Shinyanga Region is one of the regions of Tanzania

Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...

. Its capital is Shinyanga

Shinyanga

Shinyanga, also known as Shinyanga mji in the local Swahili language, is a city in northern Tanzania. The city is the location of the regional headquarters of Shinyanga Region as well as the district headquarters of Shinyanga Urban District...

. It is bordered to the north by the Mwanza

Mwanza Region

Mwanza Region is one of the regions of Tanzania. Its capital is Mwanza, which is also Tanzania's second city.The neighbouring regions are Kagera to the west, Shinyanga to the south, and Mara to the east...

, Mara

Mara Region

Mara is one of the 26 regions of Tanzania. The region is named after the Mara River. Musoma serves as the Region's capital.The neighbouring regions are Mwanza and Shinyanga , Arusha and Kagera . To the north east, it borders the Republic of Kenya...

, and Kagera

Kagera Region

Kagera Region is located in the northwestern corner of Tanzania. Bukoba, Kagera Region's capital, is a fast growing town situated on the shore of Lake Victoria. Bukoba lies only 1 degree south of the Equator and is Tanzania's second largest port on the lake. The region neighbors Uganda, Rwanda and...

 Regions, and to the south by the Tabora Region

Tabora Region

Tabora Region is one of the regions of Tanzania. Its capital is Tabora town. Tabora region is famous for its distinguishable honey and timber activities....

. Kigoma Region

Kigoma Region

Kigoma is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital is Kigoma. It is bordered to the North by the Kagera Region, to the East by the Shinyanga and Tabora Regions, to the South by the Rukwa Region, to the West by Lake Tanganyika which forms a border with the Democratic...

 borders to the west, Singida Region to the southeast, and the Arusha

Arusha Region

Arusha is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital and largest city is Arusha. Other towns include Monduli, just west of Arusha, Longido and Loliondo to the north, Mto Wa Mbu and Karatu to the west and Usa River to the east...

 and Manyara

Manyara Region

Manyara is one of the 26 Regions of Tanzania. Babati serves as the Region's capital. In its northern part is Lake Manyara. It is bordered to the north by the Arusha Region, to the northeast by the Kilimanjaro Region, to the east by the Tanga Region, to the south by the Dodoma Region, to the...

 Regions to the east.

The population of Shinyanga Region according to the 2002 Tanzanian National Census is 2,796,630. http://www.tanzania.go.tz/census/census/shinyanga.htm

The regional commissioner of the Shinyanga Region is A.Y. Mgimua. http://www.tanzania.go.tz/govdirf.html

Districts

Shinyanga Region is administratively divided into 8 districts: Bariadi

Bariadi

Bariadi District is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania.According to the 2002 National Census of Tanzania, the population was 605,509.The Dutwa Ward contains one of the world's largest nickel deposits.- Wards :...

, Bukombe

Bukombe

Bukombe District is one the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the East by the Kahama District, to the North by the Kagera Region, to the West by the Kigoma Region and to the South by the Tabora Region....

, Kahama

Kahama

The Kahama district is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Bukombe District, to the south by the Tabora Region, to the north by the Mwanza Region, and to the east by the Shinyanga Rural and Shinyanga Urban Districts.According to the...

, Kishapu

Kishapu

Kishapu District is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Maswa District, to the south by the Tabora Region, to the east by the Meatu District and to the west by the Shinyanga Rural and Urban Districts.According to the 2002 Tanzania...

, Maswa

Maswa

Maswa District is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Bariadi District, to the east by the Meatu District, to the south by the Kishapu District and to the west by the Mwanza Region....

, Meatu

Meatu

Meatu District is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Bariadi District, to the west by the Maswa and Kishapu Districts, to the east by the Arusha Region, to the southeast by the Manyara Region and to the south by the Singida...

, Shinyanga Rural

Shinyanga Rural

Shinyanga Rural District is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Shinyanga Urban District, to the east by the Kishapu District, to the south by the Tabora Region, and to the west by the Kahama District.According to the 2002 Tanzania...

 and Shinyanga Urban

Shinyanga Urban

Shinyanga Urban District is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania and includes the city of Shinyanga. It is bordered to the north by the Mwanza Region, to the south by the Shinyanga Rural District, to the east by the Kishapu District, and to the west by the Kahama...

.

Originally, the Kahama

Kahama

The Kahama district is one of the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Bukombe District, to the south by the Tabora Region, to the north by the Mwanza Region, and to the east by the Shinyanga Rural and Shinyanga Urban Districts.According to the...

 and Bukombe

Bukombe

Bukombe District is one the eight districts of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the East by the Kahama District, to the North by the Kagera Region, to the West by the Kigoma Region and to the South by the Tabora Region....

 districts were combined to form one district.

Culture

The predominant tribes of the Shinyanga region are the Sukuma

Sukuma

The Sukuma is the largest ethnic group in Tanzania, with an estimated 5.5 million members representing about 16 percent of the country's total population. Sukuma means "north" and refers to "people of the north"...

, Nyamwezi

Nyamwezi

The Nyamwezi, or Wanyamwezi, are the second-largest of over 120 ethnic groups in Tanzania. They live in the northwest central area of the country, between Lake Victoria and Lake Rukwa...

 and Sumbwa

Sumbwa

The Sumbwa are an ethnic and linguistic group based in the Bukombe District, Shinyanga Region in central Tanzania. In 1987 the Sumbwa population was estimated to number 191,000 .-References:...

tribes. Traditional agriculture in the area varies, but it is often maize, cotton, and rice production.

Sources

• Shinyanga Region Homepage for the 2002 Tanzania National Census
• Tanzanian Government Directory Database