Myitkyina မြစ်ကြီးနားမြို့ Myitkyina Muklum | |
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Capital Town | |
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  Myitkyina Location in Myanmar (Burma) | |
| Coordinates:25°23′12″N97°23′38″E / 25.38667°N 97.39389°E /25.38667; 97.39389 | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Division |  Kachin State |
| District | Myitkyina District |
| Township | Myitkyina Township |
| Elevation | 472 ft (144 m) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Urban | 210,949 |
| • Ethnicities | |
| • Religions | |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MMT) |
| Area code | 74 |
| Climate | Am/Aw/Cwa |
| [1] | |
Myitkyina (Burmese:မြစ်ကြီးနားမြို့,MLCTS:mrac kri: na: mrui.,pronounced[mjɪʔtɕíná];Jinghpaw:Myitkyina,[mjìtkjí̠ná];Shan:ၸႄႈၼႃး) is thecapital city ofKachin State inMyanmar (Burma), located 1,480 kilometers (920 mi) fromYangon, and 785 kilometers (488 mi) fromMandalay.[2] InBurmese it means "near the big river", and Myitkyina is on the west bank of theAyeyarwady River, just 40 kilometers (25 mi) downstream from Myit-son (Burmese forconfluence) of its two headstreams (theMali andN'mai rivers).[3] It is the northernmost riverport andrailway terminus in Myanmar.[4] The city is served byMyitkyina Airport.
The area surrounding Myitkyina, including what is nowWaingmaw, has been an important trading zone between China and Myanmar since ancient times.[5] The nearby town of Katkyo, from theShanKat Kio (lit. 'Irrawaddy bazaar'), is said to have been founded in 1294 on the left (east) bank of the river. The region was then under the rule ofMöng Kawng and otherShan states until theKonbaung dynasty, when it increasingly came under the control ofBurmese andKachin authorities.[6]
According to tradition, Myitkyina had previously been a shallow lake. When the lake dried up, it was called "Saya Kung" by the local Shans, meaning "pleasant hill/mound," which was then rendered into Kachin as "Sara Gung."[7][8] In 1894–1895, the British land Surveyor Commission assessed the site and named it Myitkyina.[9]
American Baptist missionaryGeorge J. Geis and his wife arrived in Myitkyina in the late 1890s and in 1900 they requested permission to build a mansion in the town. Herman Tegenfeldt, a later Baptist missionary, built a church in his honor in the 1950s, naming itGeis Memorial Church.[10] It is one of theKachin Baptist Convention (KBC) churches in Myitkyina.
Japanese forces captured the town and nearby airbase duringWorld War II in 1942. In August 1944, Myitkyina was recaptured by theAllied forces under GeneralJoseph Stilwell after a prolongedsiege and heavy fighting betweenNationalist Chinese divisions, theChindits, andMerrill's Marauders of theNorthern Combat Area Command and the besieged elements of the 33rdImperial Japanese Army under GeneralMasaki Honda. The town was strategically important not only because of its rail and water links to the rest of Burma, but also because it was on the planned route of theLedo Road.[3][11]
Myitkyina has a borderlinetropical monsoon climate (KöppenAm) bordering upon both atropical savanna climate (Aw) and ahumid subtropical climate (Cwa). Temperatures are very warm throughout the year, although the winter months from December to February are milder. There is a winter dry season from November to April and a summer wet season from May to October.
