Simanjiro District is one of the six districts of the

Manyara Region Manyara Region (''Mkoa wa Manyara'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The regional capital is the town of Babati. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population ...

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 ...

. It is bordered to the north by

Arusha Region Arusha Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions and is located in the northeast of the country. The region's capital and largest city is the city of Arusha. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok C ...

, to the north east by

Kilimanjaro Region Kilimanjaro Region (''Mkoa wa Kilimanjaro'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The regional capital and largest city is the municipality of Moshi, Tanzania, Moshi. With the 3rd highe ...

, to the south east by

Tanga Region Tanga Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions of Tanzania, regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the municipalit ...

, to the south by

Kiteto District Kiteto District is one of the six districts of the Manyara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Simanjiro District, to the east by the Tanga Region and to the south and west by the Dodoma Region Dodoma Region (''Mkoa wa Dod ...

, to the south west by

Dodoma Region Dodoma Region (''Mkoa wa Dodoma'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The regional capital is the city of Dodoma, which is also the capital of Tanzania. Dodoma region is located in c ...

and to the west by Babati Rural District. The district headquarters are located in Orkesumet. According to the 2022 Tanzania National Census, the population of Simanjro District was 291,169. Simanjiro District is endowed with gemstones, being the only location on the planet that has

tanzanite Tanzanite is the blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite (a calcium aluminium hydroxyl sorosilicate), caused by small amounts of vanadium. Tanzanite belongs to the epidote mineral group. Tanzanite is only found in Simanjiro District of ...

. Simanjiro was also where the first tsavolite was discovered.

Administrative subdivisions

As of 2012, Simanjiro District was administratively divided into 17

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Demographics

The

2012 Tanzanian Census 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

reported that the district had a population of 178,693, with an average household size of 4.6 people. The 2002 Tanzanian Census reported that the district had a population of 141,676, with an average household size of 4.3 people. Many of the district's inhabitants are ethnic

Maasai Maasai may refer to: *Maasai people *Maasai language *Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) Masai may refer to: *Masai, Johor, a town in Malaysia * Masai Plateau, a plateau in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India *Maasai peopl ...

. Many of the district's Maasai population are illiterate, have no formal education, and are practicing

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

Economy

The area is home to the national gem of Tanzania,

. A rare gem only found in Mererani hills in Merereani ward in with Simanjiro District, Manyara Region. Masai millionai based in Arusha region, Saniniu Laizer made headlines in 2020 after mining three stones and selling them for approximately $5.4 million. Simanjiro's economy revolves around mining of tanzanite, however the district has not been able to reap the economic benefits of such a lucrative industry Due to the district's predominant

population the second largest industry is beef

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

, with a 1994 report states that 71,531 Maasai in the district practice pastoralism. There are a significant number of

extension agent Agricultural extension is the application of scientific research and new knowledge to agricultural practices through farmer education. The field of 'extension' now encompasses a wider range of communication and learning activities organized for ru ...

s in the district who sell agricultural information.

Media

Orkonerei FM Radio, a

Maasai language Maasai (previously spelled ''Masai'') or Maa ( ; autonym: ''ɔl Maa'') is an Eastern Nilotic language spoken in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania by the Maasai people, numbering about 1.5 million. It is closely related to the other Maa va ...

radio station is located in the town of Terrat.

References

Districts of Manyara Region {{coord, 4, 24, 36, S, 37, 10, 48, E, type:adm2nd_source:itwiki, display=title