Pärnu County or Pärnumaa , is one of 15 counties

Counties of Estonia

A county is an administrative subdivision of Estonia.Estonia is divided into 15 counties. The government of each county is led by a county governor , who represents the national government at the regional level...

 of Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

. It is situated in south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga

Gulf of Riga

The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. According to C.Michael Hogan, a saline stratification layer is found at a depth of approximately seventy metres....

, and borders Lääne

Lääne County

Lääne County , or Läänemaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in western Estonia and borders Baltic Sea to the north, Harju County to the north-east, Rapla County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, and the island counties of Saare and Hiiu to the west...

 and Rapla

Rapla County

Rapla County , or Raplamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in western part of the country and borders Järva County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, Lääne County to the west, and Harju County to the north...

 counties to the north, Järva

Järva County

Järva County , or Järvamaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in central part of the country and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Jõgeva County to the south-east, Viljandi County to the south, Pärnu County to the south-west, Rapla County to the west, and Harju County to the...

 and Viljandi

Viljandi County

Viljandi County , is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties. 55,657 people live in Viljandi County – constituting 4.2% of the total population in Estonia ....

 counties to the east, and Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

 to the south. 88,466 people live in Pärnu County – constituting 6.6% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2009).

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, from town of Sindi  2 km upstream by Pärnu River

Pärnu River

The Pärnu is a river in Estonia that drains into the Gulf of Riga at Pärnu. It is a one of the longest rivers in Estonia - 144 km long. It has the basin area of 6,920 km² and average discharge is 64.4 m³/s.- References :...

, near village Pulli

Pulli settlement

Pulli settlement, located on the right bank of the Pärnu River, is the oldest known human settlement in Estonia. It is located two kilometers from the town of Sindi, which is 14 kilometers from Pärnu...

. 8500 years BC. Mesolithic

Mesolithic

The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....

 historical period.

County Government

The County Government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) is led by Governor

County Governors of Estonia

The Governor is the leader of a county in Estonia.-List of governers of Estonian counties:Harju County:*Johannes Reinthal *Oskar Suursööt *Martin Kruusimaa *Rudolf Kuris...

 (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

Pärnu

Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...

 is a popular holiday resort for Estonians and increasingly for non-Estonians, e.g., from Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities

Municipalities of Estonia

A Municipality is the smallest administrative subdivision of Estonia. Each municipality is a unit of self-government with its representative and executive bodies. The municipalities in Estonia cover the entire territory of the country....

. There are 2 urban municipalities (Estonian: linnad – towns) and 19 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Pärnu County.

Urban municipalities:

• Pärnu
  Pärnu
  Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...
  
  
• Sindi

Rural municipalities:

• Are Parish
  Are Parish
  Are is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Small borough:AreVillages:Eavere, Elbu, Kurena, Lepplaane, Murru, Niidu, Parisselja, Pärivere, Suigu, Tabria, Võlla....
  
  
• Audru Parish
  Audru Parish
  Audru is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Small borough:AudruVillages:Ahaste, Aruvälja, Eassalu, Jõõpre, Kabriste, Kärbu, Kihlepa, Kõima, Lemmetsa, Liiva, Lindi, Liu, Malda, Marksa, Oara, Papsaare, Põhara, Põldeotsa, Ridalepa, Saari, Saulepa,...
  
  
• Halinga Parish
  Halinga Parish
  Halinga is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Borough:Pärnu-JaagupiVillages:Aasa, Altküla, Anelema, Arase, Eametsa, Eense, Eerma, Enge, Ertsma, Halinga, Helenurme, Kablima, Kaelase, Kangru, Kodesmaa, Kuninga, Langerma, Lehtmetsa, Lehu, Libatse,...
  
   (includes the borough of Pärnu-Jaagupi
  Pärnu-Jaagupi
  Pärnu-Jaagupi is a borough in Pärnu County, Estonia, the administrative centre of Halinga Parish. It has a population of 1,291 .-References:...
  
