The Irrawaddy River

myanmar · rivers · southeast asia · waterways

Myanmar's lifeline. The Irrawaddy River is the most important river in Myanmar, running straight through the middle of the country for about 1,350 miles from north to south.

Born from two rivers. The Irrawaddy starts where two other rivers called the N'mai and Mali meet in the mountains, then flows all the way down to empty into the Andaman Sea.

Home to millions. The river's drainage basin covers more than 60% of Myanmar's land and contains five of the country's biggest cities, making it super important for where people live and work.

Trade superhighway. This is Myanmar's most important commercial waterway, meaning boats and ships use it constantly to carry goods and people up and down the country.

Absolutely massive basin. The area that drains water into the Irrawaddy covers about 156,000 square miles, which is bigger than the entire state of California.