10 Poe rava Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands have used the CFP franc as their currency since 1945, issued through the Institut d'émission d'outre-mer rather than any local authority — making this poe rava denomination an unusual acknowledgment of distinct Marquesan cultural identity within a monetary system entirely controlled from Paris. The poe rava, or black pearl, became the economic backbone of the Marquesas in the late twentieth century after pearl farming was introduced to offset the collapse of copra revenues.