The country's name ''Sudan'' is a name given to a geographical region to the south of the Sahara, stretching from Western Africa to eastern Central Africa. The name derives from the Arabic '''' (), or "The Land of the Blacks". The name is one of some toponyms sharing similar etymologies, ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants. The term "Sudanese" had an association with black Africans. The idea of "Sudanese" nationalism goes back to the 1930s and 1940s.