Kanem is one of the 22 regions

Regions of Chad

||The country of Chad is currently divided into 22 régions. From independence in 1960 until 1999 it was divided into 14 préfectures. These were replaced in 1999 by 28 départements. The country was reorganized again in 2002 to produce 18 régions...

 of Chad

Chad

Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...

, corresponding to the former prefecture of Kanem

Kanem Prefecture

This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Kanem was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the west of the country, Kanem covered an area of 114,520 square kilometers and had a population of 279,927 in 1993. Its capital...

. Its capital is Mao

Mao, Chad

Mao is a city in Chad, the capital of the Kanem Region and of the department also named Kanem.As in other Chadian regions, Mao is ruled by both a traditional Sultan and by central government officials...

. It is named after the famous Kanem Empire

Kanem Empire

The Kanem Empire was located in the present countries of Chad, Nigeria and Libya. At its height it encompassed an area covering not only much of Chad, but also parts of southern Libya , eastern Niger and north-eastern Nigeria...

, which was centered in this vicinity.

The region of Kanem is divided into 3 departments

Departments of Chad

The regions of Chad are divided into 53 departments. The departments are listed below, by region:-Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Region:*Borkou*Ennedi Est*Ennedi Ouest*Tibesti-Chari-Baguirmi Region:*Baguirmi*Chari*Loug Chari-Logone Occidental Region:*Dodjé...

:

Departement	Capital	Sub-prefectures
Kanem	Mao Mao, Chad Mao is a city in Chad, the capital of the Kanem Region and of the department also named Kanem.As in other Chadian regions, Mao is ruled by both a traditional Sultan and by central government officials...	Mao Mao, Chad Mao is a city in Chad, the capital of the Kanem Region and of the department also named Kanem.As in other Chadian regions, Mao is ruled by both a traditional Sultan and by central government officials... , Kekedina, Melea, Wadjigui
Nord Kanem	Nokou	Nokou, Rig Rig, Ziguey, Ntiona
Wadi Bissam	Mondo	Mondo, Am Doback

Demography

The population of the region was 280,804 in 1993, of whom 269,846 were settled (rural: 239,104; urban: 30,742) and 10,956 were nomads.

The principal ethnico-linguistic groups are the Daza

Daza

The Daza people are a semi-nomadic ethnicity living primarily in the Sahara regions of south-eastern Niger and north and central Chad. They consider themselves a warrior people, and are almost entirely Muslim. The Daza speak the Dazaga language. The increasing desertification of Africa has resulted...

 (48,25 %), the Kanembu (40,54 %) and Baggara Arabs (4,97 %).

See also

• Kanem-Bornu Empire
  Kanem-Bornu Empire
  The Kanem-Bornu Empire existed in modern Chad and Nigeria. It was known to the Arabian geographers as the Kanem Empire from the 9th century AD onward and lasted as the independent kingdom of Bornu until 1900. At its height it encompassed an area covering not only much of Chad, but also parts of...