Simanjiro District is one of the six districts of the

Manyara Region Manyara Region (''Mkoa wa Manyara'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the town of Babati. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,425,131, which was lower than th ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. It is bordered to the north by

Arusha Region Arusha City is a Tanzanian city and the regional capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District Council (2012 census). Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern ...

, to the north east by

Kilimanjaro Region Kilimanjaro Region (''Mkoa wa Kilimanjaro'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital and largest city is the municipality of Moshi. With a HDI of 0.613, Kilimajaro is one among the most developed region ...

, to the south east by

Tanga Region Tanga Region (''Mkoa wa Tanga'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative 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 mu ...

, 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 Do ...

, 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. The region is located in central Tanzania, it is bordered by Singid ...

and to the west by Babati Rural District. The district headquarters are located in Orkesumet. According to the 2012 Tanzania National Census, the population of Simanjro District was 178,693. Simanjiro district is endowed with gemstones with 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 M ...

. Also Simanjiro was were 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 priso ...

Demographics

The 2012 Tanzanian Census 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) * Massai Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...

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

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

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 A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

, with a 1994 report states that 71,531 Maasai in the district practice pastoralism. There are a significant number of extension agents in the district who sell agricultural information.

Media

Orkonerei Radio Service, 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 800,000. It is closely related to the other Maa varieties ...

radio station 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