Põlva County (Estonian: Põlva maakond or Põlvamaa) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-eastern part of the country and borders Tartu, Valga and Võru counties. 23,989 people live in Põlva County – constituting 1.8% of the total population in Estonia (as of 2022).[1]

Põlva County
Põlvamaa
Central part of Põlva County, Põlva Parish
Central part of Põlva County, Põlva Parish
Coat of arms of Põlva County
Location of Põlva County
CountryEstonia
CapitalPõlva
Area
 • Total
2,164.77 km2 (835.82 sq mi)
Population
 (2022[1])
 • Total
23,989
 • Rank13th
 • Density11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Ethnicity
 • Estonians95%
 • other5%
GDP
 • Total€347 million (2022)
 • Per capita€14,450 (2022)
ISO 3166 codeEE-64
Vehicle registrationO
Websitewww.polvamaa.ee

Government

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The County Government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) is led by the Governor (Estonian: maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 2007, the Governor position is held by Priit Sibul.

Municipalities

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The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are 3 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Põlva County.

 
Former municipalities of Põlva County, prior to the 2017 administrative reform.
Rank Municipality Type Population
(2018)[3]
Area
km2[3]
Density[3]
1 Kanepi Parish Rural 4,864 525 9.3
2 Põlva Parish Rural 14,273 706 20.2
3 Räpina Parish Rural 6,518 591 11.0

Demographics

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27,028 people live in Põlva County – constituting 2.1% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2013).[1]

Culture

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1951–2019, the county has its newspaper: Koit. The last chief editor (since 2000) was Kauno Kõima.[4]

Religion

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Religion in Põlva County (2021) [1]

  Unaffiliated (78.4%)
  Lutheran (12.4%)
  Orthodox (5.7%)
  Others Christians (1.3%)
  Others Religions or Unknown (1.8%)
Religious affiliations in Põlva County census 2000–2021*[5]
Religion 2000 2011 2021
Number % Number % Number %
Christianity 8,318 31.9 6,021 25.6 3,990 19.4
Orthodox Christians 2,080 8.0 1,841 7.8 1,170 5.7
Lutherans 5,891 22.6 3,835 16.3 2,550 12.4
Catholics 42 0.1 15 0.06 30 0.1
Baptists 51 0.2 49 0.2 50 0.2
Jehovah's Witnesses 132 0.5 157 0.6 90 0.4
Pentecostals 57 0.2 24 0.1 - -
Old Believers 18 0.06 17 0.7 - -
Methodists 33 0.1 15 0.06 - -
Adventists 14 0.05 18 0.06 - -
—Other Christians - - 50 0.2 100 0.4
Islam 4 0.1 6 0.02 - -
Buddhism - - 11 0.04 - -
Other religions** 89 0.3 221 0.9 370 1.8
No religion 10,706 41.1 13,801 58.7 13,480 65.6
Not stated*** 6,937 26.6 3,461 14.7 2,610 12.7
Total population* 26,054 23,501 20,530
*The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.[5]
".[5]
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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Population by sex, ethnic nationality and County, 1 January". stat.ee. Statistics Estonia. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  2. ^ "GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY COUNTY". stat.ee.
  3. ^ a b c "Elanike demograafiline jaotus maakonniti". Kohaliku omavalitsuse portaal. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Koit - Eesti Entsüklopeedia". entsyklopeedia.ee. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Official census data from Statistics Estonia:
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58°05′N 27°05′E / 58.083°N 27.083°E / 58.083; 27.083