Tõstamaa Parish ( et, Tõstamaa vald) was a rural

municipality 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 ...

in southwestern

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. It was a part of Pärnu County. The municipality had a population of 1,572 (as of 1 January 2009) and covered an area of 261.01 km². Tõstamaa Parish covered part of the flat seashore of western Pärnu County, a low, swampy coastal area bordered by an elevated chain of sand dunes. Behind the dunes spreads a slightly wavy

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...

, where higher places have been reclaimed, but lower ones have remained swampy or

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

land and covered with scattered foliage. And, although Tõstamaa should mean "high land", its populace have long lived not off the land, but off the sea. Several islands and islets in the

Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia ( lv, Rīgas līcis, et, Liivi laht) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main c ...

, including Sorgu and Manilaid, belong to Tõstamaa Parish. Tõstamaa is home to the historic Tõstamaa Keskkool.

Settlements

;Small borough:

Tõstamaa Tõstamaa is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Pärnu municipality, Pärnu County, southwestern Estonia. Tõstamaa has a population of 466 (as of 1 January 2020). Tõstamaa St. Mary's Lutheran church was built in 1763–1768. Tõstamaa Manor Tõ ...

;Villages: Alu - Ermistu - Kastna - Kavaru -

Kiraste Kiraste is a village in Pärnu urban municipality, Pärnu County, in southwestern Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finlan ...

Kõpu Kõpu is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Viljandi County, Estonia. It was the administrative centre of Kõpu Parish. Suure-Kõpu manor Suure-Kõpu manor (german: Gross-Köppo), located in the village, has a history that goes back to 1487. Du ...

- Lao - Lõuka - Manija - Männikuste - Päraküla - Peerni - Pootsi - Rammuka - Ranniku - Seliste - Tõhela - Tõlli - Värati

Gallery

Tõstamaa vallamaja 2010.JPG, Tõstamaa community house Tõstamaa mõis.jpg, Tõstamaa manor house Manija külakeskus.jpg, Manija village centre on Manilaid island Seliste kirik, vaade edelast.jpg, Seliste church Pootsi-Kõpu kirik.jpg, Pootsi-Kõpu church File:Ermistu järv.JPG, Lake Ermistu Tõstamaa kirik 01.jpg, Tõstamaa church Peerni sadam.JPG, Peerni harbor

References

External links

Official website
Former municipalities of Estonia {{Estonia-geo-stub