Põlva County or Põlvamaa, is one of 15 counties

Counties of Estonia

A county is an administrative subdivision of Estonia.Estonia is divided into 15 counties. The government of each county is led by a county governor , who represents the national government at the regional level...

 of Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

. It is situated in south-eastern part of the country and borders Tartu

Tartu County

Tartu County , or Tartumaa , is one of 15 counties of Estonia.It is located in eastern Estonia bordering Põlva County, Valga County, Viljandi County and Jõgeva County....

, Valga

Valga County

Valga County , or Valgamaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. Its capital is Valga, which is located on the Estonian-Latvian border. It is situated in southern part of the country and borders Põlva County and Võru County to the east, Latvia to the south and to the west, Viljandi County and Tartu...

 and Võru

Võru County

Võrumaa or Võru maakond officially, 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....

 counties. The county also shares a common border with Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. Long sections of the border with neighboring Russia have not yet been ratified by treaty, and certain villages in Põlva County (e.g., Lutepää

Lutepää

Lutepää is a small community on the Värska to Saatse gravel road in southeast Estonia. At first sight, just like a thousand other villages in the lake and forest landscape of this region where the Russian - Estonian border twists and turns in a manner that defies the logic of everyday life.But...

 and Saatse) can only be reached by driving through Russian-controlled territory. 31,002 people live in Põlva County – constituting 2.3% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2009).

Government

The County Government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) is led by Governor

County Governors of Estonia

The Governor is the leader of a county in Estonia.-List of governers of Estonian counties:Harju County:*Johannes Reinthal *Oskar Suursööt *Martin Kruusimaa *Rudolf Kuris...

 (Estonian: maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 2007, the Governor position is held by Priit Sibul.

Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities

Municipalities of Estonia

A Municipality is the smallest administrative subdivision of Estonia. Each municipality is a unit of self-government with its representative and executive bodies. The municipalities in Estonia cover the entire territory of the country....

. There is 1 urban municipality (Estonian: linn - town) and 13 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad - parishes) in Põlva County.
Urban municipality:

• Põlva
  Põlva
  Põlva , is the capital of Põlva County , one of 15 counties of Estonia. The county is situated in south-eastern part of the country and borders Tartu, Valga and Võru counties...
  
  

Rural municipalities:

• Ahja Parish
  Ahja Parish
  Ahja Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 1,115 and an area of .-Settlements:Small borough:AhjaVillages:Akste - Ibaste - Kärsa - Kosova - Loko - Mõtsküla - Mustakurmu - Vanamõisa...
  
  
• Kanepi Parish
  Kanepi Parish
  Kanepi Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 2,511 and an area of 231.43 km²...
  
  
• Kõlleste Parish
  Kõlleste Parish
  Kõlleste Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 997 and an area of 150.42 km².-Settlements:Villages:...
  
  
• Laheda Parish
  Laheda Parish
  Laheda Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 1,355 and an area of 91.47 km².Ridali Airfield is located in Laheda Parish]].-Settlements:Villages:...
  
  
• Mikitamäe Parish
  Mikitamäe Parish
  Mikitamäe Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 998 and an area of 104.41 km².-Settlements:Villages:...
  
  
• Mooste Parish
  Mooste Parish
  Mooste Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 1542 and an area of 185.12 km².-Settlements:Small borough:MoosteVillages:...
  
  
• Orava Parish
• Põlva Parish
  Põlva Parish
  Põlva Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 3,882 and an area of 228.63 km².-Settlements:Villages:...
  
  
• Räpina Parish
  Räpina Parish
  Räpina Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 5,533 and an area of 265.93 km².-Settlements:Town:RäpinaSmall borough:VõõpsuVillages:...
  
   (includes the town of Räpina
  Räpina
  Räpina is a town in Põlva County, Estonia. The administrative centre of Räpina Parish, it has a population of 2,867 .-External links:*...
  
  )
• Valgjärve Parish
  Valgjärve Parish
  Valgjärve Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 1,562 and an area of 143.02 km².-Settlements:Villages:...
  
  
• Vastse-Kuuste Parish
  Vastse-Kuuste Parish
  Vastse-Kuuste Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 1,255 and an area of 123.01 km².-Settlements:Small borough:Vastse-KuusteVillages:...
  
  
• Veriora Parish
  Veriora Parish
  Veriora Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 1,521 and an area of 200.42 km².-Settlements:Small borough:VerioraVillages:...
  
  
• Värska Parish
  Värska Parish
  Värska Parish is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Põlva County. It has a population of 1,344 and an area of 187.82 km².-Settlements:Small borough:VärskaVillages:...
  
  

Demographics

31,002 people live in Põlva County – constituting 2.3% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2009).

External links