Valga County

Valga County (), or Valgamaa is a first-level administrative unit and one of 15 counties of Estonia. It comprises the former area of Valga District. The present-day county was created on 1 January 1990. The capital and largest town of Valga County is Valga, followed by Tõrva and Otepää. It is situated in the southern part of the country and borders Põlva and Võru County to the east, Latvia to the south and west, and Viljandi and Tartu County to the north. 29,944 people live in Valga County (as of 1 January 2015).
General.
Valga County is located in the southern part of Estonia. By the economic-geographical and regional-political distribution it belongs to the area of South-East Estonia (together with Põlva and Võru County). By historical ties and landscape the county belongs to the region of South Estonia (together with Põlva, Võru, Viljandi, Tartu and Jõgeva Counties). With a population of 30,176 people (as of 1 January 2014), the total area of the county is 2,043.53 km2 (2,046.49 km2 together with the area of Võrtsjärv), it reaches 65 km in the north–south direction and 59 km in the east–west direction. Valga County ranks the 12th in Estonia by population and the 14th by the area.
The distances from the county centre, Valga, are the following: Tallinn 267 km, Tartu 86 km, Viljandi 88 km, Võru 73 km, Põlva 96 km, Pärnu 141 km, Narva 264 km and Riga 157 km.
Valga County borders with Viljandi County in the north-west, with Tartu County in the north and Põlva and Võru County in the east. Valga County has a borderline with the Republic of Latvia in the south and west (102.4 km).
History.
Medieval Period.
It can be read from the Livonian Chronicle of Henry that the history of the county goes back to the 13th century when the Germans conquered the settlement. By the Chronicle the Ümera River was the borderline between Estonia and Latvia. Historians suggest that the Säde River was the borderline, flowing through the northern part of Tireli Bog and falling into Lake Burtnieks. Meadows and forests surrounding the big Tireli Bog and the upper stream of the River Säde were probably even wider and impassable at that time and therefore functioning perfectly as a border.
The ancient (13th century) national border ran in a totally different place. Assumably the area of Härgmäe belonged to Estonian settlements and the national border went from the springs of the River Säde, passed the forests until the northernmost oxbow of the Koiva River and onwards alongside the river. Most likely the area of Kaagjärve and Valga Town belonged to ancient Latgalians.
After the crusades and the Ancient Freedom Fight in the 13th century, Valga County became a natural centre of the historical Old Livonia where the most important roads from north, south and east went through, gaining strategical importance.
Early Modern Period.
City rights were given to Valga by a Polish King Stefan Batory in 1584.
On the 3rdof July, 1783, the Empress Catherine II established a new administration order in the Baltic provinces. A new kreis (county), Valga Kreis, was constituted mainly from the territories of Riga and Võnnu Kreises. Valga Town which formerly belonged to Riga Kreis, went over to Valga Kreis. Valga Kreis consisted of eleven parishes, nine of them located on the present Latvian territory, and just two – Luke (Lugaži in Latvian, Luhde in German) and Härgmäe (Ērģeme in Latvian, Ermes in German) – had an edge on the present Estonian area, mostly near Valga, which became an attraction centre of the new kreis.
In 1789, there were 891 citizens in Valga. As Valga became the centre of the kreis, Valga St. John's Church was founded and also the building of kreis institutions was built in 1783-1786 (later it became a prison).
Recent history.
On 12 February 1919, the Government of the Republic of Estonia issued a regulation of constitution of Valga County, consisting of the territories gained during the Estonian War of Independence. Several parts of Võru, Tartu and Viljandi Counties were close to Valga from the other side. On 19 April the first county governor was elected – Johann Kurvits, a farmer of Karula. He held this position until July 1921, when August Sild followed his position.
Until the 1920s the surroundings of Härgmäe and Valga belonged to the mixed area of Estonia-Latvia as there was no exact national border. Half of the citizens were Latvians, the other half were Estonians. In 1920 the national border was fixed and that helped to differentiate between the nations. Valga Kreis was divided so that Estonia got the areas of Paju and Sooru Manors and the majority of Valga (where the citizens were mostly Estonians), the rest belonged to Latvia.
Independence.
Valga County, almost in its present shape, was formed on 6 September 1920 when the course of the War of Independence and the situation at that time required Valga's separation from the other counties.
On 11 February 1921 the Estonian Government fixed the area of Valga County. Võru County gave Kaagjärve, Karula, Laanemetsa and Taheva parishes, Tartu County gave Tõlliste, Laatre, Sangaste, Keeni and Kuigatsi parishes, Viljandi County gave Jõgeveste, Patküla, Koorküla, Taagepera, Leebiku, Helme, Lõve and Hummuli parishes. Later on, several administrative territorial changes were carried through. In 1921 Patküla parish was separated from Holdre parish and Tõrva borough. Puraküla, which formerly belonged to Paju parish was united to the town of Valga in 1922. In 1924 Paju parish was united to Sooru parish and on 2 July 1926, it started to bear the name Tõrva. Since the second half of the 1920s until 1939 there were 19 parishes in Valga County.
In 1939 many smaller parishes were united by the administrative reform. Ten parishes were left: Helme, Hummuli, Kaagjärve, Karula, Kuigatsi, Põdrala, Sangaste, Taheva, Tõlliste and Vaoküla.
World War II and occupation.
The last pre-occupation County Governor Värdi Vellner had to give up his power on 8 July 1940. Nevertheless, the administrative division of 1939 lasted until 1950 when 39 county districts were formed. They were divided into 636 village soviets.
The present territory of Valga County was divided into three parts: Valga, Tõrva and Otepää districts. In 1952 the oblasts of Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu were formed on the territory of the Estonian SSR.
In 1959 the liquidation of smaller districts began. Antsla, Otepää and Tõrva districts were liquidated. Tõrva and the village soviets of Haabsaare, Helme, Koorküla, Mõniste, Riidaja and Taagepera were united to Valga district. Otepää town and the village soviets of Otepää and Pühajärve were united to Elva district. In 1961 Mõniste was united to Võru district.
Next year, in 1962, Otepää and village soviets of Aakre, Otepää and Palupera were reunited to Valga district. One year later some areas of Põlva District were united to Valga district. In 1966 the area of Valtina was added and thus the final border of Valga district was fixed.
In December 1989 the Chairman of the former Executive Committee of Valga District, Uno Heinla, was elected as the inaugural county governor following Estonia's reestablished independence. On 22 February 1990, the RSN Executive Committee of Valga District was reorganized and it became Valga County Government.
Regaining Independence.
After the reindependence, there were three towns (Valga, Tõrva and Otepää) and 11 parishes formed in Valga County: Helme, Hummuli, Karula, Õru, Palupera, Põdrala, Pühajärve, Puka, Sangaste, Taheva and Tõlliste. On 1 January 1999, the town of Otepää and Pühajärve Parish were merged and a new Otepää Parish was formed. Despite that, the town of Otepää kept holding the town rights, but is officially part of the rural municipality (parish).
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. Currently the Governor position is held by Margus Lepik.
Municipalities, settlement and population.
There are 3 local municipalities in Valga County including Valga (county capital), Tõrva, Helme, Hummuli, Karula, Otepää, Palupera, Puka, Põdrala, Sangaste, Taheva, Tõlliste and Õru Parishes.
Settlement units.
There are 3 towns, 7 boroughs and 150 villages in Valga County.
Villages.
