Võru County

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Võrumaa
Võru County
Flag of Estonia Coat of arms of Estonia
Flag Coat of arms
Capital
(and largest city)
Võru
57°49′N, 27°36′E
Official languages Estonian1
Demonym Estonian
Government County Government
 -  County Governor Ülo Tulik
 -  Mayor of the capital - (Linnapea)
Establishment 1920 
 -  1st Soviet occupation 1940-1941 
 -  German occupation 1941-1944 
 -  2nd Soviet occupation 1944-1991 
 -  Restored 1990 
Area
 -  Total 2,305 km² 
1,150 sq mi 
Population
 -  Jan. 01, 2008 estimate ca. 40,000 
 -  2004 census 39,696 
 -  Density 16,9/km² (7th)
9/sq mi
Currency Estonian kroon (EEK)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 -  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Internet TLD .ee
Calling code +372
1 Võro and Seto are spoken in Võrumaa along with Estonian.

Võrumaa (English: Võru County),(Võro: Võro maakund) officially, Võru maakond, is a county in Southern Estonia. It is bordered to the north by the Põlva County and the Lake Pihkva; to the west by Valga County; to the south by Latvia; and to the east by the Russian Federation. The territory of Võrumaa covers 2,305 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. 2.9% of the total population of Estonia lives in the county.

Contents

[edit] History

Võrumaa in its historical borders included eight parishes: Karula, Hargla, Urvaste, Rõuge, Kanepi, Põlva, Räpinä and Vastseliina. These parishes are currently centered (due to redistricting) in Võru and Põlva Counties with parts extending into Valga and Tartu Counties.

[edit] County Government

The County Government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) is led by Governor (Estonian: maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 2005 the Governor position is taken by Ülo Tulik.

[edit] Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities. There is 1 urban municipality (Estonian: linn - town) and 12 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad - parishes) in Võru County.

Municipalities of Võru County
Municipalities of Võru County

Urban municipality:

Rural municipalities:

  • Antsla
  • Haanja
  • Lasva
  • Meremäe
  • Misso
  • Mõniste
  • Rõuge
  • Sõmerpalu
  • Urvaste
  • Varstu
  • Vastseliina
  • Võru

[edit] Geography

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

The Võro language is the local autochthonous language spoken also in Põlva County and some parts of Valga and Tartu County. Linguistically it is a variety of South Estonian language but most local people consider it a separate language.

[edit] References

  • Hella Keem (1997): Võru keel. Eesti teaduste akadeemia Emakeele selts. Tallinn.
  • Aune Valk (2000): Võrokeste identiteedist. Kadri Koreinik, Jan Rahman (toim.) A kiilt rahvas kynõlõs.. Võrokeste keelest, kommetest, identiteedist (lk. 39-56). Võro Instituut'. Võro.

[edit] External links