Pärnu County

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Pärnu County

| native_name = {{lang|et|Pärnumaa}}

| settlement_type = County

| image_skyline = Pärnu jõgi Toris.jpg

| image_flag = Pärnumaa_lipp.svg

| flag_size = 125px

| image_shield = Et-Pärnu maakond-coa.svg

| shield_size = 75px

| image_map = Pärnu County in Estonia.svg

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Estonia

| seat_type = Capital

| seat = Pärnu

| area_total_km2 = 4806.68

| population_total = 85705

| population_as_of = 2022

| population_footnotes =

| population_rank = 4th

| population_density_km2 = auto

| demographics_type1 = Ethnicity

| demographics1_footnotes =

| demographics1_title1 = Estonians

| demographics1_info1 = 89.5%

| demographics1_title2 = Russians

| demographics1_info2 = 6.8%

| demographics1_title3 = other

| demographics1_info3 = 3.3%

| demographics_type2 = GDP

| demographics2_footnotes = {{Cite web|url=https://andmed.stat.ee:443/pxweb/en/stat/stat__majandus__rahvamajanduse-arvepidamine__sisemajanduse-koguprodukt-(skp)__regionaalne-sisemajanduse-koguprodukt/RAA0050.px/|title=GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY COUNTY|website=stat.ee}}

| demographics2_title1 = Total

| demographics2_info1 = €1.587 billion (2022)

| demographics2_title2 = Per capita

| demographics2_info2 = €18,334 (2022)

| registration_plate = F

| iso_code = EE-68

| footnotes =

}}

Pärnu County ({{langx|et|Pärnu maakond}} or Pärnumaa; {{langx|de|Kreis Pernau}}) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the 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 2022, Pärnu County had a population of 85,705 – constituting 6.4% of the total population of Estonia.{{cite web|url=http://pub.stat.ee/px-web.2001/Dialog/varval.asp?ma=PO0222&path=../I_Databas/Population/01Population_indicators_and_composition/04Population_figure_and_composition/&lang=1|title=Population by sex, ethnic nationality and County, 1 January|date=1 January 2009|work=stat.ee|publisher=Statistics Estonia|access-date=2009-10-18}}

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 {{convert|2|km|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){{cite web\|title=Elanike demograafiline jaotus maakonniti\|url=http://f.ell.ee/failid/kodukas/rahvastik/2018-01-01_rahvastik_netti_.htm\|publisher=Kohaliku omavalitsuse portaal\|access-date=2 April 2018\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302200029/http://f.ell.ee/failid/kodukas/rahvastik/2018-01-01_rahvastik_netti_.htm\|archive-date=2 March 2019\|url-status=dead}}	Area km²	Density
class="wikitable sortable"
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

Image:Pärnu_municipalities_2017.png

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, Vändra.{{cite web|url=https://eelk.ee/contact/congregations/|title=The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Congregations.|access-date= 15 February 2025}} The congregations of Hanila, Karuse, Kirbla, Lihula, Mihkli and Varbla are under the administration of the Lääne Deanery of the EELC.{{cite web|url=https://eelk.ee/contact/congregations/|title=The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Congregations.|access-date= 15 February 2025}}

Regarding Eastern Orthodoxy, there is under the administration of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church Kergu, Uduvere, Uue-Virtsu and Vändra congreations.{{cite web |url=http://www.orthodoxa.org/EE/estonieEE/clergeparoisses/paroissesEE.htm|title=Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik. Kogudused.|access-date=15 February 2025}} An Orthodox congregation in the city of Pärnu operates under the jurisdiction of the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.{{cite web|url=https://et.orthodox.ee/|title=Moskva Patriarhaadi Eesti Õigeusu Kirik. Kontaktid.|access-date=15 February 2025}}

Baptist congregations operating in Pärnu County: Pärnu Salem, Pärnu Immanuel's, Pärnu Salt and Light Congregation, Suigu and Kilingi-Nõmme.{{cite web |url=https://kogudused.ee/kogudused/hiiumaa/|title=Union of Free Evangelical and Baptist Churches of Estonia. Kogudused.|access-date=15 February 2025}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.katoliku.ee/index.php/et/missa-ajad|title=Roman Catholic Church. Tallinn Diocese. Mass times.|access-date=16 February 2025}}

There are also congregations of other Christian churches in the county.

