The country is bordered by China to the north and northeast, Laos to the east, Thailand to the southeast, the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal to the south and southwest, Bangladesh to the west, and India to the northwest. The average elevation of the plateau is between 2,500 and 4,000 feet (750 and 1,200 m). The Plateau of Indian Peninsula rises steeply along the coast of the Arabian Sea and becomes gentle towards the Bay of Bengal. This canal, built to bypass the tidal bore that afflicted the mouth of the Sittang, once provided the only route from Yangon to Toungoo. The Yellow River system, the largest river system in northern China, generally flows northeasterly through a series of linear mountain belts in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, the youngest of which are the Laji-Jishi Shan and Riyue Shan ranges, formed during late Cenozoic time due to NE-SW oblique shortening. Stretching from latitude 10° N to about 28° 30′ N, Myanmar is the northernmost country of Southeast Asia; it is shaped like a kite with a long tail that runs south along the Malay Peninsula. Sittang River, river in east-central Myanmar (Burma), rising northeast of Yamethin on the edge of the Shan Plateau and flowing south for 260 miles (420 km) to empty into the Gulf of Martaban of the Andaman Sea. The Shan Plateau is drained by the Salween River, which enters Myanmar from southern China and empties into the Gulf of Martaban southeast of the Sittang. Question 5. The basin is divided into two unequal parts, the larger Irrawaddy valley and the smaller Sittang valley, by the Bago Mountains. The lowland regions are covered with alluvial soils—mainly silt and clay. In the same region, however, when the soil has a low clay content, it becomes saline under high evaporation and is recognizable by its yellow or brown colour. Occupying the eastern half of the country, it is deeply dissected, with an average elevation of about 3,000 feet (900 metres). The mountain ranges generally run from north to south. Like the mountains, Myanmar’s main rivers run from north to south. The western ranges traverse the entire western side of Myanmar, from the northern mountains to the southern tip of the Rakhine (Arakan) Peninsula, where they run under the sea and reappear as the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In its upper 310 kilometres (190 mi) the river flows generally NNW through deep, glacier-carved valleys and precipitous gorges into Gansu Province, and is known as the Changma. The Emei Shan stands on the southeast side of the Longmen Shan. The Shan Plateau in the east is drained by the Thanlwin (Salween) River which enters the Gulf of Martaban south of the Sittaung River and is one of the great rivers which rise on the Sort out the facts in this quiz all about the diverse countries and cities around Asia. Narrow plains line the countryâs coasts. The Shan Plateau is drained by the Salween River, which enters Myanmar from southern China and empties into the Gulf of Martaban southeast of the Sittang. About three-fifths of Myanmar’s surface is drained by the Irrawaddy and its tributaries. It is steeper and higher along the Arabian Sea in the west but slopes gently towards the Bay of Bengal in the east. The Aksu Canyon is a notable feature in the northwestern Tian Shan. The Yaoshui River is the tributary of the Huangshui River which itself flows into the Yellow River in the Lanzhou area. The Sittang is used to float timber (particularly teak) south for export. In remote antiquity, southern Shanxi was the domain of three legendary kings, Yao (capital: Pingyuan or present day Linfen), Shen (capital: Puban or present day Yongji) and Yu (capital: Anyi or present day Xiaxian County). The surface of the system is cut across by steep river gorges, part of the drainage basins of the Chao Phraya, the Irrawaddy, the Sittaung and the Salween or Thanlwin River which cuts across the plateau in a north-south direction. Sittang River, river in east-central Myanmar (Burma), rising northeast of Yamethin on the edge of the Shan Plateau and flowing south for 260 miles (420 km) to empty into the Gulf of Martaban of the Andaman Sea. Inle Lake is fed by dozens of streams. One saddle is present along the Yaoshui River valley, formed by NWâSE extension along the Riyue Shan Pass (RSP) normal fault, along which the Miocene and Mesozoic rocks were subsided against Proterozoic metamorphic rocks. In 2005 the government began to shift its administrative centre, first to the city of Pyinmana (some 200 miles [320 km] north of Yangon) and then to Nay Pyi Taw (Naypyidaw), a newly constructed city near Pyinmana. Shan State encompasses the broad plateau that covers all of Myanmar's bulge east into Thailand, Lao, and China. In the dry belt of the central region are found red-brown soils rich in calcium and magnesium. Nay Pyi Taw was proclaimed the capital of Myanmar in 2006. Some important rivers of this plateau are Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. Northward, the plateau merges into the northern mountains, and southward it continues into the Dawna Range and the peninsular Tenasserim Mountains (Tanintharyi Mountains), each a series of parallel ranges with narrow valleys. