# Mabja Zangbo

_River in Nepal and in Tibet_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/places/mabja-zangbo
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Mabja Zangbo or Mabja Tsangpo is a river in Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The upper portion of the Karnali River is called Mabja Zangbo river in China. It further joins River Ghaghara (Karnali) in Nepal and eventually flows into Ganges River (Ganga) in India. It passes through the tri-junction on Nepal's border with India and China.

## Quick facts

- **Type:** stream ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19715863#P31))
- **Located in:** Tibet Autonomous Region (autonomous region of China) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19715863#P131))
- **Coordinates:** 29.6195, 81.8525

## About

In January 2023, reports emerged with satellite imagery of China constructing a dam since May 2021 at around 16 km north of this tri-junction which lies opposite to the Kalapani territory of Uttarakhand. This is similar to the activities at the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) river near Arunachal Pradesh, meant to be aimed at using water as leverage since China is an upper riparian state.  China adheres to the Harmon Doctrine and dams near the international border may aid in the geopolitics of claiming the disputed area. Due to its extreme nature, this theory of Absolute Territory Sovereignty is rejected by international customary laws.

## Questions

**Where is Mabja Zangbo located?**  
Mabja Zangbo is located in Tibet Autonomous Region, Nepal.

## Related

- [Mount Everest](https://diginpl.com/places/mount-everest)
- [Himalayas](https://diginpl.com/places/himalayas)
- [Kathmandu](https://diginpl.com/places/kathmandu)
- [Kangchenjunga](https://diginpl.com/places/kangchenjunga)
- [Annapurna (mountain range)](https://diginpl.com/places/annapurna-mountain-range)
- [Dhaulagiri](https://diginpl.com/places/dhaulagiri)
- [Makalu](https://diginpl.com/places/makalu)
- [Lhotse](https://diginpl.com/places/lhotse)
- [Cho Oyu](https://diginpl.com/places/cho-oyu)
- [Manaslu](https://diginpl.com/places/manaslu)
- [Pokhara](https://diginpl.com/places/pokhara)
- [Lumbini](https://diginpl.com/places/lumbini)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Mabja Zangbo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabja_Zangbo) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikipedia (Nepali): हुम्ला कर्णाली](https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE_%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%80) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q19715863](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19715863) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Karnali river.JPG by Sherparinji (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnali_river.JPG)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Mabja Zangbo, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Karnali river.JPG — Sherparinji, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Mabja Zangbo". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/places/mabja-zangbo. Retrieved 4 November 2026.