| Sittaung (စစ်တောင်းမြစ်) | |
| River | |
| Country | Myanmar |
|---|---|
| Region | Bago Division |
| Mouth | Gulf of Martaban |
| - location | Andaman Sea, Myanmar |
| Length | 420 km (261 mi) |
| Discharge | |
| - average | 50,000 m3/s (1,765,733 cu ft/s) |
The Sittaung (Burmese: စစ်တောင်းမြစ်, IPA: [sɪʔ táuɴ mjɪʔ]; formerly, the Sittang or Sittoung) is a river in south central Myanmar in Bago Division. The Pegu Range separates its basin from that of the Irrawaddy. The river originates at the edge of the Shan Plateau southeast of Mandalay, and flows southward to the Gulf of Martaban. Its length is 420 km and its mean annual discharge is around 50 cubic kilometers per year.
Although it flows through fairly flat country, the Sittaung has a notorious tidal bore at its mouth which has precluded any but very small craft navigating the river. The river is navigable for 40 km year round and for 90 km during three months of the year. The river is used primarily to float timber south for export.[1] 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 as the Irrawaddy because there is no soil flowing from the Himalayas.