Lääne-Viru County ( et, Lääne-Viru maakond or ''Lääne-Virumaa'') is one of 15

counties of Estonia Counties ( et, maakond, plural ') are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Estonia. Estonian territory is composed of 15 counties, including 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. The government (') of each county is led by a ' (gover ...

. It is in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. In Estonian, ''lääne'' means western and ''ida'' means east or eastern. Lääne-Viru borders Ida-Viru County to the east,

Jõgeva County Jõgeva County ( et, Jõgeva maakond or ''Jõgevamaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in eastern part of the country and borders Ida-Viru County to the north-east, Lake Peipus to the east, Tartu County to the south, Viljandi C ...

to the south, and Järva and Harju counties to the west. In January 2013, Lääne-Viru County had a population of 58,806: 4.5% of the population in Estonia.

History

In prehistoric times, Lääne-Virumaa was settled by

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people ( et, eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to Estonia who speak the Estonian language. The Estonian language is spoken as the first language by the vast majority of Estonians; it is closely related to oth ...

of the Vironian tribe.

County Government

The

County Government A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

( et, maavalitsus) is led by a

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

( et, maavanem), who is appointed by the

Government of Estonia The Government of the Republic of Estonia ('' Estonian: Vabariigi Valitsus'') is the cabinet of Estonia. Under the Constitution, it exercises executive power pursuant to the Constitution and laws of Estonia. The cabinet carries out the country' ...

. Since 2014, the governor position has been held by Marko Torm. The county seat is Rakvere.

Municipalities

The county is subdivided into

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. There is one urban municipality ( et, linnad – towns) and seven rural municipalities ( et, vallad – parishes) in Lääne-Viru County.

Geography

Gallery

File:Porkuni linnuse väravatorn.jpg, Porkuni Castle gate tower File:Palmse mõisa peahoone pargi poolt.jpg, Palmse manor File:HPIM2348 Rakvere ajalooline linnus tänapäevas.jpg, Rakvere Castle File:Mõdriku mõisa peahoone.jpg,

Mõdriku Mõdriku is a village in Vinni Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northeastern Estonia. Mõdriku Manor Mõdriku Manor (german: Mödders) was first mentioned in 1470. Over the centuries, it has been the property of various Baltic German families. Du ...

manor File:Malla mõisa peahoone 2012.jpg,

Malla Malla may refer to: Places ;Bolivia *Malla, Bolivia, a locality * Malla Jawira, a river * Malla Jaqhi, a mountain * Malla Municipality * Malla Qullu, a mountain ;India * Mallapuram, Tamil Nadu *Malla (tribe), an ancient republic, one of the s ...

manor File:Vihula mõisa tuuleveski.jpg,

Vihula Vihula is a village in Haljala Parish, Lääne-Viru County, in northern Estonia, within Lahemaa National Park. Vihula manor The earliest references to an estate go back to 1501. During much of its history, it has belonged to Baltic German arist ...

windmill File:Laekvere mänd 04-2012.JPG, Laekvere pine File:Neeruti Tagajärv.jpg, Lake Neeruti Tagajärv File:Vaade Emumäele.jpg, View from tower on the hill of Emumägi File:Vaade Toolse linnuse varemetele merelt.jpg, Toolse Castle File:Vainupea kabel.jpg, Vainupea Chapel File:Main Manor buildings in summer - Vihula Manor Country Club & Spa.jpg, Vihula Manor File:Altja jõgi Lahemaal.jpg, Altja river File:Sagadi manor, Parque Nacional Lahemaa, Estonia, 2012-08-12, DD 03.JPG, Sagadi manor File:Viru bog - RRiiberg.jpg, Viru bog in

Lahemaa National Park Lahemaa National Park is a park in northern Estonia, 70 kilometers east from the capital Tallinn. The Gulf of Finland is to the north of the park and the Tallinn-Narva highway (E20) is to the south. Its area covers 747 km2 (including 274.9&nbs ...

File:Mähu kivid.jpg, Mähu boulders in Lahemaa National Park File:Raps on tärganud.jpg, Rapeseed field near Laekvere

References

External links

Lääne-Viru County Government
– Official website
Lääne-Virumaa County Infoserver – map and tourism info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laane-Viru County Counties of Estonia