I would suppose Timbuktu is another toponym then, like Siberia. It's used to mean the ends of the earth, connoting a far-off, imaginary place.

The real reason I'm posting this is to let you guys know about the "real" Timbuktu.

Timbuktu does actually exist, sort of. You can find it on a map. Timbuktu is a major city in Mali (western Africa). It was made famous for its position on major trade routes in the thirteenth century, if not earlier.

The name is a quandary all its own. (As told to my African studies class by a guy from Mali, whose family is one of the ancestral ruling families ...) While "Timbuktu" is the most common spelling you'll find, it's a bastardized version of the real name. The actual name of this place is Tonbuktu. I can't be sure of the spelling, since it was explained orally, but it's pronounced tawn*buck*too. The pronunciation of the French version (Mali was a French colony for a while), Tombouctou, comes close to this.

According to this guy, it's from "ton," meaning "well" (from which you draw water), and "Buktu," some chick. So it's the well of Buktu. Apparently there was this particular well, on the trade routes, and it took on a life of its own ...




Eat a live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse can happen to you the rest of the day.

Eat a live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse can happen to you the rest of the day.