Sittang River
Encyclopedia
The Sittaung is a river
in south central Myanmar
in Bago Division
. The Pegu Range
separates its basin from that of the Irrawaddy. The river originates at the edge of the Shan Plateau
southeast of Mandalay
, and flows southward to the Gulf of Martaban
. Its length is 420 km and its mean annual discharge is around 50 cubic kilometers per year.
Although it flows through fairly flat country, the Sittaung has a notorious tidal
bore at its mouth which has precluded any but very small craft navigating the river. The river is navigable for 40 km year round and for 90 km during three months of the year. The river is used primarily to float timber south for export. Strong currents make the river even less valuable as a means of transport in eastern Burma. Its basin does not have the same richness for agriculture
as the Irrawaddy because there is no soil flowing from the Himalayas
.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in south central Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
in Bago Division
Bago Division
Bago Region is an administrative region of Burma, located in the southern central part of the country. It is bordered by Magway Region and Mandalay Region to the north; Kayin State, Mon State and the Gulf of Martaban to the east; Yangon Region to the south and Ayeyarwady Region and Rakhine State...
. The Pegu Range
Pegu Range
The Pegu Range is a range of low mountains or hills and uplands between the Irrawaddy and the Sittaung River in central Burma . The range runs from Mount Popa in the north to Singguttara Hill in the south...
separates its basin from that of the Irrawaddy. The river originates at the edge of the Shan Plateau
Shan Plateau
The Shan Plateau, in the Shan State of eastern Burma, is the primary source of the nation's sapphires, rubies and other gems for which Burma is famous. The plateau averages about 3,000 feet in elevation, and is sparsely populated. The Salween River runs through the region, which is also a principal...
southeast of Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
, and flows southward to the Gulf of Martaban
Gulf of Martaban
The Gulf of Martaban is an arm of the Andaman Sea in the southern part of Burma. The gulf is named after the port city of Mottama . The Salween Sittaung and Yangon rivers empty into it....
. Its length is 420 km and its mean annual discharge is around 50 cubic kilometers per year.
Although it flows through fairly flat country, the Sittaung has a notorious tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
bore at its mouth which has precluded any but very small craft navigating the river. The river is navigable for 40 km year round and for 90 km during three months of the year. The river is used primarily to float timber south for export. Strong currents make the river even less valuable as a means of transport in eastern Burma. Its basin does not have the same richness for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
as the Irrawaddy because there is no soil flowing from the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
.