| Rapla County Raplamaa | |
|---|---|
|  | |
|  Coat of arms | |
|  | |
| Coordinates: 59°15′N 26°20′E / 59.250°N 26.333°E | |
| Country | Estonia | 
| Capital | Rapla | 
| Government | |
| • Governor | Tiit Leier | 
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,979.70 km2 (1,150.47 sq mi) | 
| Population  (2022)[1] | |
| • Total | 33,529 | 
| • Rank | 7th | 
| • Density | 11/km2 (29/sq mi) | 
| Ethnicity | |
| • Estonians | 94% | 
| • other | 6% | 
| GDP | |
| • Total | €540 million (2022) | 
| • Per capita | €15,985 (2022) | 
| ISO 3166 code | EE-71 | 
| Vehicle registration | L | 
| Website | www | 
Rapla County (Estonian: Rapla maakond or Raplamaa) is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is situated in the 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
The first written records of Rapla date back to the 1241 Danish census (Liber Census Daniae).
County government
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 2009, the Governor position is held by Tiit Leier.
Municipalities

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
| 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.[4] ".[4] | ||||||
Geography
Natural resources found in Rapla county include limestone, dolomite, peat, and clay.
Miscellaneous topics
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.
Gallery
 Porkuni Castle gate tower Porkuni Castle gate tower
 Palmse manor Palmse manor
 Rakvere Castle Rakvere Castle
 Mõdriku manor Mõdriku manor
 Malla manor Malla manor
 Vihula windmill Vihula windmill
 Laekvere pine Laekvere pine
 Lake Neeruti Tagajärv Lake Neeruti Tagajärv
 View from tower on the hill of Emumägi View from tower on the hill of Emumägi
 Toolse Castle Toolse Castle
 Vainupea Chapel Vainupea Chapel
 Vihula Manor Vihula Manor
 Altja river Altja river
 Sagadi manor Sagadi manor
 Viru bog in Lahemaa National Park Viru bog in Lahemaa National Park
 Mähu boulders in Lahemaa National Park Mähu boulders in Lahemaa National Park
 Rapeseed field near Laekvere Rapeseed field near Laekvere
References
- 1 2 "RV022U: POPULATION, 1 JANUARY by Year and County". stat.ee. Statistics Estonia. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ↑ "GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY COUNTY". stat.ee.
- 1 2 3 "Elanike demograafiline jaotus maakonniti". Kohaliku omavalitsuse portaal. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- 1 2 3  Official census data from Statistics Estonia:
- 2000 Census:
- 2011 Census:
- 2021 Census:
 
External links




