Geography lesson

The poverty of geographic education in this country related by B.L. Turner in the opinion-page column ``Bring geography back to American universities,'' Nov. 19, is underscored by a map of Africa appearing in the ``News in Brief'' section of the same issue. Under the heading ``President of Djibouti dissolved government'' appears a map of Africa, on which one is led to assume the territory comprising the country of Djibouti is shaded. I really don't know what the shaded area is supposed to represent, since it coincides with no present or previous political territory on that continent, but it is most assuredly not Djibouti. William A. Courson Montclair, N.J. -Editor's note: The shaded area was intended to represent an enlarged depiction of Djibouti, situated on the east coast of Africa, as the small arrow attempted to indicate.-

Cries from Africa The tone of the article ``Stylish retreat for safari-goers near the foot of Mt. Kenya,'' Nov. 17, is appalling. Ironically, a short news brief, ``Kenya closes university amid riots over arrests,'' appeared in the same issue with the full-page article on the ``stylish retreat.''

That these two articles appeared in the same issue only heightens the effete elitism of the featured ``stylish retreat.''

One would hope that the ``club regulars'' at this representative of ``the last bastions of the vanishing art of gracious living'' might be able to hear more than ``the sounds of birds, crickets, and distant wild animals'' while they ``sit around and admire the view.''

If these idle guests listen hard enough when they run out of such diversions as eating two-hour lunches, shopping for fur handbags and ivory jewelry, and luxuriating in front of a roaring fire, perhaps they will hear the ``distant'' sound of human cries. Cries for education, as the article on the closing of Nairobi University attests; cries for food; cries for shelter; cries for clothing; cries for basic human dignity.

What's so admirable about the Mt. Kenya retreat's being ``rated among the world's top 10 most exclusive clubs''? Helen Borgens San Diego

Maddocks to Thailand? The juxtaposition of Kristin Helmore's article ``A walk around steamy Nong Khai,'' emphasizing the heat in Thailand, and Melvin Maddocks's column ``Baptism by snow - it happens every year!'' bemoaning the first snow and cold weather, Nov. 18, suggests the obvious: Mr. Maddocks should move to Thailand. But only if he can file his column from there, please; I would not want to lose it. Bruce H. Morgan Annapolis, Md.