Ray Rickard, age 8, of Hazel Green, Ala., for his question:

WHERE IS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE?

If you were to draw an imaginary line from Melbourne, Fla., to Bermuda and then extend it to Puerto Rico before returning it to Florida, you would be charting the area of about 440,000 square miles that has come to be known as the Bermuda Triangle.

The area of ocean off the southeastern coast of Florida has also been called the Devil's Triangle. Since 1854, more than 50 ships and aircraft have vanished in this area.

Many people say that the disappearances happened under mysterious circumstances. Often those who vanished did so without giving a warning  and without leaving a trace.

Some scientists say that perhaps violent, unexpected storms or downward air currents destroyed the ships and planes. And they point out that military and commercial craft cross this area safely almost every day.