  )
• Häädemeeste Parish
  Häädemeeste Parish
  Häädemeeste is a municipality located in Pärnu County of Estonia.Nigula Nature Reserve is partly located in Häädemeeste Parish.-Settlements:Small borough:HäädemeesteVillages:...
  
  
• Kihnu Parish
  Kihnu Parish
  Kihnu Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Pärnu County. It covers the area of Kihnu island. The population of Kihnu is 489 and an area of 16.88 km².-Settlements:...
  
  
• Koonga Parish
  Koonga Parish
  Koonga is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Villages:Emmu - Hõbeda - Irta - Iska - Jänistvere - Järve - Joonuse - Kalli - Karinõmme - Karuba - Kibura - Kiisamaa - Kõima - Koonga - Kuhu - Kurese - Lõpe - Maikse - Mihkli - Naissoo - Nätsi - Nedrema...
  
  
• Lavassaare
  Lavassaare
  Lavassaare is a borough in southwestern Estonia. Administratively it constitutes Lavassaare Parish , a rural municipality within Pärnu County. It has a population of 539 and an area of 8.00 km².-External links:*...
  
   (borough)
• Paikuse Parish
  Paikuse Parish
  Paikuse is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Small borough:PaikuseVillages:Põlendmaa, Seljametsa, Silla, Tammuru, Vaskrääma....
  
  
• Saarde Parish
  Saarde Parish
  Saarde is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Town:Kilingi-NõmmeSmall borough:TihemetsaVillages:...
  
   (includes the town of Kilingi-Nõmme
  Kilingi-Nõmme
  Kilingi-Nõmme is a town in south-western Estonia. It is a centre of Saarde Parish in Pärnu County.Kilingi-Nõmme borough became a town in 1 May 1938....
  
  )
• Sauga Parish
  Sauga Parish
  Sauga Parish is located at the Pärnu County Center. Its south neighbour is Pärnu city, west neighbour Audru Parish; its north side resides with Halinga and Are, its east side with town of Sindi....
  
  
• Surju Parish
  Surju Parish
  Surju is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Villages:Ilvese - Jaamaküla - Kalda - Kikepera - Kõveri - Lähkma - Metsaääre - Rabaküla - Ristiküla - Saunametsa - Surju...
  
  
• Tahkuranna Parish
  Tahkuranna Parish
  Tahkuranna is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Small borough:VõisteVillages:Laadi - Leina - Lepaküla - Metsaküla - Piirumi - Reiu - Tahkuranna - Uulu...
  
  
• Tootsi
  Tootsi
  Tootsi is a borough in southwestern Estonia. Administratively it constitutes Tootsi Parish — a rural municipality within Pärnu County. It has the population of 951 and an area of 1.76 km².-External links:*...
  
   (borough)
• Tori Parish
  Tori Parish
  Tori is a municipality located in Pärnu County, one of the 15 counties of Estonia.-Settlements:Small borough:ToriVillages:Aesoo - Elbi - Jõesuu - Kildemaa - Kõrsa - Kuiaru - Levi - Mannare - Muraka - Muti - Oore - Piistaoja - Randivälja - Rätsepa - Riisa - Selja - Taali - Tohera - Urumarja - Võlli...
  
  
• Tõstamaa Parish
  Tõstamaa Parish
  Tõstamaa Parish is a rural municipality in southwestern Estonia. It is a part of Pärnu County. The municipality has a population of 1,572 and covers an area of 261.01 km²....
  
  
• Varbla Parish
  Varbla Parish
  Varbla is an Estonian municipality located in Pärnu County. It has a population of 1013 and an area of 314 km².-Settlements:Villages:...
  
  
• Vändra Parish
  Vändra Parish
  Vändra Parish is an Estonian municipality located in Pärnu County. It has a population of 3126 and an area of 642 km².-Settlements:Villages:...
  
  
• Vändra
  Vändra
  Vändra is a borough with a municipality status in Pärnu County, Estonia. Vändra is surrounded by Vändra Parish in which the borough itself is not part of. It has a population of 2,500 and an area of 3.28 km²....
  
  (borough)

External links

• Pärnu County Official website
• Pärnu County Government (in Estonian)
• Town of Pärnu Official website