Minbu

Minbu, town, west-central Myanmar (Burma), on the Irrawaddy River opposite Magwe (Magway) town. The river there is about 3 miles (5 km) wide but contains many islands and sandbanks, and in the dry season steamers can come no nearer than 4 miles (6.5 km) south of the town.

Although much of the surrounding land is semidesert scrub forming part of Myanmar’s dry zone, large areas around Minbu are irrigated by the Mon, Maw, and Salin rivers. The area is the site of one of the three historic irrigation systems in Myanmar and has modern irrigation works. Sesame, millet, gram, peanuts (groundnuts), and other crops are grown in the nonirrigated lowland. Fishing is an important economic activity. There is oil in mud volcanoes, and small oilfields have been developed in the line of hills running through Minbu, which is the site of a diesel electric plant. Pop. (1993 est.) 42,809.