Pärnu County
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 kilometres (1.2 mi) up the Pärnu River, near the village of Pulli. It dates back to 8500 BCE in the Mesolithic historical period.
County government
The administrative reform in Estonia abolished county governments by the end of 2017. Before that, counties were led by a governor, who was appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years.
Previous county governors:
- 1993–2009: Toomas Kivimägi
- 2010–2015: Andres Metsoja
- 2015–2017: Kalev Kaljuste
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 is one urban municipality (Estonian: linnad – towns) and six rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Pärnu County.
Rank | Municipality | Type | Population (2018) |
Area km |
Density |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Häädemeeste Parish | Rural | 4,985 | 494 | 10.1 |
2 | Kihnu Parish | Rural | 702 | 17 | 41.3 |
3 | Lääneranna Parish | Rural | 5,494 | 1,352 | 4.1 |
4 | Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish | Rural | 8,435 | 1,013 | 8.3 |
5 | Pärnu | Urban | 51,649 | 855 | 60.4 |
6 | Saarde Parish | Rural | 4,722 | 1,065 | 4.4 |
7 | Tori Parish | Rural | 11,694 | 611 | 19.1 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/P%C3%A4rnu_municipalities_2017.png/250px-P%C3%A4rnu_municipalities_2017.png)
Religion
Religion in Pärnu County (2021) [1]
Religion | 2000 | 2011 | 2021 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
Christianity | 17,466 | 23.7 | 13,425 | 19.2 | 12,850 | 17.8 |
—Orthodox Christians | 5,473 | 7.4 | 5,008 | 7.2 | 5,030 | 7.0 |
—Lutherans | 10,899 | 14.8 | 7,274 | 10.4 | 6,590 | 9.2 |
—Catholics | 208 | 0.2 | 157 | 0.2 | 170 | 0.2 |
—Baptists | 323 | 0.4 | 219 | 0.3 | 180 | 0.2 |
—Jehovah's Witnesses | 159 | 0.2 | 198 | 0.2 | 170 | 0.2 |
—Pentecostals | 216 | 0.2 | 151 | 0.2 | 140 | 0.1 |
—Old Believers | 9 | 0.01 | 14 | 0.02 | - | - |
—Methodists | 71 | 0.09 | 54 | 0.07 | 90 | 0.1 |
—Adventists | 108 | 0.1 | 77 | 0.1 | 60 | 0.08 |
—Other Christians | - | - | 273 | 0.3 | 420 | 0.5 |
Islam | 28 | 0.03 | 32 | 0.05 | 150 | 0.2 |
Buddhism | - | - | 81 | 0.1 | 150 | 0.2 |
Other religions** | 359 | 0.4 | 576 | 0.2 | 1,020 | 1.4 |
No religion | 30,849 | 42.0 | 45,062 | 64.7 | 49,220 | 68.4 |
Not stated*** | 24,785 | 33.7 | 10,412 | 14.9 | 8,510 | 11.8 |
Total population* | 73,487 | 69,587 | 71,950 | |||
*The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age. ". |
Geography
![]() | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
Gallery
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Pärnu-Jaagupi church
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Sindi railway station
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Laupa manor on the Pärnu river
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Monument to Estonian poet Lydia Koidula in Pärnu
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Pärnu mud baths and spa
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Liu lighthouse in Audru Parish
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Riisa bog in Soomaa National Park
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Downtown Pärnu at night
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Häädemeeste church
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Pärnu beach promenade
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Country road on the island of Kihnu
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Sauga river