Shinyanga Region

Climate

Tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons can be found in the Shinyanga Region. Between 600 and 900 millimeters of rainfall on average. Typically, the rainy season begins around the middle of October and lasts until May. The average temperature of Shinyanga is 23.9°C. Throughout the year, October has the hottest average temperature (26.0 °C), while July has the coldest average temperature (22.3 °C).^[8]

Topography

Shinyanga Region is located at an average height of 1,233 meters above sea level. Heavy clay soil, sandy soil, sandy loam soil, red soils, clay, loamy soil, and sand loamy soil are all types of soil found in the region. In the Shinyanga Region, the soil varies greatly by agro-ecological zone.^[8]

Four distinct agro-ecological zones are established within the Shinyanga Region mostly based on topographical factors and local meteorological conditions. Parts of Kishapu District and a few wards in Shinyanga District Council are included in the eastern zone. Sandalized soils and thick clay soils are features of the Eastern Zone. The region is known for the growing cotton, sorghum, sweet potatoes, and sisal and receives an average annual rainfall between 400mm and 600mm.^[8]

Some of the Kishapu District Council and Shinyanga District Council are included in the Central Zone. Usule, Tinde, Usanda, and Imasela are among the wards in Shinyanga District Council, and Itongoitale, Bunambiyu, and Bubiki are among those in the Kishapu District Council. This region is suited for the growth of crops such paddy, cassava, sorghum, and sweet potatoes and receives an average annual rainfall of 500 to 600 mm.^[8]

The Ushetu and Uyogo wards in Kahama District fall under the purview of the South-East zone, which is distinguished by loamy and red soils that are ideal for the cultivation of crops like maize, sorghum, paddy, sunflower, cotton, tobacco, and a variety of horticulture products, including tropical fruits like mangoes. Over 700 millimeters of rain fall on average annually in this area.^[8]

Isaka, Kinanga, Lungunya, and Kinaga wards of the Kahama District are included in this zone. Sand and heavy clay soils in the region are suited for sorghum, sweet potatoes, maize, cotton, groundnuts, and sunflowers. The annual rainfall in this area ranges from 500 to 700 mm. Large Miombo and acacia woods make up the area's native vegetation. However, human activities like as farming, raising livestock, and harvesting trees for energy are causing a decline in vegetation.^[8]

Agriculture

The economic foundation of Shinyanga Region is agriculture. 80 per cent of the labour force in the area is employed in this sector. Both food and cash crops are produced in the area. Agriculture is still largely reliant on traditional subsistence rain-fed farming techniques, animal husbandry, and the traditional hand hoe and animal-driven carts. The continued low level of agricultural output is implied, among other things, by the usage of traditional agricultural inputs.^[8]

Mining

The country's production of minerals is significantly influenced by the Shinyanga Region. However, the sector hasn't yet made a big impact on the local economy. A significant amount of foreign direct investment was drawn to the area, mostly for the purpose of mining for diamonds and gold. The "2009 Central and West Zone Mining Implementation Report" states that El-Hillal Minerals Limited, a medium-scale diamond mining firm, operates in Buganika in the Mwadui area of the Kishapu District. While other significant enterprises, such Pangea Minerals Limited and Kahama Mining Corporation Limited, deal with gold mining at Buzwagi and Bulyanhulu in Kahama District, Williamson Diamonds Limited, a large-scale diamond mining company, works in the Mwadui area.^[8]

Infrastructure, water and energy

The majority of families in the region (94.3%) use firewood as their primary source of energy for cooking, followed by charcoal (4.9%) and other sources (0.8%). The Ibadakuli industrial area in Shinyanga Municipality serves as the transmission hub for the national electricity grid for the Shinyanga Region, which is connected to it, which runs the industries including the diamond mines.^[8]

There is enough water available in the area right now. By 2019, 835,770 families had access to trustworthy and secure water sources. Water will be brought to Shinyanga in the first phase of the ongoing Lake Victoria Project, while other places beyond the Shinyanga region will receive water in the second phase.^{[8][page needed]}

The overall length of the road network in the Shinyanga Region is 4,627.81 kilometres. Kahama District has the greatest road network, at 2,135.3 kilometres, followed by Shinyanga District, at 1,799.41 kilometres. In general, 38.2 per cent of the area's road network is open all year long. Transit cargo headed for Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is transported through the Isaka Dry Port (DRC). Another chance like this will encourage trade between East African nations. At Shinyanga Railway Facility, a domestic cargo handling station was created in 2020. ^{[8][page needed]}

Tourism

Kigosi National Park, which shares a western boundary with Moyowosi Game Reserve, is located in the Shinyanga Region. This 7,000 square kilometre national park is home to a wide range of wild animals, including elephants, hippo, lions, leopards, sitatunga, buffalo, wild dogs, bushbuck, impala, giraffe, baboons, greater kudu, topi, and roan antelope.^{[8][page needed]}

Some historic sites in the region are Usanda/Tinde caverns, which are in the Tinde area and were once utilized by Arabs as rest stops for slave trading caravans traveling from Kagera or Mwanza before continuing to coastal areas for export, are recognizable as being in the Shinyanga Region. This location was created specifically to collect slaves. Also in Shinyanga is the Iboja Cave in Ushepu District are slave trade caves that are situated in Iboja in Dakama Division, where German troops seized and executed Chief Mirambo of Wanyamwezi.^{[8][page needed]}

In the Shinyanga Region, there is a location where there is distinctive hot spring. This hot spring, which is part of Shinyanga Municipality and is formerly known as Uzogole hot spring, has a distinctive history. According to legend, the water from the hot natural spring is thought to possess some type of spiritual power. As a result of this belief, many traditional doctors visit the hot natural spring to gather water for therapeutic purposes.^{[8][page needed]}

In contrast to other hot natural springs, once the water is removed, it immediately cools. In the past, hot water was employed as a detergent to get rid of or kill lice from clothing. This site is also where Balozi Malembela's grave is located. He was a historic military commander for the Wasukuma community.^{[8][page needed]}

Some of the protected places in the Shinyanga Region include the Nyamba and Busongo forest reserves (in the Kishapu District), the Mwantini Forest Reserve (in the Shinyanga District), the Mkweni Hills (in the Kahama Town Council), and the Ubagwe Forest Reserves (in the Ushetu Council).^{[8][page needed]}

Demographics

In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics report there were 1,666,554 people in the region, from 1,534,808 in 2012. For 2002–2012, the region's 2.1 per cent average annual population growth rate was the twentieth highest in the country.^{[9]: 130 [10]: 156}

Healthcare

The Shinyanga Region has healthcare services mostly through facilities built by the public and commercial sectors. There are roughly 234 healthcare facilities, including 206 dispensaries, 7 hospitals, and 21 health centers in the region. Many of the pharmacies in the region, are in the metropolitan areas. In addition to the aforementioned services, the government's health insurance programs (NHIF and CHF) and the private sector both support the health sector.^{[8][page needed]}

Education

For its size, the Shinyanga Region has strong primary through tertiary educational facilities available. Shinyanga Region in 2019 had 614 elementary schools and 92% of them, were publicly owned. In contrast, 51 elementary schools were owned by the private sector in 2019. In the same time frame, the public sector owned 27 of the 145 secondary schools in the area, or 81 per cent of all secondary schools.^{[8][page needed]}

The Open University of Tanzania (OUT) and the Moshi University College of Cooperative and Business Studies are the only two universities with physical locations in the area (MUCCOBS).^{[citation needed]}