MALTA

The Republic of Malta is an independent parliamentary democracy within the British commonwealth. Its capital is Valletta. The British took possession of Malta in 1814 and retained it until independence in 1964.In 1974 it became a republic and in 2004 joined the EU, adopting the Euro in 2008.

Monetary units:

1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence ( up to 1971)
1 Lira = 100 centesimi (up to 2008)
1 euro = 100 cents (2008 onward)

 The 1 lira note above is from 1979 with the Gardjola (watch tower) at Senglea on the front and the new university on the back

MALI

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in North West Africa with a capital city of Bamako. The sudanese republic and senegal became independent from France and formed the Mali federation in 1960. a few months later Senegal withdrew leaving the Sudanese republic which was renamed Mali.It remained a one party state until 1991.The first democratic presidential elections followed in 1992

Monetary Units: 1 franc = 100 centimes.

the note here is the 50 Franc note from 1967 (its the second issue and has 1960 printed on the note), with Modibo Keita  on the front and a village scene with a Malian girl on the reverse.

with the recent French military incursion in Mali, everyone now knows where Timbuktu is

MALDIVES

The Republic of Maldives is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean South West of India. Its capital is Male. The Maldives was a sultanate under the protection of, first, the Dutch and then the British. It gained independence in 1965 and became a republic in 1968. It was a one party state until 2004 when the constitution was changed to allow political parties.

Monetary Units: 1 Rufiyaa (rupees) = 100 Lari

The note here is a 5 Rufiyaa note from AH 1421 (2000) with a dhow on the front right and fishing boat scene on the reverse.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia is a federation of 11 states on the Malayan peninsula and 2 on the island of Borneo. It's capital is Kuala Lumpur. Britain established colonies in the area now called Malaysia, in 1941 Japan started to occupy many of the areas. In 1948, the former British colonies joined together in a federation called the federation of Malaya which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed when Singapore and the 2 states on the island of  Borneo, sarawak and Sabah, joined. In 1965 Singapore left the federation.

Monetary Units: 1 Ringgit = 100 Sen

The note above is the 2 Ringgit note from the 1996-99 issue (ND) featuring King T A Rahman on the front and the back has the Menara Tower in Kuala Lumpur

MALAYA

Malaya, sometimes referred to as British Malaya, a former member of the British commonwealth, had its capital city as Kuala Lumpur. Malaya was occupied by Japan from 1941 - 1945. its was granted independence in 1957 and in 1963 became part of the federation of Malaysia.

Monetary unit: 1 Dollar = 100 cents

 The note above is the 1 cent note from 1941. The front has a portrait of King George VI of Britain and  because it is uniface the back is blank.

As an aside the film " The king's speech" is about King George VI

MALAWI

The Republic of Malawi , Formerly Nyasaland, is a country in South East Africa with a capital city of Lilongwe. Nyasaland or the Nyasaland Protectorate, was a British protectorate, which was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After the Federation was dissolved, Nyasaland became independent from Britain on 6 July 1964 and was renamed Malawi. there followed 3 decades of one party rule until 1994 when multi party elections were staged.

Monetary units:

1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence ( up to 1971 )
1 kwacha = 100 Tambala (1971 onward)

Both of the notes above are from the 1997 issue. First the 10 Kwacha note featuring the Reverend John Chilembwe, a hero from the  anti-colonial resistance. the reverse has villagers mashing grain. next is the 5 Kwacha note, again with John Chilembwe but with children in a "bush" school. Chilembwe is also known as an educator.

MADAGASCAR

The Democratic Republic of Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean, part of the French community but an independent country. Its capital is Antananarivo.it became a French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960. 1993 saw the end of 17 years of one party rule.

Monetary units:

1 Ariary = 5 Malagasy Francs (1961 - 2003)
1 Ariary = 5 Francs (2003 onward)

The note above is the 100 Franc note from the 1974 issue (ND) with an old man on the front and people in the rice fields on the back

This one above, is the 500 franc (100 Ariary) note from 1994(ND).the front has a picture of a girl and the reverse has some herdsmen with some Zebus.

