Preparing for the worst could save your life
The United States is the primary trading partner of Turks and Caicos, so having the same currency is advantageous.
The US dollar has been around since 1792 and it's the world's most popular currency. The American currency is the most traded one, most accepted as legal tender, and the one most used in global reserves. This makes it a popular choice when it comes to making payments, as it is accepted in some places that don't even use the US dollar as official currency. But how about those that do? How many countries and territories actually use the US dollar as official currency?
Click through the gallery to find out.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory, but they too use the US dollar instead of the British pound.
Panama also has another currency, the balboa. However, unlike the US dollar, only balboa coins are minted, restricting their use for lower-value transactions.
The island has one of the highest GDP per capita in the Pacific region. Palau has used the US dollar as currency since 1944.
The Marshall Islands were under US rule from 1947 to 1986. The island nation still uses the US dollar as its official currency.
Panama was the first Latin American country to adopt the US dollar as official currency. The nation has been using it since 1904.
The Federated States of Micronesia in Oceania consists of four states (Kosrae, Chuuk, Yap, and Pohnpei) and 607 islands.
This unincorporated US territory consists of five islands and two atolls where the US dollar is the official currency.
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is located in the Pacific Ocean and comprises 14 islands. Being a US territory, it also has the US dollar as currency.
Instead, Bonaire adopted the US dollar. This facilitates trading between a number of Caribbean islands.
This changed in 2000 when it introduced the US dollar as the official currency. The centavo coin was then introduced in 2003.
This Southeast Asian nation was invaded by Indonesia in the 1970s, and for many years it used the Indonesian rupiah as currency.
The Dutch Caribbean island used the Netherlands Antillean guilder until 2011. But unlike the Netherlands, it didn't adopt the Euro.
The archipelago in the Caribbean has done so since 1917 when the United States bought it from Denmark.
As most goods are imported, the cost of living is actually higher than in the US. Groceries, for example, can be over 20% more expensive.
As the name indicates, the British Virgin Islands is a British overseas territory, but this Caribbean archipelago doesn't use the British pound as currency.
By the end of 2008, the Zimbabwean economy collapsed under hyperinflation rates. The next step was to adopt the US dollar as the official currency.
At the time, one US dollar was equivalent to a 2.6 decillion (1 followed by 33 zeros!) Zimbabwean dollars. The Zimbabwe Gold was introduced in 2024, but the USD is still widely accepted.
Instead, like their neighbors, the US Virgin Islands, they use the US dollar and have done so since 1959.
The switch to the US dollar brought other problems to the nation, such as a crisis of counterfeit money.
Puerto Rico has been a US territory since 1898, and as such, the US dollar is the official currency used in the Caribbean island.
Located in the Western Pacific, Guam is a US territory and has used the US dollar as currency since 1950.
The US Virgin Islands are also an American territory where the US dollar is the official currency.
Nearly half of the island's approximately 3.3 million residents live in poverty, according to the US Census. Puerto Rico got out of bankruptcy in 2022, so the economy is still recovering.
Ecuador introduced the US dollar as the official currency in 2000, after years of soaring inflation under the sucre (the country's former currency).
The Central American nation also has the US dollar as its official currency. The USD replaced the cólon in 2001.
The West African country has two currencies. The Liberian dollar is the nation's official currency, but the US dollar has legal tender too.
Located in the Caribbean, Saba is the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands. They too used the US dollar as currency.
Sint Eustatius is another small island in the Caribbean Netherlands that uses the US dollar as currency.
Sources: (Love Money)
See also: Why these European countries don't use the euro as currency
The states have been under Spanish, German, and Japanese rule, until they became governed by the US in 1947. They are a sovereign nation but use the US dollar as official currency.
Unexpected places where the US dollar is currency
From America to the world
TRAVEL Money
The US dollar has been around since 1792 and it's the world's most popular currency. The American currency is the most traded one, most accepted as legal tender, and the one most used in global reserves. This makes it a popular choice when it comes to making payments, as it is accepted in some places that don't even use the US dollar as official currency. But how about those that do? How many countries and territories actually use the US dollar as official currency?
Click through the gallery to find out.