Saare County
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Saare County, or Saare maakond, is a County or maakond of Estonia. Saaremaa is the largest island of Estonia and constitutes the main part of the county. It is located in the Baltic Sea to the east of Lääne and Pärnu counties on the mainland, and to the south of the Hiiu County islands.
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| Capital | Kuressaare 58°15'10" N, 22°29'15" E | ||||
| Governor | Hans Teiv | ||||
| Area | 2,922 km² (8th) | ||||
| Population - 2004 estimate - 2000 census - Density | 35,356 (11th) 35,951 12.1/km² (13th) | ||||
| ISO 3166-2 | EE-74 | ||||
| Missing image Saaremaa.gif Location of Saare County | |||||
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History
Main article: History of Saaremaa
According to arceological finds, the territory of Saaremaa has been inhabited at least five thousand years.
County Government
The County Government (Maakonnavalitsus) is led by a Governor (maavanem). The capital of Kuressaare has a population of 16 107 citizens.
Municipalities
There are 1 urban municipality (est: linn - city) and 13 rural municipalities (est: vallad - parishes) in the county.
Urban municipality:
Rural municipalities:
- Kaarma
- Kihelkonna
- Kärla
- Laimjala
- Leisi
- Lümanda
- Muhu
- Mustjala
- Orissaare
- Pihtla
- Pöide
- Ruhnu
- Salme
- Torgu
- Valjala
Geography
The largest islands of the county are Saaremaa, Muhu, Ruhnu, Abruka and Vilsandi. Arable land is 570 km² and it has a mild maritime climate. The mean annual air temperature is 6.0 °C and the mean annual precipitation is 509 mm.
Miscellaneous topics
The main religious affiliations are Lutheran, Orthodox and Baptist.
See also: List of islands of Estonia
External Links
- Saaremaa (http://www.saaremaa.ee/) - Official site