Timbuktu
Pronunciation: /ˌtɪmbʌkˈtuː/
(also Timbuctoo)
- a town in northern Mali; population 35,600 (est. 2009). It was formerly a major trading centre for gold and salt on the trans-Saharan trade routes, reaching the height of its prosperity in the 16th century but falling into decline after its capture by the Moroccans in 1591. French name Tombouctou.
- used in reference to a remote or extremely distant place: from here to Timbuktu