Aakre - Aitsra - Ala - Alamõisa - Arula - Astuvere - Atra - Hargla - Hellenurme - Holdre - Iigaste - Ilmjärve - Jaanikese - Jeti - Jõgeveste - Kaagjärve - Kalliküla - Kalme - Karjatnurme - Karu - Karula - Kassiratta - Kastolatsi - Kaubi - Kaurutootsi - Keeni - Kibena - Killinge - Kirbu - Kirikuküla - Kiviküla - Koigu - Koikküla - Koiva - Kolli - Komsi - Koobassaare - Koorküla - Korijärve - Korkuna - Kuigatsi - Kulli - Kungi - Kurevere - Käärikmäe - Kääriku - Kähri - Kähu - Laanemetsa - Lauküla - Leebiku - Lepa - Linna - Liva - Londi - Lossiküla - Lota - Lusti - Lutike - Lutsu - Lõve - Lüllemäe - Makita - Meegaste - Miti - Muhkva - Mustumetsa - Mäeküla - Mäelooga - Mägestiku - Mägiste - Mäha - Märdi - Möldre - Neeruti - Nõuni - Nüpli - Otepää - Paju - Palamuste - Palupera - Pastaku - Patküla - Pedajamäe - Pedaste - Piiri - Pikasilla - Pikkjärve - Pilkuse - Pilpa - Plika - Pori - Prange - Priipalu - Pringi - Pugritsa - Puide - Purtsi - Põru - Päidla - Pühajärve - Pühaste - Raavitsa - Rampe - Ransi - Raudsepa - Rebasemõisa - Rebaste - Restu - Reti - Riidaja - Ringiste - Risttee - Roobe - Rulli - Ruuna - Räbi - Sarapuu - Sihva - Sooblase - Soontaga - Sooru - Supa - Taagepera - Tagula - Taheva - Tiidu - Tinu - Truuta - Tsirgumäe - Tõlliste - Tõrvase - Tõutsi - Uniküla - Uralaane - Urmi - Vaalu - Vaardi - Valtina - Vanamõisa - Vana-Otepää - Vidrike - Vilaski - Voorbahi - Väheru - Väljaküla - Õlatu - Õruste - Ädu
Demographical indicators.
As of 1 January 2014, the population of Valga County was 30,176 – 47.5% of men and 52.5% of women. 14.93% were minors (age 0-14), 62.65% were at working age (age 15–64) and 22.41% were at retirement age (65 and older). 82.63% of the population were Estonians and 12.51% were Russians. The population density was 14.8 ppl/km2. Since 2004 the population of the county has decreased by 4154 people. The main reason besides the natural negative population growth is the mechanical growth – the people who have left the county.
Geography.
Relief.
The landscape of Valga County is various. The western part is located in the south-eastern part of Sakala Upland where the moraine plain is being varied by old valleys, some hills and ridges. In the northern part the landscape is characterized by small drumlins, the low and wet areas are covered with meadows and forests. The surrounding area of Tõrva-Helme is flatter but separated by the River Õhne and the valleys of its tributaries (Valley of Tikste). In many places the sandstone of the substrate can be seen on the hillsides. The territory is quite densely populated. The farmlands are varied by meadows, lakes and a few patches of forest. In the southern part, around Hummuli and Taagepera, some rolling hills can be found.
In the southern part of the county, there is a large sandy area with big forests, moorlands and bogs. In the middle part of the county the valley of the River Väike-Emajõgi runs from north to south. It is continued by Valga Basin with mainly flexuous moraine landscape, cut through by low valleys or basin valleys. The most noticeable is the valley of the River Väike-Emajõgi where Pedeli Valley flows into. In the middle part of Valga Basin there is a large boggy meadow of Korva. Larger farmlands are mainly situated around Sangaste and Laatre.
The most various and highest part of the county is located around Otepää. The highest peaks are Kuutsemägi Hill (217 m), Meegaste Hill (214 m) and Harimägi Hill (212 m). The moraine landscape is varied by low rolling hills and many lakes, the biggest and the best-known lake is Pühajärv. On the edge areas of the upland the difference between the edges is small but the relief is strongly differentiated. To the south-east of Valga Basin, Karula Hills can be seen heading from the west to the east. The eastern part of the hills has especially varied relief. Heading to the west, the relief becomes lower and changes into lower hills continuing in the Latvia. There are many lakes in Karula. The best-known lake is Karula Pikkjärv and it is located on the northern edge of Karula Hills.
Hargla Basin is located in the southern part of the county. It is a mildly flat area between the uplands with some lonely moraine hills. The Valleys of Koiva River and Mustjõe River together with the Aheru Lake form a very picturesque area.
The area of forest land of the county is almost 114,000 hectares, which forms 56.7% of the area of Valga County. Pine and spruce are the main species. Forests are differentiated by meadows, moorlands, everglades and bogs. 7,900 hectares of the total area are covered with bogs, of which 5,400 hectares are moorlands. The largest bogs are Rubina and Korva Bog.
Lakes and rivers.
Valga County has many lakes. Most of them are located in Otepää Upland, on the area of Karula Hills and on the catchment area of Õhne River. There are more than 180 natural lakes with the area of more than one hectare and with the total area of 17 km2.
The biggest lake is
Pühjärv (286 ha),
followed by Lake Aheru (234 ha). The southern part of Lake Võrtsjärv, with the area of 300 hectares, is also included within the borders of Valga County. Most of the lakes are quite shallow and not deeper than 10 m. The deepest lakes in the county are Udsu (30.2 m) and Petajärv (25 m), both located on the territory of Koorküla Lakes where the old valleys have been filled by the sediments from the Ice age. There are four official swimming places – the beach of Riiska Lake and Vanamõisa Lake in Tõrva, the beach of Lake Pühajärv in Otepää and the beach on the sides of Pedeli River in Valga.
The fish fauna of the lakes is quite changeable as many fish die during cold winters because of shallow water. Species such as whitefish, bream, pike, and perch die because of a lack of oxygen. There may be more than ten species of fish in some lakes.
There are more than 30 artificial lakes with the area of one hectare and with the total area of 100 ha, 20 of which being used publicly. The biggest artificial lake is Puide Reservoir on Jõku River (11.5 ha).
The best-known river of the area is Väike-Emajõgi, starting from Lake Pühajärv and falling into Lake Võrtsjärv, flowing fully on the territory of Valga County. Another important river is Pedeli, which flows through Valga and is the biggest tributary of the River Emajõgi. The River Õhne is flowing through Tõrva and the Jõku River is the tributary of the Õhne River. The River Mustjõgi flows through the south-eastern corner of the county towards Võru County.
Nature protection.
The territory under nature protection composes around 20% of the whole territory of Valga County. The most important nature objects under protection are Otepää Nature Park, Karula National Park and Koiva-Mustjõe Landscape Conservation Area. There are 60 different protection areas such as national parks, nature protection areas, landscape protection areas and their sub-types such as parks, stands and arboretum. The biggest one in Valga County and also in Estonia is Otepää Nature Park with the area of 22,430 ha. The territory under protection, also including nature reserves and permanent habitats form the area of 43,431 ha.
There are 28 indigenous trees and 5 glacial boulders under protection as a single object. The highest tree under protection is Tsuura spruce and it is also the largest spruce in Estonia – the height of 29 m and the circumference of 4.32 m. The thickest tree, Pühajärv War Oak, has the circumference of 6.98 m. The biggest glacial erratic of South Estonia is located in Valga County – Helgikivi with the circumference of 30.2 m and with the volume above the land of 61 m³.
Substrate.
The substrate of the county is formed by Devonian sandstones which are quite porous, rich in micas and slightly cemented. Light-coloured sandstones from the Middle Devonian Burtniek stage, clay and marl layers are spread on the majority of the territory of the county. On the narrow stripe of the county's northern part, the sandstones of the Middle Devonian Aruküla Stage become visible. They are cross-bedded with the interlayers of siltstones, clays and dolomites.
The substrate is covered by the complex of quaternary sediments (glacial, limno-glacial and fluvio-glacial). Moraine is dominant on the area of the northern and middle parts of the county. Gravels, sands, loams and bog sediments are diverged. The geological construction of the substrate is complicated (thickness is varying 10–100 m and more). The surface water lies at the depth of 0–10 m, on the hills even deeper. From the aspect of engineering geology, the ground of the county is mostly of good load-capacity, but the relief can be an obstacle for construction works.
Economy.
Valga County is an area of industry and agriculture but also an area of a well-known recreation and sports centre Otepää. The average gross salary in Valga County in 2013 was €729 (compared to the average salary in Estonia in 2013 – €949)
