Timbuktu, French Tombouctou, city in the western African country of Mali, historically important as a trading post on the trans-Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture.For more than 600 years, Timbuktu was a significant religious, cultural and commercial center whose residents traveled throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. Timbuktu was famous for educating important scholars who were well known throughout the Islamic world.
The Civil War<span> was the first </span>war<span> in which </span>railroads were<span> a major factor. The 1850s had seen enormous growth in the </span>railroad industry<span> so that by 1861, 22,000 miles of track had been laid in the Northern states and 9,500 miles in the South.</span>
