The Kanem Empire (ca.

700 - 1376) is located in the present countries of Chad, Nigeria and Libya.

At its height it encompasses an area covering not only much of Chad, but also parts of southern Libya (Fezzan) and eastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria and northern Cameroon.

The history of the Empire is mainly known from the Royal Chronicle or Girgam discovered in 1851 by the German traveler Heinrich Barth.