Minbu

Minbu (Burmese: မင်းဘူးမြို့) is a city in Magwe Division, Myanmar. As of 2004, the city has a population of 56,200. The area consists of low plain-land towards the Ayeyarwady River, and of undulating country inland rising higher and higher westwards towards the Arakan hills. Between the plain and the Arakan Yoma range is a distinct line of hills running north and south, and usually called the Nwa-Madaung hills. The submontane valleys are largely cultivated, but are deadly except to those born in them. The chief streams besides the Ayeyarwady are the Mn, the Maw, and the Salin, which are largely used for irrigation. At Minbu the Ayeyarwady is 3 miles wide, with many islands and sandbanks. There are considerable fisheries along the Ayeyarwady and on the Paunglin Lake, which is a lagoon fed from the Ayeyarwady. Oil has been discovered near the mud volcanoes of Minbu, but it seems to lie at too great a depth to be profitably worked.

There is a large area of reserved forest near Minbu. The chief crops raised are rice, gram, millet, beans, peas, sesamum and tobacco. The betel-vine is largely cultivated along the Mon River. The annual rainfall varies greatly in the area. It is very considerable on and under the Arakari Yomas, and very slight towards the Ayeyarwady. The thermometer rises to over 100 Fahrenheit in the hot months, and the mean of minimum in December is about 49 F.