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Sittang-River, The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia - Sittang River. Myanmar slopes from north to south, from an elevation of 19,296 feet (5,881 metres) at Mount Hkakabo (the country’s highest peak) in the extreme north to sea level at the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) and Sittang (Sittoung) river deltas. The highland regions of Myanmar are covered with highly leached, iron-rich, dark red and reddish brown soils. Answer: By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The upper courses of these rivers all flow through deep gorges within a short distance of each other, separated by steep, sheer peaks. The three largest systemsâthe Irrawaddy, Salween, and Mekongâhave their origins in the Plateau of Tibet. The broad Sittang River valley lies between the forested Pegu Mountains (west) and the steep Shan Plateau (east) and holds the main road and railway from Yangon (Rangoon) to Mandalay as well as the major towns of Pegu, Toungoo, Yamethin, and Pyinmana. It is steeper and higher along the Arabian Sea in the west but slopes gently towards the Bay of Bengal in the east. Updates? and its tributaries ; in Tenasserim there are again a number of short, rapid rivers flowing from the hills into the Gulf of Martaban. 1500-2000 meters asl (above sea level) Kaku, Shan Plateau… Sule pagoda, in the centre of Yangon, Myanmar. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Their average elevation is about 6,000 feet (1,800 metres), although some peaks rise to 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) or higher. The Salween rises in the Plateau of Tibet, and then flows east through Sichuan, then south through the western Yunnan province of southwestern China. Britannica Kids Holiday Bundle! This region contains the sources of several of Asia’s great rivers, including the Irrawaddy, which rises and flows wholly within Myanmar, and the Salween (Thanlwin), which rises to the north in China. Shan margin of the Tibetan Plateau, including the westernmost Sichuan basin, the Longmen Shan rangeandtopographicrise,aswellastheheadwaters region of several tributaries of the Yangtze river on the plateau west of the Longmen Shan (Figure 1). It stretches for more than 6,200 miles (10,000 km) between the southern tips of Africa…. The Salween, known in China as the Nu River, is a river about 2,815 kilometres (1,749 mi) long that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia.. Its lower course is linked by canal to Pegu River. Wild and picturesque in its upper reaches, the Salween flows through narrow, deep gorges between high hills and cuts through the Shan Plateau of Myanmar. The plateau is crossed by the deep trench of the Salween River in the east and is bordered by the upper course of the Irrawaddy River to the west. The Shule River flows generally westwards through the Tibetan Plateau and the desert regions of northwestern China.It starts in the Qilian Mountains and stretches for some 900 kilometres (560 mi); however, the river dries up about two-thirds of the way along its course and is lost in the Kumtag Desert, an endorheic basin, meaning its water never reaches the sea. Many of its tributaries are more than 300 miles (480 km) long and join the Salween in cascades. NOW 50% OFF! These three rivers are somewhat atypical: their middle and upper drainage basins are not broad catchment areas with many small ⦠d. Plateau of Shan and Yunnan: This plateau lies in the Shan state of Myanmar and the Yunnan state of China. Ruins of ancient Buddhist shrines and pagodas, Pagan, Myanmar. The Shan Plateau in the east is drained by the Thanlwin (Salween) River which enters the Gulf of Martaban south of the Sittaung River and is one of the great rivers which rise on the Tibetan Plateau. 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