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Rapla County

Coordinates: 59°15′N 26°20′E / 59.250°N 26.333°E / 59.250; 26.333
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(Redirected from Rapla maakond)
Rapla County
Raplamaa
County
Flag of Rapla County
Flag
Coat of arms of Rapla County
Coat of arms
Location of Rapla County
Coordinates: 59°15′N 26°20′E / 59.250°N 26.333°E / 59.250; 26.333
CountryEstonia
CapitalRapla
Government
 • GovernorTiit Leier
Area
 • Total
2,979.7 km2 (1,150.5 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total
33,529
 • Rank7th
 • Density11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Ethnicity
 • Estonians94%
 • other6%
GDP
[2]
 • Total€540 million (2022)
 • Per capita€15,985 (2022)
ISO 3166 codeEE-71
Vehicle registrationL
Websitewww.raplamv.ee

Rapla County (Estonian: Rapla maakond or Raplamaa) is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is situated in the north-western part of the country and borders Järva County to the east, Pärnu County to the south, Lääne County to the west, and Harju County to the north. In 2022 Rapla County had a population of 33,529 – constituting 2.5% of the total population of Estonia.[1]

History

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The first written records of Rapla date back to the 1241 Danish census (Liber Census Daniae).

County government

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The County Government (Estonian: Maavalitsus) is led by a governor (Estonian: maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia for a term of five years. Since 2015, the Governor position is held by Tõnis Blank.

Municipalities

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Municipalities of Rapla County after 2017 administrative reform

The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are 4 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Rapla County:

Rank Municipality Type Population
(2018)[3]		 Area
km2[3]		 Density[3]
1 Kehtna Parish Rural 5,605 512 10.9
2 Kohila Parish Rural 7,096 230 30.9
3 Märjamaa Parish Rural 7,739 1,174 6.6
4 Rapla Parish Rural 13,334 849 15.7

Religion

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The congregations of the [[Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in the county are Hageri St. Lambertus, Juuru St.Michael's, Järvakandi St. Paul's, Märjamaa of Blessed Virgin Mary, Rapla Mary Magdalene's, Vahastu and Vigala of Blessed Virgin Mary[4]. 

The Orthodox congregations in the county include the Ascension of the Lord congregation in Kohila rural municipality, the Holy Trinity congregation in Lelle and the St. John the Baptist congregation in Velise, which are under the administration of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church [5].  The Baptist congregations operate in Rapla and Märjamaa and the Adventist congregations operate in Rapla and Valgu[6]. There is a congregation of Moravian Church in Hageri[7]. There is  a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the county.


Religious affiliations in Rapla County, census 2000–2021*[8]
Religion 2000 2011 2021
Number % Number % Number %
Christianity 7,747 26.1 5,144 17.6 4,370 15.7
—Orthodox Christians 775 2.6 912 3.1 740 2.7
—Lutherans 6,439 21.7 3,761 12.8 2,980 10.7
—Catholics 68 0.2 50 0.1 240 0.8
—Baptists 232 0.7 155 0.5 140 0.5
—Jehovah's Witnesses 58 0.1 72 0.2 80 0.2
—Pentecostals 95 0.2 37 0.1 30 0.1
—Old Believers 4 0.01 7 0.01 - -
—Methodists 36 0.1 13 0.02 - -
—Adventists 40 0.1 29 0.1 - -
—Other Christians - 108 0.3 160 0.55
Islam 9 0.02 11 0.02 - -
Buddhism - - 15 0.02 60 0.2
Other religions** 177 0.6 232 0.8 340 1.2
No religion 11,739 39.6 19,695 67.5 19,660 70.6
Not stated*** 9,860 33.2 4,091 14.0 3,330 11.9
Total population* 29,632 29,187 27,820
*The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.[8]
".[8]

Geography

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Natural resources found in Rapla county include limestone, dolomite, peat, and clay.

Miscellaneous topics

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The church of Rapla was built in 1901. However, much of the interior dates back to several hundred years earlier and is of high structural quality and historical value. In the churchyard there are several crosses remaining from the 17th century.

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References

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  1. ^ a b "RV022U: POPULATION, 1 JANUARY by Year and County". stat.ee. Statistics Estonia. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
  2. ^ "GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY COUNTY". stat.ee.
  3. ^ a b c "Elanike demograafiline jaotus maakonniti". Kohaliku omavalitsuse portaal. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  4. ^ "The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Congregations". Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  5. ^ "Eesti Apostlik-Õigeusu Kirik. Orthodox Church of Estonia. Piiskopkonnad". Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  6. ^ "Union of Free Evangelical and Baptist Churches of Estonia. Kogudused". Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Vennastekoguduse palvemajad". Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Official census data from Statistics Estonia:
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