Irrawaddy Delta
Encyclopedia
The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Ayeyarwady Region (formerly Ayeyarwady Division), the lowest expanse of land in Burma that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung
Myan Aung
Myan Aung is a town in the Ayeyarwady Region of south-west Burma. It is the seat of the Myanaung Township in the Hinthada District....

 to the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...

 and 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....

, 290 km to the south at the mouth of the Ayeyarwady River
Ayeyarwady River
The Irrawaddy River or Ayeyarwady River is a river that flows from north to south through Burma . It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Originating from the confluence of the N'mai and Mali rivers, it flows relatively straight North-South before emptying through...

. The delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...

 region is densely populated, and plays a dominant role in the cultivation of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

 in rich alluvial soil as low as just 3 meters above sea level, although it also includes fishing communities in a vast area full of rivers and streams. On 2 May 2008, the delta suffered a major disaster, devastated by Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis
Cyclone Nargis , was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma. The cyclone made landfall in Burma on Friday, May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,000 fatalities...

, which reportedly killed over at least 84,500 people with over 53,800 missing, and left about 2.4 million homeless.

Arms and terrain

The Irrawaddy Delta comprises the main arms of Pathein River, Pyapon River, Bogale River, and Toe River. Mawtin Point, formerly Cape Negrais
Cape Negrais
Cape Negrais is a cape in Burma , 193 kilometres from the Indian union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands....

, is a famous landmark in the Ayeyarwady Region, and it also marks the south west end of Myanmar. The highest point of the delta, Waphu Mount (1325 ft) lies between Pathein and Mawtin Zun (point), on the western strip of the delta. A major portion of the area is covered with low lying lands just 3m above sea level. This alluvial plain is bounded to the west by the Rakhine
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...

 Yoma and to the east by the Bago Yoma. It is dissected into peninsulas and islands by the large southward flowing rivers which are subject to tidal intrusion. The lower seaward third of the delta is completely flat with no local relief and stretches for 130 km from east to west.

The waters of these rivers are very turbid due to a heavy silt load they carry and the sea is very shallow with depths less than 5.5 m across the coastline and in the east for a distance of up to 28 km offshore. As a result of constant accretion into the sea, the delta is advancing at a rate of 5–6 km per 100 years, equivalent to about 1,000 hectares per year.

Climate

Annual rainfall in the delta region is approximately 2,500 mm (100 in), while it has a mean temperatures of 32 °C (90 °F). Most of the rain falls during the monsoons between mid-May and mid-November. It is cool and dry from mid-October to mid-February when temperatures begin to rise with premonsoon squalls in April and early May.

Ecosystems

Water purity lies within the pH
PH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 range of alkaline condition due to early natural resources and weak environmental control. Mangroves or Lamu and nipa palm or Dani are the major vegetation of the delta. Moreover, control of weeds is less active as local farmers make mats during the summer.
Destruction of mangroves and deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....

 in the coastal region due to the Cyclone Nargis put it more at risk in future.,.

Islands

The principal islands include Haingyi Kyun
Haigyi Island
Haigyi Island may refer to:*Haigyi Island , a town located in the Ayeyarwady Division of south west Burma*Haigyi Island , an island located in the Ayeyarwady Division of south west Burma...

, Leit Kyun (Turtle Island), Pyin Salu Kyun, and Meinmahla Kyun (Pretty Women Island).

Major cities

Major cities include Bogale
Bogale
Bogale is a small city located in the Bogale Township, Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar . It is located on the southwestern part of Myanmar/Burma on the mainland section of the country. It can be reached by both water transportation and by land....

, Maubin
Maubin
Ma-ubin or Maubin is a town in the Ayeyarwady Division of south-west Burma. It is the seat of the Ma-ubin Township in the Ma-ubin District. The population as of 1993 was 42,000...

, Myaungmya
Myaungmya
Myaungmya is a town in Myaungmya Township, Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar.The town is home to the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, a Seventh Day Adventist seminary and Myaungmya Education College....

, Moulmeingyun, Pantanaw
Pantanaw
Pantanaw is a town in the Ayeyarwady Region of south-west Myanmar. It is the seat of the Pantanaw Township in the Maubin District. It is the hometown of former United Nations Secretary-General U Thant and of the renowned artist U Ba Nyan....

, Pathein
Pathein
Pathein , also called Bassein, is a port city with a 2004 population estimated at 215,600, and the capital of the Ayeyarwady Region, Burma. It lies on the Pathein River , which is a western branch of the Irrawaddy River....

, Pyapon
Pyapon
Pyapon is a town and seat of Pyapon District in the Ayeyarwady Division of Myanmar, along the Pyapon River, a tributary of the Ayeyarwady River. It is located about 15 km inland from the Andaman Sea, about 75 miles south of the capital, Yangon. It has a population of approximately 300,000 in...

