Marilyn Neumann, age 12, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her questions

Where is Timbuktu?

 In everyday speech, Timbuktu represents some out‑of‑the‑way place nobody his visited or wishes to visit. But there is a real Timbuktu, although its name is spelled somewhat differently, You will find it on a map of French West .Xrica and it is spelled Tombouctou.

This Tombouctou is home to some 7,000 native Africans. It is in the big bulge of Africa, due north from the Gold Coast. To the north of it is the sandy Sahara. In one area, the Niger river turns the sandy desert into a tropical wonderland and. marks the southern boundary of the Sahara.

The real Tombouctou stands on the northern brink of the Niger river at a point where the stream swells to form a number of small lakes, It is possible to reach this out.‑of‑the‑way place by boat or by plane. And, from the looks of things, it could be quite a charming place to visit.