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Singida Region Singida is one of the regions of Tanzania. The regional capital is the municipality of Singida. The region is bordered to the north by Shinyanga Region, Simiyu Region and Arusha Region, to the northeast by Manyara Region, to the east by Dodoma Region, to the southeast by Iringa Region, to the southwest by Mbeya Region and to the west by Tabora Region.

The region has seven districts, Singida Rural, Singida Urban, Manyoni District, Ikungi District, Itigi District, and Mkalama District.

Singida Region is accessible from Arusha through Babati and Katesh in Manyara Region. From Dar es salaam, Singida Region is reached through Morogoro and Dodoma. From Mwanza, the region is reached through Shinyanga and Nzega. All these roads are passable all year round with good quality tarmac.

The participation in community is very critical in the region of Singida as it shapes national development. Tanzania government considers Singida as "bushest of the bush" as no development occurs here. It has low education, the rain is unreliable with poor soil which creates droughts and flooding.

Geographical location

Singida region is located below the equator between latitudes 3052’ and 7034’. Longitudinally the region is situated between 33027’ and 350 26’ east of Greenwich. To the north, it shares borders with Shinyanga Region; Arusha, Manyara and on the east borders Dodoma. To the south it shares borders with Iringa and Mbeya while on the west there is Tabora Region.

Singida region has a total surface area of 49,438 km², out of which 95.5 km² or 0.19 percent are covered by water bodies of Lake Eyasi, Kitangiri, Singidani, Kindai and Balengida. The remaining 49,342.5 km² is land area. Singida region is deemed to be neither small nor big. It is the 13th in size and occupies about 5.6 percent of mainland Tanzania's total area of 881,289 km².

Geographical location

Singida region is located below the equator between latitudes 3052’ and 7034’. Longitudinally the region is situated between 33027’ and 350 26’ east of Greenwich. To the north, it shares borders with Shinyanga Region; Arusha, Manyara and on the east borders Dodoma. To the south it shares borders with Iringa and Mbeya while on the west there is Tabora Region.

Singida region has a total surface area of 49,438 km², out of which 95.5 km² or 0.19 percent are covered by water bodies of Lake Eyasi, Kitangiri, Singidani, Kindai and Balengida. The remaining 49,342.5 km² is land area. Singida region is deemed to be neither small nor big. It is the 13th in size and occupies about 5.6 percent of mainland Tanzania's total area of 881,289 km².

Town

The Singida town by the lakes. Photo by Prof. Chen Hualin.

In Singida town (i.e. Singida municipal district) and Singida Rural District, the main tribe is the Nyaturu. The town is also home to immigrants from different parts of Tanzania. Iramba district belongs to Nyiramba tribe and Manyoni district belongs to Gogo and a few of Nyaturu tribes.

The photo below features one of the Chief Saidi Gwau's wife Bibi Nyamwagele of Samumba. Gwau was chief of Singida South around the 1940s, after he died his brother Chief Mange Gwau took over the crown until after Tanzania's independence, when chief leadership was abolished. The Gwau family is well known in Singida for the Nyaturu tribe development. Bibi Nyamwagele died in 2004.

A Bibi (grandmother) in Nyamwagele

Transport

Railway

Singida has a railway station on a branch off the Central Railway of Tanzanian Railways. It is a branch terminal. The railway from Singida joins the Central line at Manyoni.

Roads

As of 2012 a new asphalt road was completed between Singida and Dodoma. There is also an asphalt road built between Singida and Mwanza.

Economy

The Economy of Singida is based heavily on Agriculture. Most of the population, including children, work extensively on the farms during the rainy season which is between December and March. The region is mostly rural with 95% of the population being land production. Agriculture makes the region 60% of the total income. Besides Agriculture, other main productive sectors include, livestock, natural resources, mining industry and trade.

The main food crops in Singida region include maize, millet, sorghum, paddy, cassava and sweet potatoes. These crops are cultivated during the rainy season. Some of the cash crops include sunflower, cotton, tobacco, wheat, beans, groundnuts, peas, and onions. The grazing area in Singida makes up 40% of the region however, 80% of the area is infected with Tse-tse fly, leaving only 20% grazeable. Overgrazing is caused by small amount of land grazeable in the region which decreases livestock productivity.

