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19-764: The rivers draining into the Hukawng Valley, the Tanai Kha, the Tabye, the Tawan, and the Turong, form the headwaters of the Chindwin River . Ringed by steep mountain ranges to the north, east and west, the valley is known as a habitat of tigers , but encroachment by man has greatly decreased their numbers, to perhaps as few as 100 animals. In 2004, the government established the world's largest tiger preserve in

38-427: A traditional military formation, soldiers march in ranks (the depth of the formation is the number of ranks) and files (the width of the formation is the number of files), so, if a column of soldiers approaches a narrow pass, the formation must narrow, and so the files on the outside must be ordered to the rear (or to some other position) so that the column has fewer files and more ranks. The French verb for this order

57-552: A very large (2,500 square mile) sanctuary for the endangered tiger within the Hukawng Valley. The mountain ranges to the west of the Chindwin are formidable, yet not totally impregnable to armies. The Kabaw valley saw many an invasion by the kingdom of Manipur to the west, most notably during the reign of King Garibaniwaj (1709–1748) when his army crossed over the Chindwin and the Mu , took Myedu, and reached as far as Sagaing opposite

76-517: Is défiler , from which the English verb comes, as does the physical description for a valley that forces this manoeuvre. Defiles of military significance can also be formed by other physical features that flank a pass or path and cause it to narrow, for example impassable woods and rivers. At the Battle of Agincourt , a defile formed by the woods of Agincourt and Forecourt caused a choke point for

95-931: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chindwin River The Chindwin River ( Burmese : Chindwin Myin ), also known as the Ningthi River ( Meitei : Ningthi Turel ), is a river flowing entirely in Myanmar , and the largest tributary of the country's main river, the Irrawaddy . Its official name is also spelled Chindwinn . The Chindwin originates in the broad Hukawng Valley of Kachin State of Burma, roughly 26°26′18″N 96°33′32″E  /  26.43833°N 96.55889°E  / 26.43833; 96.55889 , where

114-442: Is found, along with an abundance of fish . Download coordinates as: Defile (geography) In geography , a defile is a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills . The term originates from a military description of a route through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front. On emerging from a defile (or something similar) into open country, soldiers are said to " debouch ". In

133-464: Is served by regular river-going vessels up to the town of Homalin. Teak forests within its drainage area have been a valuable resource since ancient times. The Hukawng Valley is known for its abundance of Burmese amber . Along the river, there are deposits of jade , but Hpakant in the headwaters of the Uyu river is the only place in the world where the finest jade - known as jadeite or imperial jade -

152-524: The Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy) at about 21°30′N 95°15′E  /  21.500°N 95.250°E  / 21.500; 95.250 . The extreme outlets into the Ayeyarwady are about 22 miles (35 km) apart, the interval forming a succession of long, low, partially populated islands. The lowest mouth of the Chindwin is, according to tradition, an artificial channel, cut by one of

171-852: The Cretaceous period, around 99 million years ago. During World War II , the Ledo Road was built by the US Army across the Hukawng Valley, largely by African-American engineer battalions and Chinese laborers, in order to supply the armies of the Republic of China , who were then allied with the Western Allies in the war against the Empire of Japan . 26°26′18″N 96°33′32″E  /  26.43833°N 96.55889°E  / 26.43833; 96.55889 This Myanmar location article

190-605: The French army and aided the English in their victory over the French. Some defiles have a permanent strategic importance and become known by that term in military literature. For example, the military historian William Siborne names such a geographic feature in France near the frontier with Germany in his book Waterloo Campaign 1815 : On the following day, General Rapp fell back upon the Defile of Brümath ; but this he quitted in

209-620: The Hukawng Valley, the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary , with an area of approximately 6,500 km (2,500 sq mi); later, the Sanctuary was extended to 21,800 km, making it the largest protected area in mainland Southeast Asia. The government's establishment of the preserve was accomplished in cooperation with the Kachin Independent Army , a formerly-rebel group that inhabits

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228-521: The Tabye, the Tawan, and the Taron rivers from the right bank. These rivers drain the mountain ranges to the north and northeast of the Hukawng valley. The Tanai exits the Hukawng valley through the Taron or Turong valley and through a sharp defile in the river. It then takes on the name of Chindwin, and maintains a general southerly course. It passes the town of Singkaling Hkamti on the left bank, then

247-572: The Tanai, the Tabye, the Tawan, and the Taron (also known as Turong or Towang) rivers meet. The headwaters of the Tanai are at 25°30′N 97°0′E  /  25.500°N 97.000°E  / 25.500; 97.000 on the Shwedaunggyi peak of the Kumon range, 12 miles (19 km) north of Mogaung . It flows due north until it reaches the Hukawng Valley. In 2004, the government established

266-589: The capital Ava . The tables were turned in 1758 after King Alaungpaya ascended the Burmese throne. The Burmese army invaded and occupied Manipur and Assam marching across the western mountain ranges, and even encroached upon British India. During World War II , when the Japanese had cut off sea access, the British army and other allied forces under General Joseph Stilwell retreated on foot to India across

285-553: The kings of Bagan (Pagan). It was choked up for centuries until 1824 when it was opened out by an exceptional flood. Satellite pictures show this lowest channel to be the widest one today. Average, minimum and maximum discharge of the Chindwin River at Monywa . Period from 1966/01/01 to 2023/12/31: Much of Chindwin's course lies within mountain ranges and forests. Due to the difficulty of access, much of it remains unspoilt. The government of Burma recently created

304-415: The region. The extremely rare leaf muntjac , also known as the phet-gyi , dwarf deer or leaf deer, also lives in the Hukawng. Major industry includes amber and gold mining ; most gold mines are now depleted, but the toxic chemicals from former gold extraction have not been cleared, and are seeping into the groundwater. The valley is well known for Burmese amber , a type of amber dating back to

323-545: The same mountains, with disastrous results, mainly due to disease and hunger. The Ledo Road was built across the Hukawng valley to supply China. The Chindwin was a major barrier both for the Japanese trying to invade India and for the Allied forces to reoccupy Burma. The chindwin river has a great impact on the culture of western Burma. Central Sino-Tibetan languages originated from valley areas of this river. The Chindwin

342-531: The town of Homalin , also on the left bank. The river's course is generally southwesterly until the town of Mingin . It then takes a more southeasterly course entering the broad central plain, passing the city of Monywa on the left bank. Its course at this point forms the boundary between the Sagaing District of Sagaing Region and the Pakokku District of Magway Region . It enters

361-407: The world's largest tiger preserve in the Hukawng Valley, the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary , with an area of approximately 6,500 km (2,500 sq mi); later, the Sanctuary was extended to 21,800 square kilometres (8,400 sq mi), making it the largest protected area in mainland Southeast Asia. The river then turns to the west and flows through the middle of the plain, joined by

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