Pärnu County
| Pärnu County | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| County of Estonia | |||
 | |||
| |||
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| Country | Estonia | ||
| Capital | Pärnu | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Andres Metsoja | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 4,806.68 km2 (1,855.87 sq mi) | ||
| Population (Jan 2016[1]) | |||
| • Total | 82,997 | ||
| • Density | 17/km2 (45/sq mi) | ||
| Ethnicity | |||
| • Estonians | 89.1% | ||
| • Russians | 8% | ||
| • other | 3% | ||
| ISO 3166 code | EE-67 | ||
| Vehicle registration | F | ||
| Website |
www | ||
Pärnu County (Estonian: Pärnu maakond), or Pärnumaa (German: Kreis Pernau), is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to the east, and Latvia to the south. In January 2013 Pärnu County had a population of 81,428 – constituting 6.3% of the total population of Estonia.[1]
Pärnu County is the largest county of Estonia in terms of land area.
History
In Pärnu county there is the oldest known human settlement in Estonia, which is the town of Sindi, and it is 2 km up the Pärnu River, near the village of Pulli. It dates back to 8500 BCE in the Mesolithic historical period.
County Government
The County Government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) is led by a Governor (Estonian: maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 1 January 2010, the Governor position is held by Andres Metsoja.
Tourism
The city of Pärnu is a popular holiday resort for Estonians and increasingly for non-Estonians, e.g., from Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Russia.
Municipalities
The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are 2 urban municipalities (Estonian: linnad – towns) and 17 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Pärnu County.
Urban municipalities
Rural municipalities
- Are Parish
- Audru Parish (includes the borough of Lavassaare)
- Halinga Parish (includes the borough of Pärnu-Jaagupi)
- Häädemeeste Parish
- Kihnu Parish
- Koonga Parish
- Paikuse Parish
- Saarde Parish (includes the town of Kilingi-Nõmme)
- Sauga Parish
- Surju Parish
- Tahkuranna Parish
- Tootsi (borough)
- Tori Parish
- Tõstamaa Parish
- Varbla Parish
- Vändra Parish
- Vändra (borough)
Gallery
Pärnu-Jaagupi church
Sindi railway station
Laupa manor on the Pärnu river
Monument to Estonian poet Lydia Koidula in Pärnu
Pärnu mud baths and spa
Liu lighthouse in Audru Parish
Riisa bog in Soomaa National Park
Downtown Pärnu at night
Häädemeeste church
Pärnu beach promenade
Country road on the island of Kihnu
Sauga river
References
- 1 2 "Population by sex, ethnic nationality and County, 1 January". stat.ee. Statistics Estonia. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
External links
- Pärnu County Official website
- Pärnu County Government (in Estonian)
- Town of Pärnu Official website
| Urban municipalities |  | |
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| Rural municipalities | ||
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Coordinates: 58°25′N 24°35′E / 58.417°N 24.583°E
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