To protest the hyperinflation that has rendered the Zimbabwe currency worthless and to raise awareness of the dire economic situation there, the Zimbabwean Newspaper created an ad campaign featuring huge posters, wall murals, flyers, and even billboards all made out of trillions of Zimbabwean dollars.

Zimbabwe’s central bank is introducing a $500 million note – the highest current denomination – as the once-prosperous southern African nation battles against spiraling hyperinflation.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe last week introduced a new set of denominations, including a $100 million note, but that has not helped to clear long lines for cash at banks. Some people sleep outside banks after failing to get cash.

The $500 million note is worth about 8 U.S. dollars and enough to buy just eight loaves of bread. but prices change on an almost daily basis as businesses now peg their prices against the U.S. dollar.

Zimbabwe has had higher denominations than the $500 million note in the past. But over the past two years, the country has slashed zeros from the amount of its worthless currency, the latest being 10 zeros in August. Source : CNN / Photo: Reuters

Thanks to Gideon Gono, the present Governor of the Reserve Bank and President Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe now has the highest percentage of Billionaires per capita than any other country in the world.

Once dubbed the “bread basket” of Africa, Zimbabwe has been struggling with the world’s highest rate of inflation – 12,500,000% – and years of economic mismanagement under President Robert Mugabe.

Try looking at the numbers: 1.00 USD = 54,000,000,000 ZWD. (Live rates at 2008.07.29) But remember that Zimbabwe slashed three zeros off the currency in August 2006, so based on the pre-2006 Zimbabawe dollar, the numbers are even worse: : 1.00 USD = 54,000,000,000,000 ZWD