Entrepreneurship.
As of 31 December 2013, there were 2,717 companies (930 self-employments and 1,787 business entities), 677 non-profit organizations and 23 foundations in Valga County. The turnover was average or higher in the following fields of economy: woodworking and manufacturing of wood and cork products, construction, food production, crop production, livestock farming and wholesale trade. Tourism is very important mainly around Otepää area. The export of products and services (142.5 mln EUR in 2013) was vastly higher than import (81 mln EUR).
Agriculture and livestock farming.
In 2014 the cultivated area was 24,123 ha of which 13,554 ha was under grain, 1,236 ha was under legumes, 2,838 ha under rape and turnip rape, 93 ha under potato and 38 ha under field vegetables. By the end of 2013 the total harvest of grain was 40,662 t, legumes 2,256 t, rape and turnip rape seeds 7,184 t, potato 1,228 t and field vegetables 190 t.
There were about 24,700 herd animals of which 12,100 were cattle (including 3,700 dairy cows), 1,200 pigs, 7,700 sheep and coats. The total production of cattle breeding was 1,233 t of meat and 28,585 t of milk.
Health and welfare.
Stationary health care in Valga County is provided by AS Valga Haigla, SA Otepää Tervisekeskus and SA Tõrva Haigla. SA Otepää Tervisekeskus and SA Tõrva Haigla are meant for nursing care, SA Valga Haigla also offers medical specialist help in addition to nursing care. Different out-patient specialist services are being offered in all three institutions. To provide general medical help for citizens of the county, there are 17 practice lists with 15 family physicians (GP-s), 2 replacement physicians, 2 helping physicians and 19 family nurses. Family physician Merike Ausmees has the longest practice list of 2,500 patients, serving the areas of Tõrva Town, Helme and Põdrala Parish. There are 6 practice lists with more than 2,000 patients. Tõlliste and Õru Parish have the shortest list of 681 patients. By the end of 2013 health care was arranged by the County Governor but due to the changes in Health Care Law the competence has been forwarded to the Health Board as of 01.01.2013.
There are 13 institutions offering welfare services in Valga County. Hellenurme Manor is the biggest institution with 390 bed seats. Four institutions are registered as non-profit organizations, two as joint-stock companies and one as a limited-liability company. The rest is being maintained without corporate bodies. As of 2014, welfare services can be offered to 981 people, 818 bed seats have been occupied. 27 social workers and 294 social service providers offer services at clients` homes.
There are 69 manors and castles in Valga County. Sangaste Castle and Taagepera Castle (Estonian best wedding place 2007–2013) are the most popular ones. The most well-known and most visited tourism magnet is Otepää which also bears the title of Winter Capital each year from 21 December to 20 March, since 1996. The area of Otepää is known as one of the various all-in-one places where training camps and winter sports events are being held. When comparing accommodation services by Estonian counties, Valga County is holding the fourth position (after Harju County, Saaremaa and Pärnu County). As of 2013 there were 77 rooming houses, having altogether 826 rooms and 2,149 beds (data from subjects to statistics only).
Tourism.
There are 69 manors and castles in Valga County. Sangaste Castle and Taagepera Castle (Estonian best wedding place 2007–2013) are the most popular ones. The most well-known and most visited tourism magnet is Otepää which also bears the title of Winter Capital each year from 21 December to 20 March, since 1996. The area of Otepää is known as one of the various all-in-one places where training camps and winter sports events are being held. When comparing accommodation services by Estonian counties, Valga County is holding the fourth position (after Harju County, Saaremaa and Pärnu County). As of 2013 there were 77 rooming houses, having altogether 826 rooms and 2,149 beds (data from subjects to statistics only).
The most visited events of the county are Rally Estonia and the international Valga Military History Festival (the best tourism event of South Estonia in 2013). The most visited objects are Kuutsemäe Resort and Tehvandi Sport Centre. The best-known tourist attractions by areas:
Tõrva area.
In Tõrva: The War of Independence Memorial Column and the park of Tõrva Gymnasium, resting areas of Lake Riiska and Lake Vanamõisa, Tikste Old Valley, Tõrva Dance Hill.
Helme Parish: Barclay de Tolly Mausoleum, Ruins of Helme Castle, Helme caves, Helme Museum, Helme Fountain of Sacrifice, piano collection manufactured by Estonian piano manufacturers in Helme Manor, the memorial stones of Major-General Jaan Soots and Aleksander Jaakson, the Chapel of Mats Erdell at Taagepera Cemetery. Põdrala Parish: Pikassilla resting area with the River Väike-Emajõgi flowing into Lake Võrtsjärv, birth places of Henrik Visnapuu and Johann Paul.
Hummuli Parish: Koorküla caves, Lake Valgjärv in Koorküla, Lake Udsu (the 3rd-deepest lake in Estonia), a pine from the times of the Great Northern War, a thousand-year-old cemetery, Hummuli battlefield.
Otepää area.
In Otepää Parish: Otepää Hill Fort, Väike Munamägi Hill, Apteekrimägi Hill, Lake Pühajärv, Otepää St Mary's Lutheran Church, The Memorial Column of the Estonian War of Independence, Tehvandi Sport Centre, Märdi Milloak, Pühajärv War Oak.
In Palupera Parish: Palupera and Hellenurme manor complexes with parks, Hellenurme Watermill and resting area, the Middendoff family cemetery.
In Puka Parish: Kuigatsi Manor Park and buildings in Kuigatsi Village, a group of indigenous trees in Puka, Komsi Stand, Aakre Manor buildings and park in Aakre Village, the housing of Puka Town centre (a bank building, a railway station and a pharmacy from the I Estonian Republic times), Vooremägi Hill, Kuigatsi or Puka Town Hill, Ristimägi Hill in Kähri Village.
In Sangaste Parish: Sangaste Castle and park, Sangaste Church, Sangaste cemetery, Sangaste Town Hill, Harimägi Hill, the birthplace of a writer August Gailit.
Valga area.
In Valga: Valga Freedom Monument, Valga City Hall, St. John's Church, a sculpture "Nipernaadi", a memorial plaque to Stefan Batory, a memorial plaque to Johannes Märtson, a monument to Alfred Neuland – the first Olympic winner in Estonia, Valga Railway Station. In Karula Parish: Karula and Kaagjärve Manor complexes, Karula Church, Pikkjärve landscape area and nature objects. In Taheva Parish: rood trees in Kalliküla, a holy pine in Hargla, Tsirgumäe Sacrificial Stone, Tsirgumäe Sacrificial Pine, RMK Tellingumäe viewing tower, Taheva Manor complex with a park, Lake Aheru, Oore pine forests, Mustajõe-Koiva landscape protection area. In Tõlliste Area: Paju Manor, Paju Memorial Monument. In Õru Parish: Lota Manor in Lota Village, the birthplace of the poet Friedrich Kuhlbars in Uniküla Village, the birthplace of the veterinary scientist Elmar Roots in Priipalu Village, the birthplace of a painter Kristjan Teder, Uniküla caves in Uniküla Village.
Culture.
Literature.
There are many people from Valga County who have changed the literary landscape. Their creation and activity in the 20th century is related to Valga County. The best-known writer of Valga County is Hella Wuolijoki (1886-1954) from Ala Village, known world-wide by her plays written in Finnish, giving an overview of life in Finland. In her first works she talks a lot about Valga County.
A poet, play-writer and literary critic Henrik Visnapuu, one of the activists and central figures of a literary group Siuru was born in Helme. The plot of the novel "Toomas Nipernaadi", written by August Gailit (1891-1960), is not factually related to the birthplace of the author but the main character has the local prototype from Valga County. August Gailit, the founder and leading figure of Siuru, was born in Kuiksilla, near to Sangaste Manor. In his youth he moved a lot within Valga County. His family moved from Sangaste to Laatre Manor and from Laatre Manor to Tsirguliina Town in 1906.
Herta Laipaik (1921-2008) was born in Hummuli in Kaprani farm. Many of her books contain folklore about Helme Parish or the history of Helme. The story of her novel "Hallid luiged" ("Grey swans"; 1986) takes place in a small town called Tõrvatu (Tõrva) and in Valga. One of the most famous short story writers of Estonia, Mats Traat, was born in 1936 in Palupera Parish, Meema Village. Many of his books are about Valga County. His characters often speak Estonian Otepää dialect.
