## Irrawaddy River, North Myanmar

About 200 km north of Mandalay, the winding Irrawaddy River leaves a wide floodplain to flow straight south along a major geological fault. The floodplain is marked by abandoned river channels, oxbow lakes, and a profusion of channel bars and islands. The straight section is a gorge with few bars and steep river cliffs. The hills are densely forested, unlike the floodplains. Patches of forest clearing are visible.
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