Ashantiland (Ashanti: Asanteman) formerly known as the Ashanti Empire, is the name given to the homeland of the Ashanti people on the Gulf of Guinea. The territory spans the border between the Black Volta River in the north; Lake Volta in the east, the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and the Ivory Coast to the west. It is the oldest documented Akan name for the greater area they inhabit, dating to the 12th century.