The Sudan
The Sudan, from the Arabic bilād as-sūdān "land of the Blacks", is a geographic region in northern Africa, extending south of the Sahel, from Mali (also once known as French Sudan) into the country of Sudan. This region receives more rainfall than the Sahel, and is suitable to farming. South of the Sudan are the tropical forests.
The Sudan is also the traditional name of the nation of Sudan (formerly "The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan") in Africa; however, in recent years the definite article has increasingly been dropped in common usage.