| Climate data for Myitkyina (1991–2020, extremes 2001-present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.0 (86.0) | 33.9 (93.0) | 38.0 (100.4) | 40.0 (104.0) | 41.8 (107.2) | 40.5 (104.9) | 38.3 (100.9) | 38.0 (100.4) | 38.4 (101.1) | 37.5 (99.5) | 33.3 (91.9) | 30.0 (86.0) | 41.8 (107.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 25.7 (78.3) | 28.1 (82.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 33.2 (91.8) | 33.2 (91.8) | 31.5 (88.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.2 (90.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 28.9 (84.0) | 26.2 (79.2) | 30.3 (86.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) | 20.5 (68.9) | 23.7 (74.7) | 26.5 (79.7) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.7 (81.9) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.0 (82.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 22.5 (72.5) | 19.0 (66.2) | 24.7 (76.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.6 (51.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 16.4 (61.5) | 19.8 (67.6) | 22.4 (72.3) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.6 (76.3) | 23.9 (75.0) | 21.4 (70.5) | 16.1 (61.0) | 11.8 (53.2) | 19.0 (66.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) | 8.0 (46.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 14.3 (57.7) | 16.2 (61.2) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.6 (69.1) | 19.3 (66.7) | 15.0 (59.0) | 8.2 (46.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 6.2 (43.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 13.5 (0.53) | 18.5 (0.73) | 25.4 (1.00) | 49.0 (1.93) | 217.2 (8.55) | 554.8 (21.84) | 564.4 (22.22) | 442.5 (17.42) | 324.2 (12.76) | 170.2 (6.70) | 23.8 (0.94) | 6.8 (0.27) | 2,410.3 (94.89) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 2.0 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 6.4 | 14.1 | 22.5 | 24.8 | 20.9 | 15.8 | 10.4 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 127.2 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 77 | 68 | 64 | 64 | 72 | 83 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 83 | 79 | 78 | 77 |
| Source 1:World Meteorological Organization,[12]Norwegian Meteorological Institute (extremes 2001-2010)[13] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1963–1988)[14] | |||||||||||||
The city residents dispose of the majority of their waste by burning it in small piles by the roadside. Most waste is disposed in this way, including plastics. Almost every block in the city has one small fire every evening. Burning usually starts late-afternoon, and by 6.00pm the city air is often quite smoky. Burning can start earlier at the weekend. The air quality in Myitkyina in the evenings can be poor, which can make being outside unpleasant. Sometimes, due to atmospheric pressure, the air will still be smoky in the morning. The only time of year that this does not happen is during the monsoon season, when it is reported that the air is fresh.
As the capital of the state, it has government offices, and a greater population than other cities in the state. The city has a population of approximately 150,000, with a mix ofKachin,Shan,Bamar,Burmese Gorkha and someChinese andIndians.[15]
TheKachin language is the common language among theKachin. Some people can speak English andNepali while the town's people mostly speak in Burmese which is the national language of Myanmar.
Foreigners are now free to visit Myitkyina without prior government permission, although not advised due to a civil war ongoing currently as of February 2025.
Major religions areTheravada Buddhism, Christianity (Roman Catholic and Baptist are major denominations), and other religions such asanimism andIslam.
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Myitkyina is the business center of Kachin State, with many natural resources likejade,gold,amber andteak, as well aswood and agricultural products. As per government data, almost US$2 billion in jade were exported yearly in 2010 and 2011. Now, due to fighting betweenKachin Independence Army rebels and the government, most businesses in the region have gone down.
Myitkyina Airport is the main airport serving the city. It connects the cities ofPutao,Mandalay, Yangon and alsoLashio on Mondays.
It takes almost 24 hours to travel between Mandalay and Myitkyina by train.Mandalay–Myitkyina Railway has been used for 100 years. This railway is a major means of transportation for both farmers and traders to deliver goods (before 2021 military coup). It also connectsLaiza,Bhamo,China, andSumprabum by car and can go to Mandalay, Yangon, Lashio, and Magwe By Bus Station.
The Myitkyina-Tanai-India road, also known as theLedo Road, was constructed by the British.
The city is home toMyitkyina University, a Christian theologicalseminary, a college for teachers, a training school for nurses, a college for the study of computers and other rare type of colleges affiliated with several seminaries in the United States and Asia, notably Kachin Theological College and Seminary(KTCS)-Nawng Nang. It is also home to the branch I.L.B.C. (International Language Business Center) a chain of private schools for English learners in the Myanmar. It has also many non-government institutions such as Naushawng development institute, Pinnya Tagar, Ningshawng and Kachinland School of Arts & Sciences,[16] which has a University vision in 2024.
In addition, there are several high schools, includingBasic Education High School No. 3 Myitkyina.
25°23′N97°24′E / 25.383°N 97.400°E /25.383; 97.400
Capital:Myitkyina | ||
| Bhamo District |   | |
| Mohnyin District | ||
| Myitkyina District | ||
| Chipwi District | ||
| Putao District | ||
| Tanai District | ||
| Main cities and towns | ||
| 2,000,000 and more | |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000–1,999,999 | |
| 500,000–999,999 |
|
| 200,000–499,999 | |
| 100,000–199,999 | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