The most popular author of modern science fiction literature is Indrek Hargla, born in Hargla in 1970. He chose his writer-name by his birthplace. The series of his criminal novels about the pharmacist Melchior are the present-day masterpieces of the Estonian science-fiction literature.
The plots of short stories "Meeting in Taagepera" and "1969", written by Mehis Heinsaar (born in 1973), take place in Taagepera.
Jakob Hurt, a folklorist and a linguist, also the excitor of the Estonian public life, worked as a teacher in Otepää in the years 1872–1880. A Finnish-Swedish writer Ester Ståhlberg (1870-1950) wrote about Jakob Hurt and his life in Otepää in her historical novel "Towards the Sunrise".
Music and dramatics.
A teacher of folk instruments and bagpipe master Ants Taul was born in Tõrva in 1950. Since 1995 he has been a folk instrument teacher in Viljandi Culture Academy. He has a family band called "Torupill" (1995) which has performed in many countries. Abi Zeider (1920-1999), a trumpeter, was born in Valga. He played in jazz and variety orchestras and he was also a concertmaster of the variety orchestra of the Estonian Television and Estonian Radio. A recognized conductor Peeter Lilje (1950-1993) was born in Valga where he also got his musical education. Lilje was a concert-master and conductor of "Estonia" and the principal conductor of ERSO and Oulu City Orchestra. He conducted symphony orchestras in many countries world-wide.
Madis Kõiv (1929-2014) spent his childhood in Tõrva and in Valga. He worked as a lecturer and scientist. He wrote plays, prose and radio dramas and he was interested in painting. He won the "Tuglas Short Story Award" three times and he was the cavalier of "4th Class Order of National Coat of Arms".
Lembit Eelmäe (1927-2009), born in Helme, was one of the best-known actors of Valga County. He got popularity by his role as Jürka in a play called "Põrgupõhja uus Vanapagan" written by Jaan Toomingas. The actress Meta Luts (1905-1958) was born in Riidaja Parish. She started her career from the theatre Endla, worked in Estonia and in the Estonian Drama Theatre. Actress Silvia Laidla (1927-2012) was born in Valga and spent over fifty years on the stage and appeared in films, television and radio. The actress Anne Veesaar was born in Valga in 1957. She has worked in Rakvere Theatre and in Vanalinnastuudio. One of her best-known roles is in a TV show "Õnne 13". Adeele Sepp is a well-known actress and producer of the theatre Ugala. She was born in 1989 in Tõrva. Her best-known role is in a popular TV show "Kättemaksukontor". Aarne Soro, born in Tõrva, is also an actor of the theatre Ugala. Lea Tormis, known as a theatre scientist and a critic, was born in Pikassilla Village in 1932.
Sport.
Skiing and bodybuilding have been the most practiced sports in Valga County. Long-term sport traditions have given Estonians their first Olympic winner Alfred Neuland, who was awarded with gold medal in 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. Neuland was born in Valga in 1895. In 1924 a silver medal from Paris was added to his collection. Bruno Junk, a racewalker, was born in Valga and he has won two Olympic bronze medals – one from Helsinki in 1952 and one from Melbourne in 1956.
August Englas was born in Otepää, in the former Pühajärve Parish and he is the Greek-Roman wrestling world champion of 1953 and freestyle wrestling world champion of 1954. Pavel Loskutov is a light-athlete from Valga (precisely from the area of Valka) and he has participated Olympic Games for four times. His coach was Raimond Luts and his best result is a silver medal in men's marathon run from European Championships in 2002.
There are three light-athletics records set in Valga. The best-known record is set in javelin throw by Andrus Värnik 87.83 in 19.08.2003. There are two top records marked in the Book of Records – Anu Teesaar's result in women's decathlon of 6,411 (5.09.2004) and Jekaterina Jutkina's result in 5 km racewalking of 24,7 (7.06.2003). Valga County has only one result to be shown in ballgames. It was in handball, won by the team of Valga Maret Sport in 1992. Currently Valga has a champions league team in basketball and in handball.
Many well-known coaches are from Valga. Rein Ahun has been a coach to Märt Israel, a light-athlete, and to Margus Hunt who is currently playing in NFL. One of the best handballers in Estonia, Kaupo Palmar, started his trainings in Valga in 1985. He was chosen twice to be the best Estonian handballer. His coaches were Ebba Lõokene and Ülo Mere.
Many Cross Country World Cup competitions have been organised in Otepää, the wintersports and skiing town of Valga County. The first competition took place in 1999. In 2003-2012 the Cross Country World Cup competitions were held in Otepää every year. The next competition was planned to be held in 2015. Many well-known sport celebrities like road riders Rein Taaramäe, Tanel Kangert and Rene Mandri and cross-country skiers Aivar Rehemaa and Algo Kärp went to school in the Otepää Branch of Audentes Sports Gymnasium.
Some of the best-known winter athletes from Valga County are skier Elmo Kassin (Valga), a threshold participant in the Olympics, a skier Kein Einaste (Sangaste), a biathlete Kalju Ojaste (Otepää) and a sledger Helen Novikov (Tõrva). Kaarel Zilmer, a well-known sports teacher and the leader of the Estonian Ski Team of two Olympic Games, comes from the former Kaagjärve Parish.
Sports activities are co-ordinated by the Sports Association of Valga County, established on 30 November 1995. The Chairman of the Sports Association is Tiit Kattai.
Media.
The office of the local newspaper Valgamaalane is located in Valga and it is being issued three times a week. Together with the newspapers Pärnu Postimees, Sakala, Virumaa Teataja and Järva Teataja the newspaper Valgamaalane also belongs to the media company AS Ühinenud Ajalehed.
The events of Tõrva Town, Helme and Põdarala Parish are included in a local Helme Kihelkonnaleht which is being issued once in a month. A local newspaper Otepää Teataja is being issued twice a month by Otepää, Palupera, Puka and Sangaste Parish.
The only local radio station Ruut FM is located in Valga.
Education and youth work.
In the academic year of 2013/2014 there were 23 educational institutions in Valga County – 20 municipal schools (administered by local governments), two official state schools and one private school. 7 gymnasiums and high schools, 13 basic schools and one correspondence school belong to the municipality. Valga Jaanikese School and Valga County Vocational Training Center are state schools. The only private school of the county is the Otepää Branch of Audentes Sports Gymnasium.
The biggest schools of the county are (by the number of students in 2013/2014): Valga Elementary School (846), Tõrva Gymnasium (446), Valga County Vocational Training Center (415), Valga Russian Gymnasium (391) and Otepää Gymnasium (387). Since 1 September, Valga Russian Gymnasium is proceeding as an elementary school under the name of Valga Priimetsa School.
According to the data from Estonian Information System of Education there are 7 hobby schools in Valga County: Valga Music School, Tõrva Music School, Otepää Music School, Puka Art School, Valga Culture and Hobby Centre, Valga County Youth Technical Centre and Valga Ukrainean Sunday School Kalõna.
In 2014 there were 3,700 students and 481 teachers (including the members of school managements) attending school life. In addition to teachers, many specialists work in schools: leisure time managers, information managers, speech therapists, psychologists, social pedagogues and specialists. Jelena Sljusartšuk, a teacher of Valga Jaanikese School, was awarded the title "Teacher of the Year 2014".
Insignia of the County.
Coat of Arms.
The shield of the coat of arms has diagonally been cut in two parts. The upper part is dark blue and there are four five-branch silver stars (the number of former districts that formed the present-day Valga County). The lower part is silver. The blue tone on the coat of arms has the colour code of 285˚C according to the international PANTONE Matching System.
Flag.
The flags of the counties were confirmed similarly – the flags are green and white and the upper part bears the coat of arms of a county. The proportion of width and length is 7:11 and the normal size of the flag is 1,050x1,650 mm.


