Bornu (historical region)

This article is about the historical region. For the modern Nigerian state, see Borno State. For the empire, see Kanem–Bornu Empire.

Bornu or Borno is a precolonial historical region in West Africa, located southwest of Lake Chad. In the modern day, most of Bornu is located in northeastern Nigeria (largely in Borno State and Yobe State), with smaller portions also in southern Niger, southern Chad, and northern Cameroon.

Bornu has been inhabited since at least c. 1800 BCE and has yielded archaeological finds belonging to the successive Gajigenna (19th–6th century BCE) and Sao (6th century BCE–14th century) cultures. From the 14th century onwards, Bornu was the heartland of the Kanem–Bornu Empire, which lasted until European colonisation during the Scramble for Africa in the early 20th century.


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