MEMEL

The City State of Memel, now called Klaipeda, in present day Lithuania, was, up until the end of WWI in Prussia. Under the treaty of Versailles, it became a league of nations mandate, administrated by the French until in 1923, Lithuania occupied it and it became part of that country.

Monetary unit : 1 Mark = 100 Pfennig

The note above is the 10 Mark note from 1922, the period of French administration. the reverse of the note has a lighthouse and people in land / sea scenes.

Notgeld : German for "emergency money" or "necessity money", is the name of money issued by an institution not authorized for money emission. This occurs usually when money is not available from the central bank. The best known emergency money emissions occurred in Germany and Austria around the end of the First World War, which is why the German term is used. Issuing institutions could be e.g. town savings banks, municipalities, private and state-owned firms. It was therefore not legal tender, but rather a mutually-accepted means of payment in a particular locale or site. Notgeld is different from occupation money that is issued by an occupying army during a war.

MAURITIUS

The Island of Mauritius is a member of the British commonwealth of nations with a capital of Port Louis. It was colonised by the Portuguese in the 16th century. and became a Dutch colony in the 17th century calling it after Prince Maurits van Nassau. The French took control in 1715 and the British in 1810, both used it as a naval base for the surrounding area. Independence from the UK was achieved in 1968. There was no indigenous peoples of the island before the Portuguese but was the only place the Dodo existed and was extinct 80 years after colonisation begun.

The note above is the 10 Rupee note from 1985 (ND) with the Government building on the front and the Reduit Bridge on the reverse.

MAURITANIA

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a country in north west Africa with a capital city of Nouakchott. Mauritania achieved independence from France in 1960 and in 1976 annexed the Spanish Sahara but returned it after conflict from the Polisario Guerrilla front. also see West African States.

Monetary Units: 100 Ouguiya = 500 CFA Francs

The note above is the 100 Ouguiya note from 2004 and has a geometric design on the front and a cow and some musical instruments on the back.

MARTINIQUE

Martinique is a French overseas department with a capital city of Port de France.  It is an island in the Caribbean within the island group of the lesser Antilles. France took possession of the island in 1635 and, apart from some brief British occupations, has been a French territory ever since. in 1946, it became a French overseas department. it is the birthplace of Napoleon's empress , Josephine. The indigenous peoples of the island were the Arawaks and the Caribs

Monetary units:
1 Franc = 100 centimes (up to 2001)
1 euro = 100 cents (2002 onwards)

The note above is the 50 Franc note from the 1947-49 issue with belain d'esnambuc, the French adventurer who established the first French colony in Martinique, on the front and a native woman on the reverse.