Irrawaddy River

All you want to know about Irrawaddy River

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2008)


Ayeyarwaddy (ဧရာဝတီမြစ်)
Irrawaddy
none Temporary farming settlements on islands of Ayeyarwady River
Temporary farming settlements on islands of Ayeyarwady River
Country Burma
Major cities Mandalay, Bagan, Bhamo
Length 2,170 km (1,348 mi)
Watershed 411,000 km² (158,688 sq mi)
Primary source Mali River
Other source N'Mai
Mouth Indian Ocean

The Ayeyarwady River or Irrawaddy River (Burmese: ဧရာဝတီမြစ်; MLCTS: ei: ra wa. ti mrac) is a river that flows from north to south of Burma (Myanmar). It is the country's largest river (about 1350 miles or 2170 km long) and its most important commercial waterway, with a drainage area of about 158,700 square miles (411,000 km²).

Contents

Etymology

The names Irrawaddy and Ayeyarwady are believed to have derived either from the Sanskrit name Iravati, a sacred river and minor goddess in Indian mythology, or from her son Airavata, the elephant mount of Indra.

The Irrawaddy gives its name to a dolphin, the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), which is found in the upper reaches of the river and known to help fishermen who practise cast-net fishing. Though sometimes called the Irrawaddy River Dolphin, it is not a true river dolphin, since it is also found at sea.[1][2]

Source

The Ayeyarwaddy starts in the north of Kachin State, at the confluence of the Mali Hka and N'Mai Hka rivers. The western Mali Hka branch arises from the end of the southern Himalayas, north of Putao, and (like the main river) is called Nam Kiu in the Shan language.

Course

The Ayeyarwaddy River bisects the country from north to south and empties through a nine-armed Irrawaddy Delta into the Indian Ocean. In colonial times, before railways and automobiles, the river was known as the "Road to Mandalay". Although navigable by large vessels to Myitkyina for a distance over 1600 km from the ocean, the river is also full of sandbanks and islands, making such navigation difficult.

Defiles

The upper reaches of the Ayeyarwady is well known for its three narrow gorges between Myitkyina and Mandalay.

  1. The first defile lies 65 km (40 miles) downstream from Myitkyina.
  2. The second defile, after it leaves Bhamo and makes a sharp turn west to cut through limestone rocks. It is about 90 m (300 ft) wide at its narrowest, and flanked by vertical cliffs from 60 to 90 m (200-300 ft) high.
  3. The third defile lies about 100 km (60 miles) north of Mandalay near Mogok.[3]

Tributaries

  1. Shweli River
  2. Myitnge River
  3. Mu River
  4. Chindwin River

Economy and Politics

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2008)

Major cities and towns

Ayeyarwady River from Sagaing Hill, Sagaing
Ayeyarwady River from Sagaing Hill, Sagaing

The river flows through the following cities:

Bridges

Built in 1934, the Ava Bridge near Sagaing was the only bridge over the Ayeyarwady until 1998.
Built in 1934, the Ava Bridge near Sagaing was the only bridge over the Ayeyarwady until 1998.

The Ava (Innwa) Bridge, a 16 span rail and road cantilever bridge built by the British colonial government in 1934, was the only bridge to span the Ayeyarwady until recent times when a spate of bridge construction has been carried out by the government.[4][5]

  1. Ayeyarwady Bridge (Yadanabon) just upstream from the old Ava Bridge at Sagaing
  2. Bala Min Htin Bridge over the N'Mai Hka at Myitkyina, November 1998
  3. Anawrahta Bridge at Chauk, April 2001 [6]
  4. Ayeyarwady-Magway Bridge at Magway
  5. Bo Myat Tun Bridge at Nyaungdon, November 1999
  6. Nawaday Bridge at Pyay, September 1997
  7. Maubin Bridge at Maubin, February 1998
  8. Ayeyarwady-Dedaye Bridge at Dedaye[7]

Gallery

The new Ayeyarwady Bridge (Yadanabon) at Sagaing, Ava Bridge behind

River Irrawaddy with Mandalay Hill on the east bank

Travelling on the great river

Traditional rivercraft on the Irrawaddy

An island village on the Irrawaddy stays above water on stilts during the monsoons

Bamboo rafts by the Irrawaddy

Market on the west bank at Mingun

Buffalo pulling logs from the Irrawaddy at Mandalay

The great river at Mingun

Bamboo raft sailing down the Irrawaddy

Woman sailing in small boat along the west bank at Mingun

Notes

  1. ^ Brian D Smith et al. Asian Marine Biology 1997:Investigation of Cetaceans in the Ayeyarwady River and Northern Coastal Waters of Myanmar. Hong Kong University Press, 173. Retrieved on 2008-10-06. 
  2. ^ Tint Tun. "Irrawaddy Dolphin". Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
  3. ^ "Irrawaddy River". Encyclopaedia Britannica online. Retrieved on 2008-10-05.
  4. ^ ""Big Push" for Sustained Development". Perspective, August 2000. Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
  5. ^ "Roads and Bridges". Union Solidarity and Development Association April 7, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-10-06.
  6. ^ "Sr General Than Shwe attends opening of Anawrahta Bridge linking Chauk and Seikphyu on Ayeyawady River", The New Light of Myanmar, April 5, 2001. Retrieved on 2008-10-06. 
  7. ^ "The Nation's Longest Bridge Inaugurated". Perspective, November 1999. Retrieved on 2008-10-06.

External links

Coordinates: 15°50′N 95°06′E / 15.833, 95.1

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayeyarwady_River"

No comments have been added.



Your name:

City:

Country:

Your comments:

Security check *
(Please enter the number into adjoining box)

 

  • Ads

           
eXTReMe Tracker