Pärnu County ( or Pärnumaa; ) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in the southwestern part of the country, on the coast of the Gulf of Riga, and it borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to the east, and Latvia to the south. In 2022, Pärnu County had a population constituting 6.4% of the total population of Estonia.
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 located near the village of Pulli on the banks of the Pärnu River, known as the Pulli settlement. 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 also for non-Estonians, e.g., from Finland, Latvia, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania and other countries.
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) Areakm2 Density1 Häädemeeste Parish Rural 4,985 494 10.12 Kihnu Parish Rural 702 17 41.33 Lääneranna Parish Rural 5,494 1,352 4.14 Põhja-Pärnumaa Parish Rural 8,435 1,013 8.35 Pärnu Urban 51,649 855 60.46 Saarde Parish Rural 4,722 1,065 4.47 Tori Parish Rural 11,694 611 19.1
Religion
The following congregations of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC) operate in Pärnu County under Pärnu Deanery of EELC: Pärnu, Audru, Häädemeeste, Pärnu-St. Jacob's, Saarde, Sindi, Tahkuranna, Tori, Tõstamaa, Treimani, and Vändra. The congregations of Hanila, Karuse, Kirbla, Lihula, Mihkli, and Varbla are under the administration of the Lääne Deanery of the EELC.
Regarding Eastern Orthodoxy, there is under the administration of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church Kergu, Uduvere, Uue-Virtsu, and Vändra congreations. An Orthodox congregation in the city of Pärnu operates under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Baptist congregations operating in Pärnu County: Pärnu Salem, Pärnu Immanuel's, Pärnu Salt and Light Congregation, Suigu, and Kilingi-Nõmme.
A congregation belonging to the Catholic Church in Estonia operating in Pärnu County is the Congregation of St. John the Apostle in the city of Pärnu.
There are also congregations of other Christian churches in the county.
+ Religious affiliations in Pärnu County, census 2000–2021*Official census data from Statistics Estonia: 2000 Census:
2011 Census:
2021 Census:
Religion200020112021 Number % Number % Number % Christianity 17,466 23.7 13,425 19.2 12,85017.8 —Orthodox Christians 5,473 7.4 5,008 7.2 5,0307.0 —Lutherans 10,899 14.8 7,274 10.4 6,5909.2 —Catholics 208 0.2 157 0.2 1700.2 —Baptists 323 0.4 219 0.3 1800.2 —Jehovah's Witnesses 159 0.2 198 0.2 1700.2 —Pentecostals 216 0.2 151 0.2 1400.1 —Old Believers 9 0.01 14 0.02 -- —Methodists 71 0.09 54 0.07 900.1 —Adventists 108 0.1 77 0.1 600.08 —Other Christians - - 273 0.3 4200.5 Islam 28 0.03 32 0.05 1500.2 Buddhism - - 81 0.1 1500.2 Other religions** 359 0.4 576 0.2 1,0201.4 No religion 30,849 42.0 45,062 64.7 49,22068.4 Not stated*** 24,785 33.7 10,412 14.9 8,51011.8 Total population* 73,487 69,58771,950 *The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.".
Geography
Gallery
References
External links
Pärnu County Information Portal Pärnu County Government (in Estonian, archived)