Loimaa sub-region

Loimaa sub-region is a subdivision of Southwest Finland and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009. Loimaa sub-region is one of the most agricultural regions of Southwest Finland's subregions. The region has an estimate of 37 thousand inhabitants.


Lyon Metropolis

The Metropolis of Lyon (), also known as (i.e. "Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity located in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly elected metropolitan authority encompassing the city of Lyon and most of its suburbs. It has jurisdiction as both a department and a "métropole", taking the territory out of the purview of the department of Rhône. It had a population of 1,385,927 in 2017, 37.2% of whom lived in the city of Lyon proper.
It replaced the Urban Community of Lyon on 1 January 2015, in accordance with the enacted in January 2014. The first direct metropolitan elections were held in March (1st round) and June (2nd round) 2020, leading to a victory by Europe Ecology – The Greens. The president of the metropolitan council has been Green leader Bruno Bernard since July 2020.


Limassol District

Limassol District () or Lemesos () is one of the six districts of Cyprus. , it had a population of 239.842, 77% of which was urban. Its main city is Limassol. Part of the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia forms an enclave on the Akrotiri Peninsula, under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.
History.
The buried ancient city of Amathus is from Limassol. Archaeological excavations have unearthed ruins of the Byzantine period and a tomb of the 7th century BC. The ancient Kolossi Castle, which is located to the west of Limassol, reflects the fall of Acre and history of the Templars and their confiscated property allotted to the Limassol District for cultivation of wine and sugarcane.
Geography.
Limassol District forms much of the southwestern-central part of Cyprus. The Kouris River rises in the southern slopes of Troodos mountains, which lie in the northern part of the district towards the centre of Cyprus, and flows to the sea near the ancient city of Kourion. This river has been dammed by the Kouris Dam, which has caused the near drying up of the river in its lower reaches. Limassol, to the northeast of the Akrotiri peninsula lies on Akrotiri Bay, while Pissouri, to the northwest of the peninsula, lies on Episkopi Bay. Episkopi Bay is a nesting ground for green and loggerhead turtles, both of which are on the IUCN list of endangered species. Amathous Beach, Dassoudi Beach and part of Governor's Beach are also situated in the district.
Settlements.
According to "Statistical Codes of Municipalities, Communities and Quarters of Cyprus" per the Statistical Service of Cyprus (2015), Limassol District has 6 municipalities and 106 communities. Municipalities are written with bold.
Quarters.
The municipalities of Limassol, for administrative purposes, are divided into quarters. An exception is the Ypsonas Municipality. The list below shows alphabetically the quarters per municipality.
Agios Athanasios Municipality
Germasogeia Municipality
Kato Polemidia Municipality
Limassol Municipality
Mesa Geitonia Municipality
Landmarks.
Limassol, as the regional capital and a major centre for European tourism, contains many of the administrative and cultural buildings, and a large number of hotels along the seafront. Limassol District Court is located on Lord Byron Avenue near the Limassol city centre. It consists of a court complex with multiple buildings. The city is known for its wineries, and revelry and nightlife. The Limassol District Archaeological Museum, located in Limassol, has historical artefacts from the towns of Kourion and Amathus. The collections cover several periods, including Preneolithic (Akroteri culture), Early Neolithic (Shillourokambos culture), Neolithic I, Neolithic II (Sotira culture), Chalcolithic, Erimi Culture, Early Bronze Age, Μiddle Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age, Cypro-Geometric period, Cypro-Archaic period, Cypro-Classical period, Hellenistic period, Roman period, and Late Roman/Early Christian/Early Byzantine period. The Painted Churches in the Troödos Region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the churches, Timios Stavros (Holy Cross) is situated in Pelendri, Limassol District.


List of municipalities in Germany

Below is a list of municipalities in Germany with over 20,000 inhabitants in the year 2000. The list is sorted by population and gives the state of every municipality. In cases where the municipality's name in German differs from its name in English, the English name is listed first with the German name given in parentheses.
In German, the term ' (literally "middle [sized] city") is used for a settlement with 20,000 to 99,999 inhabitants, while a settlement of 100,000 or more is called a ' (literally "big city", but usually translated "city"). Population is counted either in terms of a continuous urban area or by municipal boundaries. If going by municipal borders, that also makes this .


