Timbuktu is located on the southern edge of
theSahara Desert15 km north of the main channel
of the River Niger. The town is surrounded by sand dunes and the streets are
covered in sand. The port of Kabara is 8 km to the south of the town and
is connected to an arm of the river by a 3 km canal. The canal had become
heavily silted but in 2007 it was dredged as part of a Libyan financed project.
