It is used in the Republic of India and Pakistan. It was also used in British India, the former East Pakistan until 1971, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. In past times, rupees were also the name of the money used in Burma and in the German and British colonies in East Africa. The name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning silver. The rupiah of Indonesia and the rufiyah of the Maldives are kinds of money that also got their name from this word. All of these were previously Spanish dollars.