Ionian Islands

The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , "Heptanēsa" or , "Heptanēsos"; ), but the group includes many smaller islands as well as the seven principal ones.
As a distinct historic region they date to the centuries-long Venetian rule, which preserved them from becoming part of the Ottoman Empire, and created a distinct cultural identity with many Italian influences. The Ionian Islands became part of the modern Greek state in 1864. Administratively today they belong to the Ionian Islands Region except for Kythera, which belongs to the Attica Region.
Geography.
The seven islands are, from north to south:
The six northern islands are off the west coast of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. The seventh island, Kythira, is off the southern tip of the Peloponnese, the southern part of the Greek mainland. Kythira is not part of the region of the Ionian Islands, as it is included in the region of Attica.
Etymology.
In Ancient Greek the adjective "Ionios" () was used as an epithet for the sea between Epirus and Italy in which the Ionian Islands are found because Io swam across it. Although they have the same Latin transliteration and Modern Greek pronunciation, the Ionian Sea and Islands are not related to Ionia, an Anatolian region; in Greek, the Ionian Sea and Ionian Islands are spelled with an omicron (Ιόνια), whereas Ionia has an omega (Ιωνία), reflecting a classical difference in pronunciation. The two words are still distinguished by stress: the western "Ionia" is accented on the antepenult (), and the eastern on the penult (). In English, the adjective relating to Ionia is "", not "Ionian".
The islands themselves are known by a variety of names. During the centuries of rule by Venice, they acquired Venetian names, by which some of them are still known in English (and in Italian). Kerkyra was known as Corfù, Ithaki as Val di Compare, Kythera as Cerigo, Lefkada as Santa Maura and Zakynthos as Zante.
A variety of spellings are used for the Greek names of the islands, particularly in historical writing. Kefallonia is often spelled as Cephallenia or Cephalonia, Ithaki as Ithaca, Kerkyra as Corcyra, Kythera as Cythera, Lefkada as Leucas or Leucada and Zakynthos as Zacynthus or Zante. Older or variant Greek forms are sometimes also used: Kefallinia for Kefallonia and Paxos or Paxoi for Paxi.
History.
The islands were settled by Greeks at an early date, possibly as early as 1200 BC, and certainly by the 9th century BC. The early Eretrian settlement at Kerkyra was displaced by colonists from Corinth in 734 BC. The islands were mostly a backwater during Ancient Greek times and played little part in Greek politics. The one exception was the conflict between Kerkyra and its mother-City Corinth in 434 BC, which brought intervention from Athens and triggered the Peloponnesian War.
Ithaca was the name of the island home of Odysseus in the epic Ancient Greek poem the "Odyssey" by Homer. Attempts have been made to identify Ithaki with ancient Ithaca, but the geography of the real island cannot be made to fit Homer's description. Archeological investigations have revealed findings in both Kefalonia and Ithaca.
Roman and Byzantine rule.
By the 4th century BC, most of the islands were absorbed into the empire of Macedon. Some remained under the control of the Macedonian Kingdom until 146 BC, when the Greek peninsula was gradually annexed by Rome. After 400 years of peaceful rule, the islands continued under the control of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Under Byzantine rule, from the mid-8th century, they formed the theme of Cephallenia. The islands were a frequent target of Saracen raids and from the late 11th century, saw a number of Norman and Italian attacks. Most of the islands fell to William II of Sicily in 1185. Corfu and Lefkas remained under Byzantine control.
Kefallonia and Zakynthos became the County palatine of Cephalonia and Zakynthos until 1357, when this entity was merged with Lefkada and Ithaki to become the Duchy of Leucadia under French and Italian dukes. Corfu, Paxi and Kythera were taken by the Venetians in 1204, after the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade. These became important overseas colonies of the Republic and were used as way-stations for their maritime trade with the Levant.
Venetian rule.
From 1204, the Republic of Venice controlled Corfu and slowly all the Ionian islands fell under Venetian rule. In the 15th century, the Ottomans conquered most of Greece, but their attempts to conquer the islands were largely unsuccessful. Zakynthos passed permanently to Venice in 1482, Kefallonia and Ithaki in 1483, Lefkada in 1502. Kythera had been in Venetian hands since 1238.
The islands thus became the only part of the Greek-speaking world to escape Ottoman rule. Corfu was the only Greek island never conquered by the Turks.
Under Venetian rule, many of the upper classes spoke Italian (or Venetian in some cases) and converted to Roman Catholicism, but the majority remained Greek ethnically, linguistically, and religiously.
In the 18th century, a Greek national independence movement began to emerge, and the free status of the Ionian islands made them the natural base for exiled Greek intellectuals, freedom fighters and foreign sympathisers. The islands became more self-consciously Greek as the 19th century, the century of romantic nationalism, neared.
Napoleonic era.
In 1797 Napoléon Bonaparte conquered Venice. By the Treaty of Campo Formio the islanders found themselves under French rule, the islands being organised as the départments "Mer-Égée", "Ithaque" and "Corcyre". In 1798, the Russian Admiral Ushakov evicted the French, and established the Septinsular Republic under joint Russo-Ottoman protection—the first time Greeks had had even limited self-government since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. In 1807, the Ionian Islands were ceded again to the French in the Treaty of Tilsit and occupied by the French Empire.
British rule.
In 1809, the British Royal Navy defeated the French fleet in Zakynthos (October 2, 1809) captured Kefallonia, Kythera and Zakynthos, and took Lefkada in 1810. The French held out in Corfu until 1814. The Treaty of Paris in 1815 turned the islands into the "United States of the Ionian Islands" under British protection (November 5, 1815). In January 1817, the British granted the islands a new constitution. The islanders elected an Assembly of 40 members, who advised the British High Commissioner. The British greatly improved the islands' communications, and introduced modern education and justice systems. The islanders welcomed most of these reforms, and took up afternoon tea, cricket and other English pastimes.
Once Greek independence was established after 1830, however, the islanders began to press for "Enosis" – union with Greece. The British statesman William Ewart Gladstone toured the islands and recommended that having already Malta, giving the islands to Greece would not hurt the interest of the British Empire. The British government resisted, since like the Venetians they found the islands made useful naval bases. They also regarded the Bavarian-born king of Greece, King Otto, as unfriendly to Britain. However, in 1862, Otto was deposed in a coup by the Great National Assembly and a new king, George I from Denmark, was elected in his place.
Union with Greece.
In 1862, Britain decided to transfer the islands to Greece, as a gesture of support intended to bolster the new King's popularity (probably as a counterbalance to the newly established Italian state).
On May 2, 1864, the British departed and the islands became three provinces of the Kingdom of Greece, though Britain retained the use of the port of Corfu. On 21 May 1864 the Ionian Islands officially reunited with Greece. Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark was born in Corfu in 1921 and grew up to become Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In 1923, following orders by Mussolini, the Italians temporarily occupied Corfu.
World War II.
In 1941, when Axis forces occupied Greece, the Ionian Islands (except Kythera) were handed over to the Italians. Long a target of Italian expansionism, the Greek civil authorities were replaced by Italians in preparation for a post-war annexation.
In 1943, the Germans replaced the Italians, and deported the centuries-old Jewish community of Corfu to their deaths. By 1944, most of the islands were under the control of the EAM/ELAS resistance movement, and they have remained in general a stronghold of left-wing sentiment ever since.
1953 earthquake.
The 1953 Ionian islands earthquake occurred with a surface wave magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X ("Extreme") on August 12, 1953. Building damage was extensive and the southern islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos were practically levelled. The islands were reconstructed from the ground up over the following years under a strict building code. The code has proven extremely effective, as many earthquakes since that time have caused no damage to new buildings.
Today.
Today, all the islands are part of the Greek region of the Ionian Islands ("Ionioi Nisoi"), except Kythera, which is part of the region of Attica. Kerkyra has a population of 103,300 (including Paxoi), Zakynthos 40,650, Kefallonia 39,579 (including Ithaca), Lefkada 22,536, Ithaki 3,052, Kythera 3,000 and Paxi 2,438.
In recent decades, the islands have lost much of their population through emigration and the decline of their traditional industries, fishing and marginal agriculture. Today, their major industry is tourism. Specifically Kerkyra, with its harbour, scenery and wealth of ruins and castles, is a favourite stopping place for cruise liners. British tourists in particular are attracted through having read Gerald Durrell's evocative book "My Family and Other Animals" (1956), which describes his childhood on Kerkyra in the 1930s. The novel and movie "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" are set in Kefallonia, in which Captain Corelli is part of the Italian occupation force during the Second World War.
Demographics.
The Ionian Islands' official population, excluding Kythera, in 2011 was 207,855, decreased by 1.50% compared to the population in 2001. Nevertheless, the region remains the third by population density with 90.1/km2 nationwide, well above the national of 81.96/km2. The most populous of the major islands is Corfu with a population of 104,371, followed by Zakynthos (40,759), Kefalonia (35,801), Lefkada (23,693) and Ithaca (3,231). The foreign-born population was in 2001 19,360 or 9.3%, the majority of which was concentrated in Corfu and Zakynthos. Most of them originate from Albania (13,536). The fertility rate for 2011 according to Eurostat was 1.35 live births per woman during her lifetime.
Economy.
The regional Gross Domestic Product for 2010 was 4,029 million euros. The GDP per capita for the same year was 18,440 euros per capita which was lower than the national median of 20,481. However, the GDP per capita of KeFalonia and Zante, 23,275 and 24,616 respectively, was much higher than the national figure. Additionally, unemployment for 2012 was 14.7, the lowest among all Greek regions, and much lower compared to the national unemployment of 24.2.
Tourism.
The region is a popular tourist destination. The airports of Corfu, Zante and Kefalonia were in the top ten in Greece by number of international arrivals, with 1,386,289 international arrivals for 2012, with Corfu being the sixth airport by number of arrivals nationwide, with Zante and Cephalonia also being in the top ten. While Kefalonia Airport had the biggest increase nationwide by 13.11% compared to 2011, while Corfu had an increase of 6.31%.""


