Gov. Aivo Andrianarivelo
• Color: Obverse: dark blue, dark red, and dark green on predominantly blue multicolor underprint; Reverse: dark blue and grey on light blue and orange underprint
• Front: Ambozontany Cathedral and view of Fianarantsoa 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)
• Back: Madagascar poison frog (Mantella baroni) at center; waterfall in background; comet moth / Madagascan moon moth (Argema mittrei) at far right; volute ornament; anti-counterfeiting warning in Malagasy and French
• Watermark: Head of a zebu (Bos taurus indicus); electrotype denomination "100" below
• Composition: Paper
• Size: 114 × 60 mm
• Issuing entity: Central Bank of Madagascar (Banky Foiben’i Madagasikara)
• Printer: Giesecke+Devrient, Leipzig
• Demonetized: Current — not demonetized
• Signatures: Alain Hervé Rasolofondraibe, Governor
• Currency: Malagasy ariary (2003–date); replaced the Malagasy franc at a rate of 1 ariary = 5 francs

About Madagascar

• Capital: Antananarivo (city pop. ~1.4 million; metro pop. ~3.1 million)
• Population: ~30 million (UN 2024) — similar to Texas; between Romania and Poland
• Area: 587,041 km² (~226,658 mi²) — similar to Texas; between France and Spain combined
• GDP per capita at PPP: ~$1,800 USD (IMF 2024) — ranks ~183rd out of 193 globally
• Main exports: Vanilla, cloves, nickel, cobalt, clothing, seafood
• Borders: None — island nation in the Indian Ocean
• Languages: Malagasy, French (both official)
• Sovereignty:
  • Kingdom of Madagascar (unified ~1810–1896)
  • French colony (1896–1960)
  • Malagasy Republic / Republic of Madagascar (26 June 1960–date); Fourth Republic from 2010–date — this note issued during this period

Madagascar Unfiltered

• Madagascar has been isolated from the African mainland for ~88 million years. The result: over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth — including both species on this note, the Mantella baroni poison frog and the Argema mittrei comet moth.
• The comet moth 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.
• Madagascar produces ~80% of the world’s vanilla. 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.
• Fianarantsoa, the city on the obverse, is Madagascar’s intellectual and religious capital — home to the country’s oldest university and the Ambozontany Cathedral, built by Norwegian missionaries in the 19th century. Its name means “place where one learns to be good.”

A Note Printed with Species Found Nowhere Else on Earth

Both animals on the reverse — the Mantella baroni poison frog and the Argema mittrei comet moth — 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.

The Cathedral That Gave a City Its Soul

The Ambozontany Cathedral 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.

Own This Note from the Most Biodiverse Island on Earth

Madagascar’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.

A denomination that costs almost nothing and contains almost everything.