Singida has a large number of livestock with around 1.4 million cattle, 0.7 million goats, 0.4 million sheep, 42,00 donkeys and 1.1 million chickens.Livestock ranks 2nd as major resource for the economy. This includes, livelihood, and beef export which is a major trade domestically and nationally. Other contributions for the economy are mining, commence, and natural resources consisting of agro-forestry, wildlife, bee keeping and fishing. The region has a minimal contribution of Industrial production and commercial activity. However, research has shown potential growth in business and small scale industries with local skill from people. Singida has a progressive increase to the GDP income for the country of Tanzania. It contributes 3% to the government of Tanzania's GDP.

The socio-economic status in Singida is decently well. In most cases, Singida positively exceeds national standards as far as infant mortality, health unit ratio to population, and maternal mortality rate. The region has a under developed primary and secondary education. There are only 351 primary and secondary schools within the population.

Employment in Singida is generally undertaken upon the people themselves. The youth and middle age group are considered the most economically active. Most occupations are dominated by men. Women predominantly work in the field with farming. The majority of employed people are in the rural area of the region.

~Individual Contributions~

Sierra Reese

The article heavily focuses on the geographic features of the region, without considering the political, social, economic, and demographic make up of the Singida region. Therefore, our group will be editing the geographic information to be more cohesive and improving the article by adding information about the political/economic landscape of the region. We will also be providing relevant and objective demographic/cultural information. With these contributions, we plan to present a more comprehensive overview of the Singida region.

Anel Lora

The article also does not focus on education, political or economic structure. We will also update the population of the region and transportation. Resources they contribute to the economy is also critical.

bibliography

This research was conducted by Kristen D. Phillips who did an ethnography and archival research for 19 months. The researcher found several critical points about the Singida region. The participation in community is very critical in the region of Singida as it shapes national development. Tanzania government considers Singida as "bushest of the bush" as no development occurs here. It has low education, the rain is unreliable with poor soil which creates droughts and flooding.
Datooga people

Cultures and Ethnic Groups of this region

Singida region is home to over one million residents. There are a number of different inhabitants that occupy this region. One ethnic group of this region is known as the Turu people, it is the most prominent ethnic group in the region as they currently have a world population of over 1,000,000 members with most of them residing in the Singida region. This group mainly practices Christianity and also a form of animism as worship of the sun plays into their lives being heavily dependent on agriculture.The Turu also rely heavily on grain production for the purposes of acquiring cattle, which is a very important commodity to the Turu. They primarily produce crops like uwele, maize and matama and The Turu rely on wives in the community to harvest crops and as such they are huge component of the Turu economy, as such bride wealth via cattle is often arranged in order to obtain a bride. Nyamwezi people are a tribe who's ancestral home are in certain parts of Singida. This tribe survives off of cereal agriculture producing primarily crops like sorghum, millet, and rice. The Nyamwezi have matrilineal descent groups. Ancestral worship is also integral to the Nyamwezi and they also look to high gods and spirits for guidance. The Isanzu people are based in the Iramba district of Singida region. The Isanzu speak a Bantu language called Kinyihanzu and the population is approximately 32,400 people. The Isanzu are also farmers who survive off of sorghum, millet, and maize. Some Isanzu are also migrant laborers in other parts of the country; and they also have matrilineal descent. The Datooga people also live in certain parts of the Singida region and as of 1996 there are approximately 100,000 Datooga people. They mainly practice Christianity but have strong adherence to traditional practices rooted in animist beliefs. This entails relying on rainmaking, and sorcery, and strong respect and deference for ancestors who are looked to for spiritual guidance. The Datooga primarily speak the language datooga and are a formerly nomadic people, now many rely on agriculture and farm crops like maize, beans and millet. This group also practice polygamy and rank wives based on order of marriage.

Dextrel McDonald: Politics in Singida Region

The two main political parties in the Singida Region are the TANU (Tanganyika African National Union) and CCM (Chama Cha Mapinduzi) which the presidents have five year terms and can be reelected once. The education system in Tanzania is government-based and has three levels of education starting with primary (seven years), secondary (4-6 years), and college.