Before it was known as Ethiopia, the country was historically known as Abyssinia. The toponym Abyssinia was derived from the Latinized form of the ancient Habash. The name Ethiopia was primarily used in reference to the modern-day nation of Sudan, which is based in the Upper Nile valley and is located south of Egypt, also called Kush, and then secondarily in reference to Sub-Saharan Africa in general. The name change from Abyssinia to Ethiopia is not clear, but Ethiopians had always referred to their country or empire as "Ethiopia".