Bhamo

Bhamo (မန်မော်မြို့ ban: mau mrui., also spelt Banmaw; ; ; 新街, Hsinkai) is a city in Kachin State in northern Myanmar, 186 km south of the state capital, (Myitkyina). It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. 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.

Etymology
"Bhamo" derives from the Shan language term "Manmaw", which means "potter's village."

History


From 1869 to 1879, it was the seat of British colonial Assistant political agent, subordinate to the Resident with the king of and in Ava. In the early 20th century, due to its location at the highest navigable point of the river, it formed a part of caravan routes bringing jade from India to China.

Bhamo was once called Sampanago, the capital of the now-extinct Shan predecessor kingdom of Wanmaw. 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. Bhamo is the terminus of river ferries from Mandalay. There is no river ferry between Bhamo and the state capital Myitkyina. The land route between Bhamo and Mu Se District (Muse, part of northern Shan State) is in poor condition.

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

Education
The town is home to Bhamo University. One can also study engineering at Technological University (Bamaw), and computer and networking at Computer University (Bamaw).

Climate
Bhamo has a climate that lies in the transition between tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) and humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa). Temperatures are very warm throughout the year, although the winter months (December–February) are milder. There is a winter dry season (November–April) and a summer wet season (May–October).