Hukawng Valley

The Hukawng Valley is an isolated valley of about 5,586 square miles in Tanaing Township, Myitkyina District, in Kachin State in northernmost Myanmar, enclosed by steep mountain ranges on three sides. Four rivers, the Tanai Kha, Tabye, Tawan and Turong, rise in the valley and form the headwaters of the Chindwin River. The valley is a stronghold for the endangered Indochinese tiger, whose numbers have fallen to roughly 100 animals under human encroachment, and for the rare leaf muntjac, a dwarf deer species. In 2004 Myanmar established what was then the world's largest tiger reserve here, later expanded to 21,800 square kilometers as the largest protected area in mainland Southeast Asia. The valley also holds substantial amber and gold deposits, though most gold workings are now exhausted and have left toxic contamination behind, and during the Second World War the United States Army built the Ledo Road through the valley to resupply Chinese forces fighting Japan.