Irrawaddy

Geography

Irrawaddy is the principal river of the Burma. In the north of the country, close to the town of Myitkyina, the Mali rivers and Nmai are linked, therefore forming Irrawaddy. An important source is also Tarong which is born in the extreme south-east from the Tibet in the mountains from the the Himalayas.

During its first kilometers Irrawaddy passes by a mountainous territory not far from the Chinese border. Then it crosses the vast Burmese central plain. Finally, the river is thrown in the Mer of Andaman, a sea tributary of the Indian Ocean. The vast delta of the mouth grows up to 60 meters towards the south each year.

The most important affluent of Irrawaddy is the Chindwin. Among the other affluents are for example Driven and Myitnge.

The lower course of the river belongs to the habitat of the Dauphin Irrawaddy, a seriously threatened species.

Principal cities

Among the principal cities located on Irrawaddy are inter alia:

Myitkyina
Mandalay
Myingyan
Pakokku
Chauk
Yenangyaung
Prome
Henzada

Rangoon (Yangon), the Burmese capital is also located near the delta of Irrawaddy. A branch of the river passes this metropolis.

Cultural and economic importance

The majority of the Burmese population live in the catchment area of Irrawaddy. During much of centuries the river was the only great transportation route between the North and the South of Burma. Thus it was called “ road to Mandalay ” during the colonial era. Even today, there remains the main axis between the most important cities. The river is accessible to the ships until Bhamo and the small boats even further upstream. The river basin of Irrawaddy is an important area for the culture of rice. There exists also tourism still rather modest along the river.

The name of the river comes from old the Sanskrit Airavati meaning “river of the elephants”.

See too

List of rivers in the world

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