Province of Savona

The province of Savona (; Ligurian: "provinsa de Sann-a") is a province in the Liguria region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Savona, which has a population of 61,219 inhabitants. The province has a total population of 279,754.
History.
Savona was first settled by the Ligurian tribe of the Sabazi, who supported the Carthaginians in the Punic Wars. This support of the Carthaginian Empire led to Savona being conquered by the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, Savona allied with Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and fought against Genoa. In 1440 it also fought against Genoa during its war against the Visconti of Milan; in response, Genoa sacked the city and destroyed the port and shipping. It allied itself with the French in the 16th century, but this campaign also failed and resulted in Genoa invading the area again, this time destroying three loaded ships and the port.
It was occupied by Napoleon's French forces at the start of the 19th century, but the area was later conquered from Napoleon by the Kingdom of Sardinia. Following this, ironworks were founded in Savona and the port revived.
Geography.
The province of Savona is one of four provinces in the region of Liguria which forms a coastal strip in the northwest of Italy. Savona has a long coastline on the Gulf of Genoa; the Province of Imperia lies to the west and the Metropolitan City of Genoa lies to the east. The region of Piedmont lies inland, with the Province of Cuneo to the northwest and the provinces of Asti and Alessandria to the north. The provincial capital is the city of Savona. Inland is the mountain chain formed by the Ligurian Alps and the Apennines.
External links.
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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.
The area of Tartu County is , which covers 6.9% of the territory of Estonia. In January 2013 Tartu County had a population of 150,139 – constituting 11.6% of the total population in Estonia. The city of Tartu is the centre of the county located at a distance of from Tallinn. Tartu County is divided into 8 local governments – 1 urban and 7 rural municipalities.
Geography.
Tartu County lies in South Estonia, between Lake Võrtsjärv and Lake Peipsi. Estonia's only navigable river, River Emajõgi (100 km long), flows through the county, connecting Lake Peipsi and Lake Võrtsjärv. Wavy plains are typical landscapes of Tartu County. One third of the county is covered with forests, a third is cultivated. A quarter is made up of wetlands at the headwaters and lower course of the Emajõgi. In the northern part of the county, there are drumlin fields with lakes between them. Nature reserves, such as Pähklisaar Nature Reserve, Emajõe Suursoo and Alam-Pedja take up about 10% of the county's territory.
History.
Archaeological findings suggest that people first inhabited the territory of the current Tartu County about 5000 years ago. City of Tartu was first mentioned in historical records in 1030, when Yaroslav I the Wise organized a military campaign against Chuds, defeated them and established fort Yuryev in what is modern day Tartu. In 1224, after the conquest of the stronghold by the German invaders, Tartu became the capital of a diocese, stretching from Northern Estonia to Latvia. Since the 13th century, Tartu belonged to the Hanseatic League, and the town became a well-known trade centre in the Baltic Sea region. In 1569, together with Duchy of Livonia, Tartu became part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1598 Tartu became capital of the Dorpat Voivodeship, which remained part of the PLC until the 1620s, when the city was conquered by the Swedes.
King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden established the University of Tartu in 1632. Estonia's first teachers' training school was established in Tartu County in 1684, as well as the first Estonian schools for the children of peasants. Closed during and after the Great Northern War, Tartu University was re-opened in 1802 as the only university operating in German language in the Russian Empire. Economic development of the region was further encouraged by the construction of the railway connecting Tartu with Tallinn, Riga and St. Petersburg. In the second half of the 19th century, the national awakening of Estonians began from Tartu region. After Estonia gained independence in 1918, Tartu, along with Tallinn, became one of the two main cultural centres of Estonia, where most of the Estonian intelligentsia of the time lived and worked. In 1987–1989, the students' environmental and cultural heritage movement in Tartu initiated Estonia's Singing Revolution and restoration of the country's independence.
Economy.
Tartu County is an integrated economic system and labour area with its centre in the City of Tartu.
There are 6000 companies and 2000 self-employed persons registered in Tartu County. More than 80% of the companies employ 10 or fewer people, only 5 companies in the whole region have more than 250 employees.
Service sector provides 2/3 of the employment in the county. The City of Tartu is the service and logistics centre for the whole of South Estonia. A significant part of these jobs are in the public sector – especially education and medicine – and the biggest employer in the county is Tartu University Clinics with around 3000 employees, incl 455 doctors. The biggest private sector employer is Tarmeko, producing furniture and components, with 900 employees. Unemployment rate in the county has been 2–3% in the recent years.
Typical products of Tartu County are furniture, foodstuffs, clothes, building materials, glass and plastics. The main export target countries are Finland, Germany, Latvia and Russia. 40% of the exports is wood and furniture, other export production includes machinery and appliances, building materials, glass and clothing. Thanks to the fertile lands, there are many big agricultural enterprises in the West of the county. Fishery is an important activity on the coast of Lake Peipsi.
There is development potential for knowledge intensive production in the region due to its universities. Some successful spin-offs of Tartu University are operating in the field of biotechnology and biomedicine. Since 2004, several ICT companies, orientated on the international markets, have been growing fast.
In order to facilitate innovation and technology transfer, Tartu Science Park is offering incubation and consultation services to research-based and high-tech oriented companies, and promoting cooperation between research institutions. Tartu University Institute of Technology is a research and development institution, which aims to facilitate the generation of new technological solutions. The R&D centres have been established in the areas of material and chemical technology, biomedical technology, environmental technology and information technology.
The key actors of the region have signed an agreement about the county's development strategy, which is economic and social development through increase of the knowledge input into production and services.
Economic development priorities:
Education and culture.
Tartu County has 69 schools with approximately 23,000 pupils. 11 vocational schools provide practical training in 50 specialities. 40% of Estonia's students live and study in Tartu. In addition to the University of Tartu and the Estonian University of Life Sciences there are 9 other institutions of higher education, the most recent of them the Baltic Defence College.
In the City of Tartu, Estonia's oldest professional theatre, Vanemuine, stages drama, opera and ballet. In 1869 the first Estonian Song Festival was held in Tartu, starting a tradition of choral song festivals which are now held in Tallinn every 4 years with 15,000–30,000 participants. Today Tartu Song Festival arena hosts various open-air concerts in summer. There are over 30 museums and art galleries in Tartu County, including Tartu City Museum, Tartu Art Museum, Toy Museum, Estonian Sports Museum, Estonian Postal Museum, Estonian Aviation Museum, Estonian Museum of Agriculture, Old-Believers' Museum of Living History, and others. Biggest and most important of them is Estonian National Museum, that was founded in 1909. Student festivals and Hanseatic festivals take place in Tartu regularly. The best known sports event hosted by Tartu County is the Tartu Ski Marathon, which is a member of the Worldloppet series.
Government.
In Estonia, there is no regional self-government on county level. The County Governments () are led by County Governors (), who are appointed by the National Government.
In accordance with the Government of the Republic Act , the County Governor represents interests of the state in the county and provides for integral and balanced development of the county. The County Governor co-ordinates co-operation of ministries and other organs of executive power located in a county with its local governments and performs supervision over the activities of the local governments. The County Governor is appointed for a five-year term by the Government of the Republic, on the basis of the Prime Minister's proposal and in co-ordination with the representatives of the local governments.
On February 2, 2006, Esta Tamm was appointed Tartu County Governor. She assumed office February 15, 2006.
The County Government manages the operations of and provides support services to the County Governor; prepares draft documents required by the County Governor; manages and controls the execution of orders of the County Governor; manages the preparation of draft budgets of state agencies administered by the County Government, and controls adherence to the budgets; manages relations of the County Governor with government agencies and local government agencies.
Municipalities.
The county is subdivided into municipalities. As of 2017, there is 1 urban municipality ( – "town") and 7 rural municipalities () in Tartu County.


