The

rupee Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currency, currencies of Indian rupee, India, Mauritian rupee, Mauritius, Nepalese rupee, Nepal, Pakistani rupee, Pakistan, Seychellois rupee, Seychelles, and Sri Lankan rupee, Sri Lanka, and of former cu ...

was the

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

of Britain's

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

n colonies and protectorates between 1906 and 1920. It was divided into 100 cents. The rupee replaced the

Indian rupee The Indian rupee (symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 '' paise'' (Hindi plural; singular: ''paisa''). The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The Reserve ...

, which had previously circulated. In 1920, the rupee was revalued against sterling to a peg of 1 rupee = 2 shillings (1 florin). In East Africa, this was followed in the same year by the replacement of the rupee with the East African florin at par and then in 1921 by the

East African shilling The East African shilling was the Pound sterling, sterling unit of account in British Empire, British-controlled areas of East Africa from 1921 until 1969. It was issued by the East African Currency Board. It is also the proposed name for a com ...

at 2 shillings per florin or rupee. The currency is noteworthy for including the world's first

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

, the 1907 1 cent coin.

Coins

Silver coins were introduced for 25 and 50 cents in 1906, followed by the aluminium 1 cent and cupro-nickel 10 cent coins in 1907, the aluminium cent coin in 1908 and the cupro-nickel 5 cent coin in 1913. Cupro-nickel replaced aluminium in 1909.

Banknotes

In 1906, notes (the first dated 1905) were introduced by the Board of Commissioners of Currency, East Africa Protectorate in denominations of Rs. 5, Rs. 10, Rs. 20, Rs. 40, Rs. 100 and Rs. 500. In 1920, the East African Currency Board issued Re. 1 notes shortly before the rupee was replaced.

References

Global Financial Data currency histories table
(archived)

(archived)

(archived)

(archived) Modern obsolete currencies Currencies of Africa Currencies of the British Empire Currencies of Kenya Currencies of Tanzania Currencies of Uganda East Africa 1906 establishments in the British Empire 1920 disestablishments in the British Empire 20th century in Africa Rupee {{africa-hist-stub