# Lääne-Viru County

Lääne-Viru County (Estonian: Lääne-Viru maakond or Lääne-Virumaa) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. In Estonian, lääne means western and ida means east or eastern. Lääne-Viru borders Ida-Viru County to the east, Jõgeva County to the south, and Järva and Harju counties to the west. In January 2013, Lääne-Viru County had a population of 58,806: 4.5% of the population in Estonia.

## History

In prehistoric times, Lääne-Virumaa was settled by Estonians of the Vironian tribe.

## County government

The County Government (Estonian: maavalitsus) is led by a governor (Estonian: maavanem), who is appointed by the Government of Estonia. Since 2014, the governor position has been held by Marko Torm. The county seat is Rakvere.

## Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities. There is one urban municipality (Estonian: linnad – towns) and seven rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) in Lääne-Viru County.
| Rank | Municipality | Type | Population (2018) | Area km$^2$ | Density |
| 1 | Haljala Parish | Rural | 4,389 | 547 | 8.0 |
| 2 | Kadrina Parish | Rural | 4,958 | 355 | 14.0 |
| 3 | Rakvere Parish | Rural | 5,566 | 296 | 18.8 |
| 4 | Rakvere | Urban | 15,613 | 11 | 1,419.4 |
| 5 | Tapa Parish | Rural | 11,252 | 479 | 23.5 |
| 6 | Vinni Parish | Rural | 6,919 | 1,013 | 6.8 |
| 7 | Viru-Nigula Parish | Rural | 5,981 | 311 | 19.2 |
| 8 | Väike-Maarja Parish | Rural | 6,016 | 683 | 8.8 |

## Religion

The largest number of congregations in the county are of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC): in Haljala, Kunda, Kadrina, Käsmu, Rakvere, Simuna, Tamsalu, Viru-Jaagupi, Viru-Nigula and Väike-Maarja under EELC's Viru Deanery and in Tapa under EELC's Järva Deanery.
Eastern Orthodox congregations in the county are predominantly under the administration of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church but some of them are also under the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Several congregations of Baptists, a catholic congregation in Rakvere and other Christian churches operate in the county.
Religious affiliations in Lääne-Viru, census 2000–2021* :
| Religion | 2000 | 2000 | 2011 | 2011 | 2021 | 2021 |
| Religion | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
| Christianity | 10,764 | 19.9 | 8,429 | 16.7 | 8,040 | 15.9 |
| —Orthodox Christians | 2,152 | 4.0 | 2,777 | 5.5 | 3,040 | 6.1 |
| —Lutherans | 7,498 | 12.9 | 4,755 | 9.4 | 3,730 | 7.5 |
| —Catholics | 162 | 0.3 | 98 | 0.2 | 120 | 0.2 |
| —Baptists | 294 | 0.5 | 166 | 0.3 | 190 | 0.4 |
| —Jehovah's Witnesses | 234 | 0.4 | 187 | 0.3 | 170 | 0.3 |
| —Pentecostals | 135 | 0.2 | 102 | 0.2 | 170 | 0.3 |
| —Old Believers | 10 | 0.01 | 20 | 0.03 | - | - |
| —Methodists | 136 | 0.2 | 77 | 0.1 | 40 | 0.08 |
| —Adventists | 143 | 0.2 | 76 | 0.1 | 160 | 0.3 |
| —Other Christians | - | - | 171 | 0.3 | 420 | 0.8 |
| Islam | 23 | 0.03 | 26 | 0.05 | 20 | 0.04 |
| Buddhism | - | - | 30 | 0.05 | 50 | 0.1 |
| Other religions** | 237 | 0.4 | 361 | 0.7 | 680 | 1.3 |
| No religion | 24,820 | 46.0 | 35,239 | 69.8 | 35,790 | 72.3 |
| Not stated*** | 10,249 | 19.0 | 6,444 | 12.7 | 4,910 | 9.9 |
| Total population* | 53,957 | 53,957 | 50,425 | 50,425 | 49,490 | 49,490 |
| *The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age. ". |||||||

## Gallery

* Porkuni Castle gate tower
* Palmse manor
* Rakvere Castle
* Mõdriku manor
* Malla manor
* Vihula windmill
* Laekvere pine
* Lake Neeruti Tagajärv
* View from tower on the hill of Emumägi
* Toolse Castle
* Vainupea Chapel
* Vihula Manor
* Altja river
* Sagadi manor
* Viru bog in Lahemaa National Park
* Mähu boulders in Lahemaa National Park
* Rapeseed field near Laekvere