Rapla County
County of Estonia
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Rapla County (Estonian: Rapla maakond or Raplamaa) is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is located in the northwestern 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. In 2022 Rapla County had a population of 33,529, constituting 2.5% of the total population of Estonia.[1]
Rapla County
Raplamaa | |
|---|---|
| |
 Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 59°15′N 26°20′E | |
| Country | Estonia |
| Capital | Rapla |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,979.7 km2 (1,150.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 33,529 |
| • Rank | 7th |
| • Density | 11.252/km2 (29.144/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Estonians | 94% |
| • other | 6% |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €540 million (2022) |
| • Per capita | €15,985 (2022) |
| ISO 3166 code | EE-71 |
| Vehicle registration | L |
History
The first written records of Rapla date back to the 1241 Danish census (Liber Census Daniae).
County government
Until 2017, the County Government (Estonian: maavalitsus) was led by a governor (Estonian: maavanem), who was appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 2015, the governor position has been held by Tõnis Blank.
Municipalities
The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are 4 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad 'parishes') in Rapla County:
| Rank | Municipality | Type | Population (2018)[3] | Area km2[3] | Density[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kehtna Parish | Rural | 5,605 | 512 | 10.9 |
| 2 | Kohila Parish | Rural | 7,096 | 230 | 30.9 |
| 3 | Märjamaa Parish | Rural | 7,739 | 1,174 | 6.6 |
| 4 | Rapla Parish | Rural | 13,334 | 849 | 15.7 |
Religion
The congregations of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in the county are Hageri St. Lambertus, Juuru St.Michael's, Järvakandi St. Paul's, Märjamaa of Blessed Virgin Mary, Rapla Mary Magdalene's, Vahastu and Vigala of Blessed Virgin Mary.[4]
The Orthodox congregations in the county include the Ascension of the Lord congregation in Kohila rural municipality, the Holy Trinity congregation in Lelle and the St. John the Baptist congregation in Velise, which are under the administration of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church .[5]
The Baptist congregations operate in Rapla and Märjamaa and the Adventist congregations operate in Rapla and Valgu.[6] There is a congregation of Moravian Church in Hageri.[7] There is a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the county.
| Religion | 2000 | 2011 | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Christianity | 7,747 | 26.1 | 5,144 | 17.6 | 4,370 | 15.7 |
| —Orthodox Christians | 775 | 2.6 | 912 | 3.1 | 740 | 2.7 |
| —Lutherans | 6,439 | 21.7 | 3,761 | 12.8 | 2,980 | 10.7 |
| —Catholics | 68 | 0.2 | 50 | 0.1 | 240 | 0.8 |
| —Baptists | 232 | 0.7 | 155 | 0.5 | 140 | 0.5 |
| —Jehovah's Witnesses | 58 | 0.1 | 72 | 0.2 | 80 | 0.2 |
| —Pentecostals | 95 | 0.2 | 37 | 0.1 | 30 | 0.1 |
| —Old Believers | 4 | 0.01 | 7 | 0.01 | - | - |
| —Methodists | 36 | 0.1 | 13 | 0.02 | - | - |
| —Adventists | 40 | 0.1 | 29 | 0.1 | - | - |
| —Other Christians | - | 108 | 0.3 | 160 | 0.55 | |
| Islam | 9 | 0.02 | 11 | 0.02 | - | - |
| Buddhism | - | - | 15 | 0.02 | 60 | 0.2 |
| Other religions** | 177 | 0.6 | 232 | 0.8 | 340 | 1.2 |
| No religion | 11,739 | 39.6 | 19,695 | 67.5 | 19,660 | 70.6 |
| Not stated*** | 9,860 | 33.2 | 4,091 | 14.0 | 3,330 | 11.9 |
| Total population* | 29,632 | 29,187 | 27,820 | |||
| *The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.[8] ".[8] | ||||||
Geography
Miscellaneous topics
The church of Rapla was built in 1901. However, much of the interior dates back to several hundred years earlier and is of high structural quality and historical value. In the churchyard there are several crosses remaining from the 17th century.
Gallery
Porkuni Castle gate tower
Palmse manor
Rakvere Castle
Mõdriku manor
Malla manor
Vihula windmill
Laekvere pine
Lake Neeruti Tagajärv
View from tower on the hill of Emumägi
Toolse Castle
Vainupea Chapel
Vihula Manor
Altja river
Sagadi manor
Viru bog in Lahemaa National Park
Mähu boulders in Lahemaa National Park
Rapeseed field near Laekvere
