Baguirmi () is a department of Chad, one of three in the Chari-Baguirmi Region. It takes its name from the kingdom of Baguirmi. Its capital is Massenya. Geography The surface of the department, which lies about above sea-level, is almost flat with a very slight inclination north to Lake Chad. It forms part of what seems to be the basin of an immense lake, of which Chad is the remnant. The soil is clay. Numerous tributaries of the river Chari River flow through the department, but much of the water is absorbed by swamps and sand-obstructed channels, and seasons of drought are recurrent. The southern part of the district is the most fertile. Under French colonial rule the capital was Chekna, on a tributary of the Chari. Fort Lamy (actually N'Djamena) at the confluence of the Logone and Chari, and Fort de Cointet on the middle Shari, were French outposts around which towns grew. Native fauna and flora Among the trees the acacia and the dum-palm are common. Various kinds of rubber vine are found. Rice grows wild, as do several kinds of Poa grass (both of which are also cultivated). The fauna includes the elephant, hippopotamus, lion and several species of antelope. Ants are very numerous. History The Bagirmese according to their own traditions, came from the east several centuries ago, a tradition borne out by their language, which resembles those spoken on the White Nile. On their arrival they appear to have taken the place of the Bulala dynasty. They subdued the Fula and Arabs already settled in the district, and after being converted to Islam under Abdullah, their fourth king (about 1600), they extended their authority over a large number of tribes living to the south and east. The most important of these tribes were the Saras, Gaberi, Somrai, Gulla, Nduka, Nuba and Sokoro, who were repeatedly raided by the Bagirmese for slaves. In 1911 polygamy was still general in upper Bagirmi, where some traces of a matriarchal stage of society lingered, one small state being called Beled-el-Mra, "Women's Land", because its ruler was always a queen. Bagirmi became known to Europe by the travels of Dixon Denham (1823), Heinrich Earth (1852), who was imprisoned by the Bagirmese for some time, Gustav Nachtigal (1872), and P. Matteucci and A. M. Massari (1881). The country in 1871 had been conquered by the sultan of Wadai, and about 1890