The U.S. dollar is the currency most used in international transactions. Several countries use the U.S. dollar as their official currency, and many others allow it to be used in a de facto capacity. It's known locally as a buck or greenback.
The rand was introduced in 1961 and takes its name from the Witwatersrand, the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The Rand circulates freely in Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho.