Finally, there's this note. a 1000 franc (200 Ariary) from 2004 with a hut on the front and what looks like totem like structures on the reverse

and of course Madagascar is known as the only place Lemurs are endemic to.

MACEDONIA

The Republic of Macedonia is a landlocked country in the Balkans, South East Europe with a capital city of Skopje. Macedonia gained its independence from Yugoslavia following the breakup in 1991.Initially there was some conflict with Greece which refused to recognise the country's name.

Monetary unit: 1 Dhner (Denar) = 100 Dheni (Deni)

The Note above is the 10 Denar note from 1992 with Farmers harvesting on the front left and the Llinden monument on the reverse.

This is the 10 Denari from 2003, the front right has a statue of the Goddess Isida,  and the reverse has a peacock and a duck !!!!

MACAU

The RAEM (Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China) or Macau, is a former Portuguese colony, south west of Hong Kong and includes the islands of Taipei and Coloane. Its capital is Macau. Macau ids the oldest European settlement in the far east, established by the Portuguese in 1557. in December 1999, Macau became a Special administrative region (SAR)  of the Peoples Republic of China.

Monetary Unit: 1 Pataca = 100 Avos

The note here is the 10 Pataca from 2005 with the Goddess A-ma, goddess of the sea, on the front Left and the Banco Nacional  Ultramarino (BNU) building on the reverse.

A tool from translating western (Arabic) numbers into Chinese is here

NO MORE "L's"

That's us finished with the L's apart from one,

which I don't have,

 and that's the Leeward Islands.

LUXEMBOURG

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is bordered by France, Germany and Belgium, with a capital city of Luxembourg. Luxembourg became an independent state and a Grand Duchy in 1815, under the protection of the Netherlands, but in 1839 it lost almost half of its territory to Belgium but gained autonomy. Full independence came in 1867. It was occupied by German forces during both World Wars and ended its neutrality stance by joining NATO in 1949. it was one of the 6 founding countries which formed the European Economic Community- EEC (later the EU) and joined the Eurozone in 1999 adopting the Euro in 2001.

Monetary Units
1 Franc = 100 Centimes ( up to 2001 )
1 Euro = 100 Cents (2001 onward )

The note above is the 5 Franc note from 1944 (ND) featuring Grand Duchess Charlotte on the front and this red coloured reverse  Letzeburg  spelling on the back and the number 5 is spelled Fennef, I am assuming that it is the Luxembourgian language, Luxembourgish, one of the 3 recognised languages - French and German being the others.

LITHUANIA

The Republic of Lithuania, a former Soviet Republic, declared its independence in March 1990 but was not recognised by Russia until the following year. Its capital is Vilnius. In 1236 Lithuanian lands were joined together under Minfaugas and continued to expand into modern day Belarus and the  Ukraine until it was the largest state in Europe at that time. in 1569 Lithuania and Poland joined into the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth until 1795 when parts were taken by other states. After WWI Lithuania gained its independence and then in 1940 was annexed by Russia. Lithuania joined both NATO and the EU in 2004.

Monetary unit: 1 Litas = 100 Centu

The note above is the 1 Talonas note, from 1992 with the denomination on the front and a pair of Eurasian Lapwings on the reverse.

NB 1: Talonas were issued as emergency money up until 1993 when the present currency was used. during this time 100 talonas = 1 litas.
NB 2: Lithuania was supposed to join the euro in 2010 but inflation targets were not met so it was put off until 2014.

LIECHTENSTEIN

The Principality of Liechtenstein is located between Austria and Switzerland, in Central Europe, with a capital of Vadus.
Liechtenstein came into being in 1719. it was a member of the Rhine Confederation from 1806-1815 and then the German Confederation until 1856 when it became independent.It abolished its army in 1868. In 1921, it adopted the Swiss  currency and Switzerland has responsibility for its international affairs.

