N'Mai River
lower range of Derung-Nmai River after the Tamai River flows in, together with the Tamai River (the old definition of N'Mai Hka as with the Britannica) sourced from the Languela glacier.
The N'Mai River or N'Mai Hka (Burmese: မေခမြစ်, Burmese pronunciation: [mè kʰa̰ mjɪʔ]) is a river in northern Myanmar (Burma). The northern part of the river is sometimes referred to as the Nam Tamai.
Course
The N'Mai runs parallel to the Mali River, and has its source in the Himalayan glaciers of eastern Tibet at about 28° north latitude. It is not navigable because of strong currents. The N'mai ends at its confluence (Myit-son) with the Mali River in Kachin State where the two rivers combine to form the Ayeyarwady River.
The confluence is "one of the most significant cultural heritage sites for the Kachin people and an important landmark for all of Burma."
Construction of the proposed Myitsone Dam was planned at the confluence of the Mali and the N'Mai River. It has been suspended since 30 September 2011, when amid democratic reforms in the country, President Thein Sein announced he was suspending construction on the Myitsone Dam project for the duration of his tenure, as the project was contrary to the will of the people.
History
The British forester and ornithologist Bertram E. Smythies studied the area in the 1940s. More recently, Kalaya Lu, Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Botany at Myitkyina University between 2002 and 2006, published a paper on plant diversity in the river watershed, concluding that it consists of different ecosystems, ranging in elevation from 800 metres to more than 4,600 metres, and containing some of the richest areas of Sino-Himalaya flora diversity in the world.
In 2007, the government of Myanmar signed an agreement with China Power Investment Corporation to construct a series of dams on the Ayeyarwady, Mali, and N’Mai rivers.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “N'Mai River” as lower range of Derung-Nmai River after the Tamai River flows in, together with the Tamai River (the old definition of N'Mai Hka as with the Britannica) sourced from the Languela glacier. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as lower range of Derung-Nmai River after the Tamai River flows in, together with the Tamai River (the old definition of N'Mai Hka as with the Britannica) sourced from the Languela glacier. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q99399873. Authority coordinates are 25.710, 97.503. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2011, 2002, 2006 and 2007.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “N'Mai River”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow N'Mai River primary sources, N'Mai River archive and N'Mai research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “N'Mai River”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “N'Mai River” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.