Meaning

noun an ancient region of northeastern Africa (southern Egypt and northern Sudan) on the Nile; much of Nubia is now under Lake Nasser

originThe origin of this word is contested. At root it is probably a geographical rather than an ethnic designation. (See Nubians § Etymology on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ). The related term Noba was used (with some uncertainty even among the writers as to its meaning) both for a people already living in the area and for those who conquered it in the 4th century CE.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0