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Janusz Pieńkowski

In Ukraine, the 200-hryvnia banknote honors one of its foremost feminist writers, Lesia Ukrainka. The internationally recognized poet and playwright tackled themes of gender and ethnic equality in her works that were published around the turn of the 20th century.

Maria Teresa Mirabal and her older sisters Patria and Minerva, who appear on the Dominican Republic’s 200-peso note, are symbols not only of the country’s revolution but of the global effort to end violence against women after their brutal murder by dictator Rafael Trujillo.

In Tunisia, the five-dinar note features another ancient military commander who helped build an empire. Carthaginian general Hannibal is still renowned today for his heroic battles against Rome in the Second Punic War in 218 B.C.

Some countries look to ancient history to reflect their national pride. In Mongolia, Genghis Khan appears on the higher denominations of Mongolian currency from 500 to 20,000 togrogs. The 13th-century ruler conquered most of Eurasia to build the largest contiguous empire in history.

Today, Nelson Mandela, the country’s first Black president, appears on every denomination of South Africa’s banknotes as a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement.

In a nod to its colonial past, the first banknotes South Africa issued after achieving its independence in 1961 featured Jan van Riebeeck, a 17th-century Dutch explorer who founded the trading post that became Cape Town. He would remain on the currency for 30 years.

Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on currency in more than 30 countries—however, many have since removed her likeness after leaving Britain’s colonial rule. In 1991, New Zealand redesigned its currency to feature local figures, such as Māori political and cultural leader Sir Apirana Ngata who appears on the 50-dollar note.

Queen Elizabeth II appears on a 1954 Canadian two-dollar bill. Canada became the first country to include the queen’s likeness on its currency in 1935. Britain would follow suit 25 years later.

Similarly, one version of the country’s 100-mark note features Serb writer and activist Petar Kočić, pictured here, and the other bears the image of Bosnian-Croat poet Nikola Šop.

Musa Cazim Ćatić portrait from Bosnia and Herzegovina money. Ćatić was a Bosnian poet and is featured on Bosnia and Herzegovinia's 50 convertible mark banknote.