, Dedaye
Dedaye
Dedaye is a town in the Ayeyarwady Region of south-west Myanmar. It is the seat of the Dedaye Township in the Pyapon District....

 up to Twante, and Kyauktan Township
Kyauktan Township
Kyauktan Township is a township of Yangon Region, located in the southern section of the region.-External links:* map, Myanmar Information Management Unit...

.

Canals

There is no extensive system of irrigation or water transport canals except Twante Canal, constructed during the colonial period. It is much beneficial to the delta region for communication and commerce through water transportation with Yangon. Delta culture hence shifted to Yangon, its influence evident in places and products such as Bogale Market, Mortin Quarter, Yay Kyaw Quarter, Danubyu Restaurants, Pathein Halawa (halva
Halva
Halva refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.The term halva ,...

 dessert), Tinphyu mats from Pantanaw
Pantanaw
Pantanaw is a town in the Ayeyarwady Region of south-west Myanmar. It is the seat of the Pantanaw Township in the Maubin District. It is the hometown of former United Nations Secretary-General U Thant and of the renowned artist U Ba Nyan....

, and Pathein umbrella.

History

The delta was historically populated by the Mon
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...

. Politically, the area was controlled by Mon kingdoms prior to 1057, and after 1057, with few exceptions, by Burman
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...

 kingdoms farther up the Irrawaddy river. The control of the fertile area reverted back to Bago-based Mon kingdoms in the 13th to 16th centuries (1287–1539) and briefly in 18th century (1747–1757).

The delta was also where the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 got their first toe-hold of Burma. The British seized Haingyi Kyun or Negrais Island in 1753, after the Mon resisted their request to establish a trading post. The Burmese king Alaungpaya
Alaungpaya
Alaungpaya was king of Burma from 1752 to 1760, and the founder of the Konbaung Dynasty. By his death in 1760, the former chief of a small village in Upper Burma had reunified all of Burma, subdued Manipur, recovered Lan Na, and driven out the French and the English who had given help to the...

 ceded the island to the British in 1757 but retook the island in 1759 by force when the king felt he had been betrayed by the British in his war against the Mon. The 1825 battle of Danubyu in the delta was the last major stand by the Burmese against the advancing British forces in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). The delta was seized by the British in the Second Anglo-Burmese War
Second Anglo-Burmese War
The Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....

 of 1852 and became part of British Burma.

The British colonial administration drained the marshes and swamps that dominated the area, and built dykes and embankments starting from 1861 for rice cultivation as the Burmans began to migrate south into British Burma in search of greener pastures. The delta area has some 1,300 km of major embankments to protect 600,000 hectares of paddyland.

Inhabitants

It is mainly populated by farming and fishing communities in several villages besides market towns, mostly located along the main rivers. At 100 per km², it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country with a total population of 3.5 million. Current inhabitants include, apart from the Mon
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...

 and Bamar
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...

, a majority Pwo Kayin
Pwo Karen languages
The Pwo Karen languages are the second largest group of the Karen languages.There are four languages in this branch: Eastern Pwo Karen, Northern Pwo Karen, Western Pwo Karen, and Phrae Pwo Karen. They are not mutually intelligible....

, and Muslims.

Economy and development

The region is Myanmar's largest rice producer, so its infrastructure of road transportation has been greatly developed during the 1990s and 2000s. Two thirds of the total arable land is under rice cultivation with a yield of about 2,000-2,500 kg per hectare. Fishing is carried out from fixed fishing frames as well as from small boats. Prawn fishery and harvesting sea turtle eggs are also major commercial activities both of which are now threatened by the loss of mangrove forests as clearing of land proceeds for agriculture. Since communication throughout the delta is easiest by water, almost every household possesses a boat and major towns such as Bogale
Bogale
Bogale is a small city located in the Bogale Township, Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar . It is located on the southwestern part of Myanmar/Burma on the mainland section of the country. It can be reached by both water transportation and by land....

, Mawlamyinegyun
Mawlamyinegyun
Mawlamyinegyun , is a town in the Ayeyarwady Division of south-west Burma. It is the seat of the Mawlamyinegyun Township in the Myaungmya District.-External links:*...

 and Myaungmya
Myaungmya
Myaungmya is a town in Myaungmya Township, Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar.The town is home to the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, a Seventh Day Adventist seminary and Myaungmya Education College....

 are served by steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...

.

National heritage sites and nature reserves

Meinmahla Kyun Reservation is a national heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

 site as well as a natural habitat to many mangrove forests and diverse sea life. The Irrawaddy dolphin
Irrawaddy dolphin
The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.-Etymology and taxonomic history:...

 is not a true river dolphin native to the Delta region, but it was named after the river, and these sea dolphins are known to enter the rivers of South East Asia.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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