The Yangon River is formed by the confluence of the Pegu

Bago River

Bago River is a river of southern Burma. It flows through Bago and Yangon. It arises in the hills of the Pegu Range and flows into the Myitmaka River which below that point is called the Yangon River.-References:...

 and Myitmaka

Myitmaka River

-See also:*List of rivers of Burma...

 rivers and is a marine estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 that runs from Yangon

Yangon

Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...

(also known as Rangoon) emptying into 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....

 of the Andaman Sea

Andaman Sea

The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....

. The channel

Channel (geography)

In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...

 is navigable by ocean-going vessels and thus plays a critical role in the economy of Burma.

The Twante Canal

Twante Canal

The Twante Canal is a canal that connects the Irrawaddy River and the Yangon river in Myanmar. The canal is a heavily used short cut between the city of Yangon and the Irrawaddy Division. The canal is named after the town of Twante, located near the canal's mid-way point...

 connects the Yangon River with the Irrawaddy Delta

Irrawaddy Delta

The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Ayeyarwady Region , the lowest expanse of land in Burma that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, 290 km to the south at the mouth of the Ayeyarwady River...

 or Ayeyarwady Delta, once known as 'the rice bowl of Asia'. It comprises 1000 square miles (2,590 km²) of lush teak plantations and mangrove swamps, many of which have now been cleared in favour of rice production.