Shinyanga, also known as Mji wa Shinyanga in the national language, is a city in northern

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

. The city is the location of the regional headquarters of

Shinyanga Region Shinyanga Region (''Mkoa wa Shinyanga'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The region covers a land area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nati ...

as well as the district headquarters of Shinyanga Urban District. The region and district are named after the town.

Location

Shinyanga is located in

Shinyanga District 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 Mwanza Region (''Mkoa wa Mwanza'' in Swahili language, Swahili) ...

, in

, in northern

. The city is located approximately , by road, southeast of

Mwanza Mwanza City, also known as Rock City to the residents, is a port city and capital of Mwanza Region on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. With an urban population of 1,104,521 and a population of 3,699,872 in the region ...

, the nearest large city. This location lies approximately , by road, northwest of

Dodoma Dodoma ( in Gogo), officially Dodoma City (''Jiji Kuu la Dodoma'', in Swahili), is the capital city of Tanzania. With a population of 765,179, it is also the administrative capital of both Dodoma Municipal Council and the entire Dodoma R ...

, the capital city of Tanzania. The coordinates of the city are: 3°39′43″S 33°25′23″E / 3.661945°S 33.423056°E / -3.661945; 33.423056.

Population

The 2002 national census estimated the population of Shinyanga at about 93,000. The 2012 national census listed the population of Shinyanga Municipal Council at 161,391. According to a 21 June 2022 news article i
Afrik21
the population now exceeds 200,000.

Landmarks

The current seven landmarks in the city of Shinyanga or near its borders, include the following: # The headquarters of Kahama Regional Administration # The headquarters of Shinyanga Urban District # The offices of Shinyanga City Council # Shinyanga Central Market # Shinyanga General Hospital # Shinyanga City Stadium - A public stadium administered by Shinyanga City Council #

River Mhumbu A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it run ...

- The chief source of water for the city, is located about , east of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

of Shinyanga. #

Williamson Diamond mine The Williamson Diamond Mine (also known as the Mwadui mine) is a diamond mine northeast of Shinyanga in Tanzania; it became well known as the first significant diamond mine outside of South Africa. The kimberlite pipe was found in March 1940 and ...

Transport

Railway

Shinyanga is served by the Shinyanga Railway Station as a branch of the Central Railway of Tanzania.

Airport

Shinyanga Airport Shinyanga Airport is an airport serving the small city of Shinyanga, the capital of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania. It is northeast of the municipality, off the B6 road. The airport is also known as Ibadakuli Airport. The Mwadui non-directio ...

is located along Mwanza road in Ibadakuli Area.

Road

Shinyanga is served by the

Tabora Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, the district had a population of 226, ...

Highway. The highway passes conveniently through the center of Shinyanga.

Reforestation

The region has a

forest restoration Forest restoration is defined as "actions to re-instate ecological processes, which accelerate recovery of forest structure, ecological functioning and biodiversity levels towards those typical of climax forest", i.e. the end-stage of natural ...

program which is well documented by the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

and the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration. The programme is featured in the film ''Forests for the 21st Century''.

References

{{Authority control Cities in the Great Rift Valley Populated places in Shinyanga Region Regional capitals in Tanzania