Irrawaddy River

Irrawaddy ဧရာဝတီမြစ်
River
Bird's eye view of the river
Country	Myanmar
Tributaries
- left	Chindwin, Mu
- right	Myitnge
Cities	Myitkyina, Mandalay, Bhamo
Source	Mali River
- coordinates	28°22′0″N 97°23′0″E / 28.36667°N 97.38333°E / 28.36667; 97.38333
Secondary source	N'Mai River
- coordinates	28°4′0″N 98°8′0″E / 28.06667°N 98.13333°E / 28.06667; 98.13333
Source confluence
- location	Damphet, Kachin State
- elevation	147 m (482 ft)
- coordinates	25°42′0″N 97°30′0″E / 25.70000°N 97.50000°E / 25.70000; 97.50000
Mouth	Andaman Sea
- location	Ale-ywa, Ayeyarwady Division, Burma
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
- coordinates	15°51′19″N 95°14′27″E / 15.85528°N 95.24083°E / 15.85528; 95.24083Coordinates: 15°51′19″N 95°14′27″E / 15.85528°N 95.24083°E / 15.85528; 95.24083
Length	2,170 km (1,348 mi)
Basin	413,710 km2 (159,734 sq mi)
Discharge
- average	13,000 m3/s (459,091 cu ft/s)
- max	32,600 m3/s (1,151,258 cu ft/s)
- min	2,300 m3/s (81,224 cu ft/s)
Course, watershed, cities and major tributaries of the Irrawaddy River

The Irrawaddy River or Ayeyarwady River (Burmese: ဧရာဝတီမြစ်; MLCTS: erawa.ti mrac, pronounced: [ʔèjàwədì mjɪʔ], also spelt Ayeyarwaddy) is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar. It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Originating from the confluence of the N'mai and Mali rivers, it flows relatively straight North-South before emptying through the Irrawaddy Delta into the Andaman Sea. Its drainage basin of about 255,081 square kilometres (98,487 sq mi) covers a large part of Burma. After Rudyard Kipling's poem, it is sometimes referred to as 'The Road to Mandalay'.

As early as the sixth century the river was used for trade and transport. Having developed an extensive network of irrigation canals, the river became important to the British Empire after it had colonized Burma. The river is still as vital today, as a considerable amount of (export) goods and traffic moves by river. Rice is produced in the Irrawaddy Delta, irrigated by water from the river.

In 2007, Myanmar's military dictatorship signed an agreement for the construction of seven hydroelectric dams, yielding a total 13,360 MW, in the N'mai and Mali Rivers, including the 3,600 MW Myitsone Dam at the confluence of both rivers. Environmental organisations have raised concerns about the ecological impacts on the river's biodiverse ecosystems. Animals potentially impacted include the threatened Irrawaddy dolphin and the Irrawaddy river shark, an endangered species.