Mu

The Mu river is a tributary of Myanmar's main river, the Ayeyarwady, in upper central Myanmar. Between the Ayeyarwady to the east and its major tributary Chindwin River to the west, it drains the Kabaw valley and part of the Dry Zone, flows north to south for about 275 kilometers, and reaches the Ayeyarwady west of Sagaing near Myinmu.

It has a catchment area of 12,355 square kilometers above the Kabo weir. River flow and rainfall are seasonal and unpredictable, with the lowest levels from January to April, the highest levels from August to October. The Mu receives little summer monsoon rainfall, with a total streamflow of 350 millimetres, because it is located in the Dry Zone, under the rain shadow of Rakhine Yoma. Ma myinbu, Mu myit htin, as a common Burmese saying goes. Some people refer to it as Mu Chaung rather than Mu Myit (river).

The Kadu and Kanan minorities live in the wooded upper Mu valley, whereas the lush lower Mu valley is part of the Bamar ethnic majority's heartland.

Total length: 171 miles