Monetary Unit: 1 Krone = 100 Heller (up to 1924)

A bit like the country, this note is tiny 3"x 1 3/4" (76mm x 45mm) from 1920, its the 10 Heller note with the coat of arms on the front and a villa, printed vertically, on the reverse.

These Notes above are not currency but were issued as a commemoration of the 60th anniversary of he Vilnius Ghetto and the holocaust victims there in . I've turned the 5 note around so as to see the reverse, each note has a different picture from the Ghetto. You can read an account here

LIBYA

The State of Libya, formerly The  Socialist Peoples Arab Jamahiriya, is a country in North Africa, who's capital is Tripoli. The Italians took over occupation from the Ottoman Turks in 1911 until they were defeated in 1943 when the UN took control and independence was achieved in 1951. after a coup in 1969, Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi took power and introduced his system of " the third universal theory" - a mixture of Socialism and Islam. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated Libya after the downing of Pan AM flight 103 over Lockerbie, in Scotland.The sanctions were lifted in 2003. In February 2011, after successful revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, a civil war started which saw the end of the Qadhafi regime. In july 2012 Libyans voted in a general Election to elect their first government since the Fall of the Qadhafi regime.

Monetary units:
1 Pound = 100 piastres (1951 -1971)
1 Dinar = 1000 Dirhams (1971 onwards)

These are two really colourful notes from the 2002 issue. The first is the half (1/2) Dinar note with an oil refinery on the front centre and an irrigation system on the reverse. The second one is a quarter (1/4) Dinar, this time with ruins on the front and a walled fortress on the reverse.

One huge co-incidence is that today (17th February 2013) Libya is due to release her new set of notes. this is the 2nd anniversary of the start of the civil war. A Sneak preview can be seen here at Banknote News .

LIBERIA

The Republic of Liberia is situated on the west African coast between the Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. Its capital is Monrovia. In the 1820's Liberia was colonised by Black slaves freed from the United States.It became a republic in 1847 and named the capital city after the 5th president of the USA James Munro. It was a founding member of the UN.

Monetary unit: 1 dollar = 100 cents

The notes above are as follows:

the 20 Dollar note from 2004 featuring William Tubman, the 19th president of the country, on the front and a scene with men with wheelbarrows on the reverse. For some reason the colours in this note really stand out - the brown, olive and orange really go together and the circle to the right of the portrait  has an anti-counterfeit device which shows a star at one angle and the letters CBL at another angle.

The 5 Dollar note is from 1991 and has a man tapping a tree on the front right and the now ruined  National Bank building on the reverse.

LESOTHO

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy, totally enclosed by South Africa. Its capital is Maseru. Formally known as Basutoland, the name was changed to Lesotho when it gained independence from Britain in 1966.In modern times it is unusual in that female literacy is higher than male literacy and overall has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa.

Monetary unit: 1 Loti = 100 Lisente

The note above is the 5 Loti note from 1989 featuring King Moshoeshoe II and a waterfall on the reverse.

LEBANON

The Republic of Lebanon is situated on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean sea between Israel and Syria. its capital is Beirut.France became the mandated country in 1918 after the defeat of the ottoman empire and was name in 1920.It gained independence in 1943. A lengthy civil war raged until 1990 when the Ta'if accord set out a framework for national reconciliation giving a more equal say to the Muslim population.2005 saw the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri and 22 others which led to massive anti-Syrian demonstrations.

Monetary Unit: 1 Livre (pound) = 100 piastres

The notes above are the 5 livre note from the 1964-86 issue - the actual date i cant find on the note itself -  the front has an image of the national museum of Beirut and the reverse has the bridge over the river Kalb. The 1 Livre note from the same period has the pillars at Baalbek on the front and the grotto at Jeita on the reverse.

This note is about twice the size of a normal note and is the 250 Livres note from the 1978-88 issue It has two versions of the Ruins at Tyras on the front and reverse.