coastal areas for export, are recognizable as being in the Shinyanga Region. This location was created specifically to collect slaves. Also in Shinyanga is the Iboja Cave in Ushepu District are slave trade caves that are situated in Iboja in Dakama Division, where German troops seized and executed Chief Mirambo of Wanyamwezi. In the Shinyanga Region, there is a location where there is distinctive hot spring. This hot spring, which is part of Shinyanga Municipality and is formerly known as Uzogole hot spring, has a distinctive history. According to legend, the water from the hot natural spring is thought to possess some type of spiritual power. As a result of this belief, many traditional doctors visit the hot natural spring to gather water for therapeutic purposes. In contrast to other hot natural springs, once the water is removed, it immediately cools. In the past, hot water was employed as a detergent to get rid of or kill lice from clothing. This site is also where Balozi Malembela's grave is located. He was a historic military commander for the Wasukuma community. Some of the protected places in the Shinyanga Region include the Nyamba and Busongo forest reserves (in the Kishapu District), the Mwantini Forest Reserve (in the Shinyanga District), the Mkweni Hills (in the Kahama Town Council), and the Ubagwe Forest Reserves (in the Ushetu Council). Population The Sukuma people are the dominant ethnic group. Other ethnic groups include the Nyamwezi and Sumbwa, who are primarily located in the areas of western Kahama District. In eastern Shinyanga District there are also sizable immigrant populations of Wanyiramba, Wataturu, and Wahadzabe from neighboring Singida. The majority of the peoples in the area are Bantus, who settled Shinyanga region during the Iron Age. The majority Sukuma community is invested in agricultural and livestock sectors of the regional economy. There is a sizable Swahili speaking Arab community that settled the area in the 19th century, mostly decendants of slavers. They are the largest non-Indigenous community in the region. Demographics In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics report there were 1,666,554 people in the region, from 1,534,808 in 2012. For 2002–2012, the region's 2.1 percent average annual population growth rate was the twentieth highest in the country. Districts Shinyanga Region is divided into six districts, each administered by a council, 14 divisions, 130 wards with their councils, and 506 villages. Notes: * - representing the