The Sittaung River ( ; formerly, the Sittang or Sittoung) is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in south central Myanmar in
Bago Division
Bago Region (, ; formerly Pegu Division and Bago Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar, 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 a ...
. The
Pegu Range separates its basin from that of the
Irrawaddy. The river originates at the edge of the
Shan Hills southeast of
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553.
Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...
, and flows southward to the
Gulf of Martaban
The Gulf of Martaban () or the Gulf of Mottama is an arm of the Andaman Sea in the southern part of Myanmar (Burma). The gulf is named after the port city of Mottama (formerly known as Martaban). The Sittaung, Salween and Yangon rivers empty in ...
. Its length is and its mean annual discharge is around per year.
Basin
Although it flows through fairly flat country, the Sittaung has a notorious
tidal bore
A tidal bore, often simply given as bore in context, is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave (or waves) of water that travels up a river or narrow bay, reversing the direction of the river or bay's cu ...
at its mouth which has precluded any but very small craft navigating the river. The river is navigable for year-round and for during three months of the year. The Sittaung empties into the
Gulf of Martaban
The Gulf of Martaban () or the Gulf of Mottama is an arm of the Andaman Sea in the southern part of Myanmar (Burma). The gulf is named after the port city of Mottama (formerly known as Martaban). The Sittaung, Salween and Yangon rivers empty in ...
where the tide-dominated coast is a
Ramsar wetland of international importance.
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 encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
as the Irrawaddy because there is no soil flowing down from the
Shan Hills.
See also
*
Battle of Sittang Bridge in 1942
References
External links
Image of mouth on satellite
Rivers of Myanmar
{{Myanmar-river-stub