Bhamo (bä'mō, bəmō'), town (1981 est. pop. 14,000), NE Myanmar, on the upper Ayeyarwady River. Located c.900 mi (1,450 km) from the sea, it is the head of navigation on the Ayeyarwady. Bhamo is the market town for the surrounding hill region and is also important for its ruby mines. Formerly significant as a center of overland trade with China, it was linked in World War II by the building of the Stilwell Road to Ledo in Assam, India. Although most of the population is now Kachin, in 1884 the Burmese authorities used Chinese freebooters to repel a Kachin attack on the town.
Bhamo
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| Bhamo | |
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  Bhamo
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| Coordinates: 24°16′0″N 97°14′0″E / 24.26667°N 97.23333°E | |
| Country |  Burma |
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| Admin. division | Kachin State |
| District | Bhamo District |
| Township | Bhamo Township |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Religions | Buddhism |
Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of Myitkyina. It is on the
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History
Bhamo was an important trading post with the Chinese Empire up to the nineteenth century, when copper coins from China flowed into Burma via Bhamo. VOC (United Dutch East India Company) records identified these copper coins as an important source of profit, and also mention the presence of a Customs Office in Bhamo to regulate the border trade.
As of 1935 the town was situated at the highest navigable point of the river, and was the terminus of caravan routes from India and Burma, by which jade, in particular, was brought into China.
Bhamo was once called Sampanago, the capital of the now-extinct Shan kingdom of Manmaw. The ruins of the old city walls, dating from the fifth Century, are found some 5 km from the modern town.
Contemporary
A once weekly Myanma Airways flight is available, as are three times a week river ferries.
The town is home to Bhamo Degree College.
See also
References
Literature
- 17th Century Burma and the Dutch East Indies Company 1634-1680, by Wil O. Dijk, NIAS Press
- This article incorporates text from The Modern World Encyclopædia: Illustrated (1935); out of UK copyright as of 2005.
- This may be out of date or biased to the timeframe of that reference.
Coordinates: 24°16′N 97°14′E / 24.267°N 97.233°E
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 | Ayeyarwady (river, Myanmar) |
| 1283 (chronology) |
| Kachin State (state, Myanmar) |
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 | Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Ayeyarwady (river, Myanmar)
- 1283 (chronology)
- Kachin State (state, Myanmar)
- Asin, Bhamo
