SACCATOO, or SOCOTO, a kingdom of Soodan, in Central Africa, stretching from about N. Lat. 7. to 13. E. Long. 5. to 15., between the kingdoms of Borneo and Bagirmi on the E., and that of Gando on the W. It occupies the country formerly known as the kingdom of Houssa; but the conquest of this and the adjacent regions by the Fellatas has changed the political relations of the country. This people, who are the most intelligent of all the African races, and who profess the Mohammedan religion, are believed to have originally dwelt in the remote east; but this period is involved in impenetrable darkness; and when they first made their appearance as conquerors they came from the west, apparently from the Senegal. As early as the sixteenth century they were in sufficient numbers on the east side of the Kuara (Niger) to be of some consequence in the civil wars of these countries; and in the early part of the seventeenth century they had formed some settlements as far east as Lake Tsad. But they were too much scattered and disunited to have much power; and they were subject to the native heathen tribes of the country until the beginning of the present century. Othman, or Danfodio, one of the Fellata chieftains, who exercised the office of imam at a village near Wurno, succeeded in inspiring his countrymen with a fresh religious impulse, and marshalled them under his colours for a crusade against the unbelievers. Though at first defeated in almost every encounter, yet the warlike spirit of fanaticism grew so high that Othman obtained for himself an extensive empire. This he divided, on his death in 1816, into two parts, Gando and Saccatoo; the former he left to his brother Abd Allahi, the latter to his son Mohammed Bello. This sultan, one of the most distinguished rulers in Soodan, overcame the dangers that threatened his throne from the subject native tribe and the rivalry of surrounding potentates, and endeavoured to introduce order into his dominions. He was succeeded in 1832 by his brother Atiku, under whom the prosperous state of the country continued; but in the reign of his nephew and successor Aliu, the present monarch, who ascended the throne in 1837, great internal disturbance took place, which the weakness of the government was unable to quell, and which brought the country into a wretched condition. It is true that the kingdom includes, with one exception, the same number of provinces as in its most thriving condition, but the revenue has much fallen off, and the provinces have so loose a connection with one another as to be virtually almost independent states. The greater part of the kingdom of Saccatoo lies in the obtuse angle between the Kuara (Niger) flowing from the N.W., and its affluent the Benue or Tchadda from the east. The former river does not touch the country at all, but flows at some distance nearly parallel to its frontier; the latter forms part of its southern boundary, and in the upper part of its course flows through the province of Adamana, which, however, may be almost regarded as an independent kingdom. The greater part of the country is watered by tributaries of the Kuara, the chief of which is the Rima or Kebbi, in the N.W. of the kingdom. In the N.E. portion, however, there are many rivers which belong to the basin of Lake Tsad. The province which contains Saccatoo and Wurno, the principal town, lies in the N.W. extremity
Sacchetti of the country, and is composed of portions of two once very extensive provinces, Kebbi and Sanfara. In it is a small desert tract called Gundumi. Katsena, which lies farther to the S.E., is one of the finest regions in the whole of Soodan. It occupies the watershed between the Niger and Lake Tsad, and consists of an undulating hilly country, with innumerable small rivers. The air is salubrious. Pop. about 300,000. Kano, which lies to the E. of this province, includes a large extent of extremely fertile country, and has a population of more than 400,000, about half of them slaves. Industry and trade are in a flourishing condition here. Still farther east lie the provinces of Katagum, Schera, and Messau, which are in no way remarkable. The provinces already named occupy the whole northern part of the kingdom. To the south of them lie the extensive provinces of Segseg and Bantschi. The former is an exceedingly fertile country, covered with luxuriant corn-fields and meadows of the richest green, variegated with pleasant hills and valleys. Rice is produced here in great abundance. Adamana, the most easterly of all the provinces, is almost an independent state, and is nearly isolated from the rest of the kingdom by the surrounding tribes. Part of this province is mountainous, and still occupied by the native heathens, the Mohammedan conquerors having only a few detached settlements in the country. The residence of the sultan of Saccatoo is at Wurno, but the official capital is the neighbouring town of Saccatoo, on the left bank of the Rima. It was founded in 1803 by Othman, the original conqueror of the country, and is surrounded with walls from 20 to 30 feet high. Entrance is afforded by eight gates, which are closed at sunset. The streets are pretty regularly laid out; and the town contains two large mosques, one of which is 800 feet long, richly adorned and supported by wooden pillars. There is also an extensive palace and a bazaar. The surrounding country is flat and marshy, but of much fertility; and the river abounds in fish. Saccatoo has important manufactures of leather, hardware, and cotton fabrics. The trade is also very extensive; and it is said that British exchequer bills are current here. Large caravans of salt arrive annually from among the Tuariks of the Sahara. It was at Saccatoo that the unfortunate traveller Clapperton died, April 13, 1827. Pop. from 20,000 to 22,000.