Online Encyclopedia
Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.
IRRAWADDY, or IRAWADI
Online EncyclopediaEncyclopedia Home :: INV-JED
del.icio.us it!
|
See also:IRRAWADDY, or IRAWADI , the See also:principal See also:river in the See also:province of See also:Burma, traversing the centre of the See also:country, and practically See also:running throughout its entire course in See also:British territory. It is formed by the confluence of the Mali and N'See also:mai See also:rivers (usually called Mali-kha and N'mai-kha, the kha being the Kachin word for river) in 25° 45' N. The N'mai is the eastern See also:branch. The definite position of its source is still uncertain, and it seems to be made up of a number of considerable streams, all rising within a See also:short distance of each other in about 28° 30' N. It is shown on some maps as the Lu river of See also:Tibet; but it is now quite certain that the Tibetan Lu river is the See also:Salween, and that the N'mai has its source or See also:sources near the See also:southern boundary of Tibet, to the See also:north-See also:east or east of the source of the Mali. At the confluence the N'mai is larger than the Mali. The See also:general width of its channel seems to be 350 or 400 yds. during this See also:part of its course. In the rains this channel is filled up, but in the See also:cold See also:weather the See also:average breadth is from 15o to 200 yds. The N'mai is practically unnavigable. The Mali is the western branch. Like the See also:main river, it is called Nam Kiu by the See also:Shans. It rises in the hills to the north of the Hkamti country, probably in about 28° 30' N. Between Hkamti and the country comparatively See also:close to the confluence little or nothing is known of it, but it seems to run in a narrow channel through continuous hills. The highest point on the Mali reached from the See also:south by See also:Major Hobday in 1891 was Ting Sa, a See also:village a little off the river, in 26° 15' N. About r m. above the confluence it is 150 yds. wide in See also:January and Iq ft. deep, with a current of 31 M. an See also:hour. See also:Steam launches can only ascend from See also:Myitkyina to the confluence in the height of the rains. Native boats ascend to Laikaw or Sawan 26° 2' N., all the See also:year around, but can get no farther at any See also:season. From the confluence the river flows in a southerly direction as far as See also:Bhamo, then turns See also:west as far as the confluence of the Kaukkwe stream, a little above See also:Katha, where it again turns in a southerly direction, and maintains this in its general course through Upper and See also:Lower Burma, though it is somewhat tortuous immediately below See also:Mandalay. Just below the confluence of the Mali and N'mai rivers the Irrawaddy is from 420 to 450 yds. wide and about 30 ft. deep in January at its deepest point. Here it flows between hills, and after passing the See also:Manse and Mawkan rapids, reaches See also:plain country and expands to nearly, 50o yds. at Sakap. At Myitkyina it is split into two channels by Naungtalaw See also:island, the western channel being 60o yds. wide and the eastern 200. The latter is quite dry in the hot season. At Kat-kyo, 5 or 6 m. below Myitkyina, the width is r000 yds., and below this it varies from 60o yds. to 4 m. at different points. Three See also:miles below Sinbo the third See also:defile is entered by a channel not more than 50 yds. wide, and below this, throughout the defile, it is never wider than 250 yds., and averages about See also:loo. At the " See also:Gates of the Irrawaddy " at Poshaw two See also:prism-shaped rocks narrow the river to 50 yds., and the See also:water See also:banks up in the See also:middle with a whirlpool on each See also:side of the raised pathway. All See also:navigation ceases here in the floods. The defile ends at Hpatin, and below this the river widens out to a wet-season channel of 2 m., and a breadth in the dry season of about 1 m. At Sinkan, below Bhamo, the second defile begins. It is not so narrow nor is the current so strong as in the third defile. The narrowest See also:place is more than roo yds. wide. The hills are higher, but the defile is much shorter. At Shwegu the river leaves the hills and becomes a broad stream, flowing through a wide plain. The first defile is tame compared with the others. The river merely flows between See also:low hills or high wooded banks. The banks are covered at this point with dense vegetation, and slope down to the water's edge. Here and there are places which are almost perpendicular, but are covered with See also:forest growth. The course of the Irrawaddy after receiving the See also:waters of the Myit-nge at See also:Sagaing, as far as 17° N. See also:lat., is exceedingly tortuous; the See also:line of Lower Burma is crossed in 19° 29' 3" N. lat., 95° 15' E. See also:long., the breadth of the river here being 4 m.; about 11 m. lower down it is nearly 3 M. broad. At Akauktaung, where a See also:spur of the See also:Arakan hills end in a precipice 300 ft. high, the river enters the See also:delta, the hills giving place to low alluvial plains, now protected on the west by embankments. From 17° N. lat. the Irrawaddy divides and subdivides, converting the lower portion of its valley into a network of intercommunicating tidal creeks. It reaches the See also:sea in 15° 50' N. lat. and 95 8' E. long., by nine principal mouths. The only ones used by sea-going See also:ships are the See also:Bassein and See also:Rangoon mouths. The See also:area of the catchment See also:basin of the Irrawaddy is r58,000 sq. m.; its See also:total length from its known source to the sea is about 1300 M. As far down as Akauk-taung in See also:Henzada See also:district its See also:bed is rocky, but below this sandy and muddy. It is full of islands and sandbanks; its waters are extremely muddy. and the mud is carried far out to sea. The river commences to rise in See also: During the dry season the larger boats are always liable to run on sandbanks, more especially in See also:November and See also:December, when new channels are forming after the river has been in flood. From Bhamo up to Sinbo no steamers can ply during the rains, that is to say, usually from June to November. From November to June small steamers can pass through the third defile from Bhamo to Sinbo. Between Sinbo and Myitkyina small launches can run all the year round. Above Myitkyina small steamers can reach the confluence' at the height of the flood with some difficulty, but when the water is lower they cannot pass the Mawkan rapid, just above Mawme, and the navigation of the river above Myitkyina is always difficult. The See also:journey from Bhamo to Sinbo can be made during the rains in native boats, but it is always difficult and sometimes dangerous. It is never done in less than five days and often takes twelve or more. As a natural source of See also:irrigation the value of the Irrawaddy is enormous, but the river supplies no artificial systems of irrigation. It is nowhere bridged, though crossed by two steam ferries to connect the railway See also:system on either See also:bank. (J. G. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML. Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide. |
|
|
[back] IROQUOIS |
[next] IRREDENTISTS |