rowspan="2"\|Religion ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"\|2000 ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"\|2011 ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"\|2021
class="wikitable" \|+ Religious affiliations in Pärnu County, census 2000–2021*Official census data from Statistics Estonia: 2000 Census: {{cite web\|url=https://andmed.stat.ee/en/stat/rahvaloendus__rel2000__usk/RL229/table/tableViewLayout2\|title=2000 Census: RL229: Population by religion}} {{cite web\|url=https://andmed.stat.ee/en/stat/rahvaloendus__rel2000__usk/RL231/table/tableViewLayout2\|title=2000 Census: RL231: Population by religion and ethnicity}} 2011 Census: {{cite web\|url=https://andmed.stat.ee/en/stat/rahvaloendus__rel2011__rahvastiku-demograafilised-ja-etno-kultuurilised-naitajad__usk/RL0451/table/tableViewLayout2\|title=2011 Census: RL0451: Population by religion}} {{cite web\|url=https://andmed.stat.ee/en/stat/rahvaloendus__rel2011__rahvastiku-demograafilised-ja-etno-kultuurilised-naitajad__usk/RL0454/table/tableViewLayout2\|title=2011 Census: RL0454: Population by religion and ethnicity}} 2021 Census: {{cite web\|url=https://andmed.stat.ee/en/stat/rahvaloendus__rel2021__rahvastiku-demograafilised-ja-etno-kultuurilised-naitajad__usk/RL21451/table/tableViewLayout2\|title=2021 Census: RL21451: Population by religion}} {{cite web\|url=https://andmed.stat.ee/en/stat/rahvaloendus__rel2021__rahvastiku-demograafilised-ja-etno-kultuurilised-naitajad__usk/RL21454/table/tableViewLayout2\|title=2021 Census: RL21454: Population by religion and ethnicity}}
Number ! % ! Number ! % ! Number ! %
style="background:#E0F0FF;" \| Christianity	17,466	23.7	13,425	19.2	12,850	17.8
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Orthodox Christians	5,473	7.4	5,008	7.2	5,030	7.0
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Lutherans	10,899	14.8	7,274	10.4	6,590	9.2
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Catholics	208	0.2	157	0.2	170	0.2
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Baptists	323	0.4	219	0.3	180	0.2
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Jehovah's Witnesses	159	0.2	198	0.2	170	0.2
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Pentecostals	216	0.2	151	0.2	140	0.1
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Old Believers	9	0.01	14	0.02	-\|
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Methodists	71	0.09	54	0.07	90	0.1
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Adventists	108	0.1	77	0.1	60	0.08
style="background:#E0F0FF;"\| —Other Christians	-	-	273	0.3	420	0.5
style="background:#E0FFD0;"\| Islam	28	0.03	32	0.05	150	0.2
style="background:#FFFFC0;" \| Buddhism	-	-	81	0.1	150	0.2
style="background:#F0E0FF;" \| Other religions**	359	0.4	576	0.2	1,020	1.4
style="background:#F5F5F5;" \| No religion	30,849	42.0	45,062	64.7	49,220	68.4
style="background:#DCDCDC;" \| Not stated***	24,785	33.7	10,412	14.9	8,510	11.8
Total population* \|\| colspan="2" \| 73,487\|\| colspan="2" \| 69,587\|\| colspan="2" \|71,950
colspan="7" \| *The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age. ".

Geography

Gallery

File:Pärnu-Jaagupi kirik.jpg|Pärnu-Jaagupi church

File:Sindi raudteejaama hoone.jpg|Sindi railway station

File:Laupa mõisa peahoone jõega.jpg|Laupa manor on the Pärnu river

File:Lydia Koidula monument1.jpg|Monument to Estonian poet Lydia Koidula in Pärnu

File:Pärnu mudaravila 2.JPG|Pärnu mud baths and spa

File:Liu tulepaak.jpg|Liu lighthouse in Audru Parish

File:Riisa raba.JPG|Riisa bog in Soomaa National Park

File:Downtown Parnu at night-PDXdj.jpg|Downtown Pärnu at night

File:Häädemeeste kirik 01.jpg|Häädemeeste church

File:Pärnu rannapromenaad 2014.jpg|Pärnu beach promenade

File:Villageroad.JPG|Country road on the island of Kihnu

File:Sauga River.jpg|Sauga river

References

External links

[https://parnumaa.ee/ Pärnu County Information Portal]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20050828224242/http://www.mv.parnu.ee/ Pärnu County Government] (in Estonian, archived)

Category:Counties of Estonia