Simiyu Region

Simiyu Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Simiyu) sits between Lake Victoria and the Serengeti in northern Tanzania. It was created in March 2012 out of the eastern half of Shinyanga Region, and the 2022 census recorded a population of 2,140,497. Bariadi is the regional capital, and cotton is grown so widely here that Simiyu is known as the cotton region.

Districts of Simiyu Region

Simiyu Region is administered through six councils, covering five districts. Bariadi District is split into a rural council and a town council. Populations are from the 2022 census.

Towns and Villages in Simiyu Region

The settlements below are grouped by district. The main centres are Bariadi, Nyalikungu and Shanwa in Maswa, Lalago and Somanda in southern Maswa, Kisesa and Mwanhuzi in Meatu, and Malampaka on the Maswa road. Village names in Simiyu often begin with Mwa-, a Sukuma prefix, which is why so many entries below cluster under that letter.

Bariadi District and Bariadi Town

• Bariadi
• Dutwa
• Gabu
• Gidamunda
• Gingiliani
• Guduwe
• Gunguli Lawashashi
• Igaganulwa
• Isanga
• Kabale
• Kasali
• Kilulu
• Mamoto
• Matonga
• Mhango
• Mwahabi
• Mwandolo
• Nasabo
• Ngalita
• Nguyati
• Ngwamala
• Nkololo
• Nkorogoma
• Nyakabindi
• Nyanguli
• Sikugunga
• Somanda

Busega District

• Badugu
• Bushigamhala
• Chabutwa
• Chamgassa
• Chumwe
• Gininiga
• Igalukiro
• Ihayabuya
• Itonga
• Kabita
• Kalemera
• Kandawa
• Kijeleshi
• Kilalo
• Kiloleli
• Lutubigo
• Mukula
• Mwaginanyi
• Mwakanunzi
• Mwalili
• Mwamagigisi
• Mwamwengi
• Mwasamba
• Ngasamo
• Ngwamwili
• Ninjegwabugali
• Njabihale
• Nyametembe
• Nyamikoma
• Nyangiri
• Nyankalalo
• Rutudiga
• Shigara
• Usega

Itilima District

• Bukurumu
• Bumera
• Dasina
• Idoselo
• Isanghamwele
• Lugulu
• Mwamapalala
• Mwambalegia Bunamhala
• Mwambilija
• Mwamisheau
• Mwanunghu
• Ngano
• Nghobora
• Sagata
• Sansui
• Sawida
• Seya
• Tagawi
• Zagayu

Maswa District

• Buchambi
• Guliguli
• Gumali
• Iborogero
• Igarukiro
• Ijinga
• Ipililo
• Isagenghe
• Isanga
• Itinje
• Jihinike
• Kabondo
• Kidabu
• Kidema
• Kilolele
• Kimbago
• Kisungu
• Kungusu
• Lalago
• Likenejo
• Malampaka
• Malita
• Masanwa
• Masela
• Mbalagane
• Mwalika
• Mwalugesha
• Mwalukuliko
• Mwamagaka
• Mwamtumai
• Mwanhoro
• Mwasita
• Ngegemu
• Nghwanya
• Nyalikungu
• Shanwa
• Shishiyu
• Somanda
• Suti

Meatu District

• Banya
• Bukundi
• Kilimi
• Kimali
• Kisesa
• Luguru ya Mbuga
• Mangai
• Mwakubiringa
• Mwandoya
• Mwanhuzi
• Mwankali
• Nyasadu
• Sanga Mpuya
• Subeti

Other localities

• Bugoro
• Bulima
• Ihale
• Kabila
• Lugangarili
• Maligisu
• Mamukara
• Missingwi
• Mwamanyili
• Mwanangi
• Nghaya
• Nyahanga
• Nyaluhande
• Nyamole
• Nyashimba
• Nyashimo
• Salama

Geography

Simiyu Region covers 25,212 km2. Lake Victoria and Mara Region lie to the north, Mwanza Region to the west, Shinyanga and Singida Regions to the south, and Arusha Region to the east. Busega District holds the region’s short stretch of lakeshore on the Speke Gulf.

Most of the region is open plateau country, planted with cotton and maize and grazed by cattle. Rainfall is unreliable and comes in one long season, so seasonal streams and hand-dug wells matter more here than permanent rivers. The eastern districts run into protected land: part of Serengeti National Park falls inside Simiyu, and the Maswa Game Reserve covers 4,210 km2 along the park’s south-western boundary. Meatu District reaches south-east towards Lake Eyasi, where Hadzabe communities still live by hunting and gathering.

Economy and Local Life

Roughly 80 per cent of working adults farm. Cotton is the cash crop and gives the region its nickname; maize, sorghum, rice, sweet potatoes and sunflower are grown for food and local sale. Ginneries and buying posts around Bariadi, Maswa and Malampaka take in the crop after the harvest.

Cattle keeping is the second pillar. Sukuma households, the largest group in the region, measure standing in herds, and dairy production and hide sales add cash income. Weekly livestock auctions draw traders from Mwanza and Shinyanga, and the cattle markets are the main cash events in the rural calendar. Fishing on the Speke Gulf supports the Busega shoreline villages, and small-scale gold digging occurs in parts of Maswa and Meatu.

Beyond the Sukuma majority, the region also has Nyiramba, Nyaturu and Hadzabe communities, mainly in the south and east. Tourism reaches only the eastern edge, where lodges and guiding work depend on the Serengeti and Maswa reserves.

Getting There

Trunk road T4 runs along the lakeshore through Busega District, linking Mwanza with Bunda and Musoma; the turn-off from it is the usual way in from the west. From that junction a regional road runs south-east to Bariadi and on to Maswa, Nyalikungu and Shanwa before joining the Shinyanga roads. Meatu is reached from Maswa through Lalago and Mwanhuzi, and from the Singida side in the south. Bariadi also connects south-west to Shinyanga town, and east through Itilima towards the Serengeti boundary.

There is no scheduled passenger airport in the region. Most travellers fly into Mwanza and continue by bus or minibus, a journey of a few hours to Bariadi. Airstrips inside Serengeti National Park and the Maswa reserve serve tourist traffic only.

FAQ

How many districts are in Simiyu Region?

Simiyu Region is administered through six councils: Bariadi Rural, Bariadi Town, Busega, Itilima, Maswa and Meatu.

What is the population of Simiyu Region?

The 2022 census recorded a population of 2,140,497, up from 1,584,157 in 2012.

What is the capital of Simiyu Region?

Bariadi. Bariadi Town council had a population of 260,927 at the 2022 census.

When was Simiyu Region created?

In March 2012, when it was split off from the eastern districts of Shinyanga Region.

What villages are in Simiyu Region?

The list above covers about 150 towns and villages by district, from Nyashimo and Ngasamo in Busega to Somanda and Kilolele in Maswa and Mwandoya in Meatu.