WORLD
New polymer $20 bank notes featuring Vimy Memorial now in circulation
Baku, November 8 (AZERTAC). Canada's central bank on Wednesday unveiled a 20-dollar banknote made of polymer instead of paper at the Canadian War Museum.
The 20-dollar bill is the country's most used denomination, accounting for about half of the 1.6 billion Canadian dollars (about 1.59 billion U.S. dollars) circulating in the country.
While a portrait of British Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's head of state appears on the front of the new note, imagery on the bank depicts the twin-tower Canadian National Vimy Memorial, a monument in Vimy, France.
The monument commemorates the historic 1917 First World War battle at Vimy Ridge and honours over 66,000 Canadian service personnel who lost their lives during that war.
The new 20-dollar notes represent "innovative technology and Canadian ingenuity," said Bank of Canada director Mark Carney.
They also demonstrate how Canada is staying ahead of counterfeiters, added federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
The plastic-based, 20-dollar bills are loaded with anti-counterfeiting features, including holographic security areas, raised printing, and numbers that appear in reverse or that are hidden and can only be seen using a small light, such as an incandescent bulb or pot light.
The new bill is part of the Bank of Canada's Polymer series, which include a 100-dollar banknote issued last November and a new 50-dollar bill unveiled in March.
Two more polymer notes are to be issued by the end of 2013.