Bhamo ဗန်းမော်မြို့ Hsinkai[1]
Pagoda Ike Kaw Daw (အိုက်ခေါတော် စေတီ)
Bhamo Location in Burma
Coordinates: 24°16′0″N 97°14′0″E / 24.266667°N 97.233333°E / 24.266667; 97.233333
Country	Burma
Division	Kachin State
District	Bhamo District
Township	Bhamo Township
Population (2005)
• Ethnicities	Shan, Kachin, Chinese
• Religions	Theravada Buddhism
Time zone	MST (UTC+6.30)

Bhamo (Burmese: ဗန်းမော်မြို့, also spelt Bamaw) 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 Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China.^[2] The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in the hills around the town. It is the administrative center of Bhamo District and Bhamo Township.

Climate[link]

History[link]

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[link]

A once weekly Myanma Airways flight is available, as are three times a week river ferries. It is the terminus of river ferries from Mandalay. There is no river ferry between Bhamo and Myitkyina. The land route between Bhamo and Muse, part of Northern Shan State, is in bad condition.

Bhamo is one of the official border trading towns between China and Myanmar.

The town is home to Bhamo Degree College.

See also[link]

• Banmaw Airport

References[link]

Literature[link]

• 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  • This may be out of date or biased to the timeframe of that reference.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 / 24.267; 97.233

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v t e Kachin State Capital: Myitkyina Myitkyina District Chipwi Township Hsawlaw Township Injangyang Township Myitkyina Township Tanai Township Waingmaw Township Bhamo District Bhamo Township Mansi Township Momauk Township Shwegu Township Putao District Kawnglanghpu Township Machanbaw Township Nogmung Township Putao Township Sumprabum Township Mohnyin District Hpakant Township Mogaung Township Mohnyin Township Main cities and towns Bhamo Chipwi Hsawlaw Hopin Hpakant Injangyang Kamaing Kawnglanghpu Lweje Machanbaw Mansi Mogaung Mohnyin Momauk Myitkyina Putao Sawlaw Shwegu Sumprabum Tanai Nogmung Waingmaw Ywathit