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.

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

• 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 - Official site