Bhamo

Bhamo ( Burmese Bhamaw, Chinese Sin -kai, " Neumarkt ", other variants: Bhamr, Bamo or Bhanmo ) is a town in Kachin State in northern Myanmar ( Burma) on the border with China.

Location

Bhamo is situated 186 km south of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River below the confluence of the taping. The Irrawaddy is navigable from here. Bhamo is also the China closest river port.

Traffic

• Bhamo Airport ( IATA: BMO, ICAO: VYBM )

Population

The population consists of Chinese and Shan and Kachin, who have settled in the nearby mountain villages.

History

The old name of Bhamo is Sampanago. Here was the capital of the defunct Shan kingdom Manmaw. About 5 km outside the present city can still be seen the ruins of the old fortress walls.

In the 19th century Bhamo was an important trading town. In particular, in the season from October to May, met here every year Chinese and Burmese to trade silk, manufactures and other goods. Only the rains interrupted the goings-on. Burma led his time mainly cotton, serpentine stone, ivory, rhinoceros horn and amber, and mercury, zinc, cinnabar, velvet and a opium. English steamer with shallow barges mediated the marketing of Rangoon.

Great Britain tried in vain to build from here to trade in the south-western China. The attempt failed because of the country's natural, because between Bhamo and Yunnan are high snow-capped mountain ranges.

Entry

The city of Bhamo only be entered with a special visa.