In Zimbabwe, the answer is: not much.

The troubled country has just introduced a $100 billion banknote - according to this CNN story, it is equivalent to one US dollar, and is good for the purchase of four oranges.

For more on Zimbabwe’s ongoing financial disaster and, uh, democracy deficit, check out this Pulse post from a while back, which includes a whole whack of useful links.

Photo of $5 billion note by poopface productions (Creative Commons)

Eva Holland

Eva Holland is a historical researcher and freelance writer based in Ottawa, Canada. She is a blogger for World Hum and for Rolf Potts Vagablogging, and her travel writing has appeared in The Ottawa Citizen, and The Edmonton Journal.