Which countries are on the European side of the Euro coins?
(euro.ecb.int/...)?
The map on most coins is rather unclear.
The 50 cents piece offers the most clear overview, although Europe is scattered and incomplete.
So, what type of countries do we have here?
Possible Answers
- The countries of Europe
(worldaltas.com/...)?
- No, Switzerland, Norway, Central and Eastern-Europe are missing.
- The countries using the Euro as currency
(euro.eu.int/...)?
-
No, not really.
- French Guyana is not on the map.
It is not a country that I visit on a daily basis, but still.
- The countries Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco and the Vatican loose their identity.
- The countries that may ever use the Euro?
- That could be true.
It would explain the presence of the United Kingdom, Sweden and the two islands above the Netherlands, probably representing Denmark, drifting away.
The candidate members for the EU are missing.
- The countries of the European Union
(europa.eu...maps)?
-
Yes, well that is the official answer of the European Union itself
(europa.eu.int/...).
Not used in shown, valid in missing
The official answer is odd.
- The coin is now
not
a valid currency in countries that
are
shown.
- And will be a
valid currency in countries that
are missing.
Try to explain that to a visiting tourist.
Odd Archipelago
To me the finest riddle of all is the odd archipelago between star and border, south of Spain and Portugal.
- Are these the Spanish territories in Africa?
- A symbol for all areas overseas?
- A sea turtle or Nessy that has lost its way?
According to the designer himself the archipelago represents the Canary Islands,
(gva.be/...),
which he moved a bit to fit into the coin.
Hmm, Europe remains an odd compromise, an archipelago of different states, rather than a union.
Till
next week,
Nut
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