Which country has the quetzal as its currency?

The quetzal is the currency of Guatemala.

Introduced in 1925, the quetzal replaced Guatemala's peso during the presidency of José María Orellana. Its ISO currency code is GTQ, its symbol is Q, and each quetzal is divided into 100 centavos. The Bank of Guatemala issues the country's coins and banknotes.

The currency takes its name from the resplendent quetzal, a brilliantly colored bird native to Central America and Guatemala's national bird. The quetzal also appears on Guatemala's flag and has deep cultural importance. In ancient Maya society, the bird's long tail feathers were valued and used as a form of exchange, although the living birds were not killed for them.

A common mix-up is confusing Guatemala's quetzal with the currencies of nearby countries. Costa Rica uses the colón, El Salvador uses the U.S. dollar, and Honduras uses the lempira. Modern quetzal banknotes also feature Mayan numerals, linking everyday money with Guatemala's Indigenous heritage.