section_path: Etymology
section_name: Etymology
paragraph_text: Etymology
  
  The country's name Sudan is a name given historically to the large Sahel region of West Africa to the immediate west of modern-day Sudan. Historically, Sudan referred to both the geographical region, stretching from Senegal on the Atlantic Coast to Northeast Africa and the modern Sudan.
  
  The name derives from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān (بلاد السودان), or "The Land of the Blacks ". The name is one of various toponyms sharing similar etymologies, in reference to the very dark skin of the indigenous people. Prior to this, Sudan was known as Nubia and Ta Nehesi or Ta Seti by Ancient Egyptians named for the Nubian and Medjay archers or bowmen.
  
  Since 2011, Sudan is also sometimes referred to as North Sudan to distinguish it from South Sudan.