Myitkyina (myit'chinä) [key], city (1983 pop. 56,427), capital of Kachin State, N Myanmar, on the Ayeyarwady River. A leading town of N Myanmar, it is a trade center (including teak and jade), the extreme northern terminus of a railroad line from Yangon, and formerly an important town on the Ledo Road. In World War II its capture (Aug., 1944) by Allied troops after a siege of 78 days marked an important stage in the liberation of Myanmar from the Japanese.
