<P> The Zimbabwean dollar's predecessor, the Rhodesian dollar, was essentially equal to half of the value of the pound sterling at the time it was adopted (during the decimalisation of 1970). The same practice which was used in other Commonwealth countries such as South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand . The selection of the name was motivated by the fact that the reduced value of the new unit correlated more closely to the value of the US dollar than it did to the pound sterling . </P> <P> The main illustration on the obverse of all of the banknotes was the Chiremba Balancing Rocks in Epworth, Harare, which were used as a metaphor demonstrating the importance of balancing development and the preservation of the fragile environment . The reverse side of dollar notes often illustrated the culture or landmarks of Zimbabwe . </P> <P> The first Zimbabwean dollar was introduced in 1980 and replaced the Rhodesian dollar at par . The initial ISO 4217 code was ZWD . At the time of its introduction, the Zimbabwean dollar was worth more than the US dollar in the official exchange market, with 1 ZWD = 1.47 USD, although this did not reflect the actual purchasing power it held . As a result, in both the official and parallel markets, the currency's value eroded rapidly over the years, and by July 2006, the parallel market value of the Zimbabwean dollar fell to Z $1,000,000 = GB £ 1 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Date of redenomination </Th> <Th> Currency code </Th> <Th> Value </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 August 2006 </Td> <Td> ZWN </Td> <Td> 1 000 ZWD </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1 August 2008 </Td> <Td> ZWR </Td> <Td> 10 ZWN = 10 ZWD </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2 February 2009 </Td> <Td> ZWL </Td> <Td> 10 ZWR = 10 ZWN = 10 ZWD </Td> </Tr> </Table>

When did the currencies of zimbabwe first come in circulation