Randers Municipality

Randers Municipality is a municipality (Danish, "kommune") in Region Midtjylland on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 96,559 (as of 1 April 2014). Its mayor, since 1 January 2018 is Torben Hansen, a member of the Social Democrats. The main town and the site of its municipal council is the city of Randers.
The municipality is part of Business Region Aarhus and of the East Jutland metropolitan area, which had a total population of 1.378 million in 2016.
Overview.
The Guden River ("Gudenå"), Denmark's longest river, runs from Randers Fjord in Nørhald municipality to the east, through the city of Randers, and splits in two ca. 5 kilometers west of the central city. The northern tributary is called "Nørreå" ("Northern River"), and it continues westward, defining part of the boundary between Århus and Viborg Counties, and terminates at "Vedsø" ("Lake Ved") near the town of Rindsholm in Viborg municipality. The 160 kilometer long Guden River continues to Tinnet Krat in Vejle County.
The city's nearly 3 kilometer long Guden River Park ("Gudenåparken") stretches along the river's banks in the center of the town.
History.
On 1 January 2007, Randers municipality was, as the result of "Kommunalreformen" ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), merged with existing Nørhald, Purhus, and a portion of each of the following municipalities— Langå, Sønderhald, and Mariager— to form an enlarged Randers municipality.
Subdivisions.
The municipality is composed by the city of Randers and 31 villages:
Politics.
Municipal council.
Randers' municipal council consists of 31 members, elected every four years.
Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.


Northwestern Switzerland

Northwestern Switzerland () is the common name of the region of Switzerland encompassing the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Aargau. It is one of the NUTS-2 .


County Sligo

County Sligo ( , ) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 65,535 at the 2016 census. It is noted for Benbulben Mountain, one of Ireland's most distinctive natural landmarks.
History.
The county was officially formed in 1585 by Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland, but did not come into effect until the chaos of the Nine Years' War ended, in 1603. Its boundaries reflect the Ó Conchobhair Sligigh confederation of Lower Connacht () as it was at the time of the Elizabethan conquest.
This confederation consisted of the tuatha, or territories, of Cairbre Drumcliabh, Tír Fhíacrach Múaidhe, Tír Ollíol, Luíghne, Corann and Cúl ó bhFionn. Under the system of surrender and regrant each tuath was subsequently made into an English barony: Carbury, Tireragh, Tirerril, Leyny, Corran and Coolavin. The capital of the newly shired county was placed at Sligo.
A causewayed enclosure discovered in 2003 at Maugheraboy is one of the earliest indications of Neolithic farming activity on the Cúil Irra Peninsula. The nearby megalithic cemetery of Carrowmore forms part of a huge complex of Stone Age remains connecting Carrowkeel in south Sligo to the Ox Mountains, to the Cuil Irra Peninsula, where the passage tomb named after the legendary Queen Maeve, Miosgán Médhbh, dominates the western skyline from the crest of Knocknarea Mountain.
The Caves of Kesh, famous in Irish mythology, are in south County Sligo. A recent decoding of the work of Marinus of Tyre and Ptolemy shows Sligo as the likely location of Nagnata, an important place of assembly in the Iron Age. Famous medieval manuscripts written in the area include the "Book of Ballymote", written in the territory of Corran, the "Great Book of Lecan", and the "Yellow Book of Lecan", both written in Tir Fhiacrach. The patron of the "Annals of the Four Masters" was Fearghal Ó Gadhra of Coolavin in south County Sligo.
Local government and politics.
Sligo County Council is the governing body for the county. It is divided into five Local Electoral Areas (LEAs) Ballymote, Dromore, Sligo-Drumcliff, Sligo-Strandhill and Tubbercurry. There are 25 members elected to Sligo County Council.
Sligo is part of the Sligo-Leitrim constituency and has four representatives (TD's) in Dáil Éireann, Tony McLoughlin (FG), Marc MacSharry (FF) Martin Kenny (SF) and Eamon Scanlon (FF).
Coat of arms.
This coat of arms was adopted by Sligo County Council in 1980. The design on the black shield, which shows an open book on which there is a Celtic Cross and a red rose, represents collectively the literary and cultural history of Sligo. These refer to such early works as the Books of Ballymote and Lecan, while the rose was a significant theme in the poetry of W.B.Yeats. The escallop shells sprinkled on the shield refer to the origin of the word Sligeach – "a place abounding in shells". The boar's head refers to the "wild boar of Benbulben" in the Diarmuid and Gráinne myth. The colour scheme of the crest incorporates the Sligo GAA colours of black and white.
Culture.
Sligo is the setting for a large number of the texts in the Mythological Cycles. The story of Diarmad and Grainne has its final act played out on Ben Bulben. The Second Battle of Moytirra is associated with Moytirra in South County Sligo. Other texts include Bruidean Ceise Corann, set on Keash Mountain. The rich array of megalithic monuments in the area has been an inspiration to artists and writers such as Samuel Fergusson. The poet and Nobel laureate William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) spent much of his childhood in northern Sligo and the county's landscapes (particularly the Isle of Innisfree, in Lough Gill) were the inspiration for much of his poetry. Yeats said, "the place that has really influenced my life most is Sligo." He is buried in North County Sligo, "Under Ben Bulben", in Drumcliff. William Yeats' brother Jack, a painter, also was inspired by the Sligo landscape.
Music.
County Sligo has a long history of traditional music. The south of the county is particularly noted with such musical luminaries as James Morrison, Michael Coleman, Paddy Killoran, Fred Finn, Peter Horan, Joe O'Dowd, Jim Donoghue, Martin Wynne, Oisín Mac Diarmada (of Téada), tin-whistle player Carmel Gunning and the band Dervish. The county has many traditional music festivals and one of the most well known is the Queen Maeve International Summer School, a traditional Irish Music summer school of music and dance which is held annually in August in Sligo Town. On the more contemporary music scene there are Westlife, Tabby Callaghan and The Conway Sisters who are from Sligo. Strandhill, about 9 km west of Sligo, hosts the Strandhill Guitar Festival each year, featuring a wide variety of guitar music and musicians.
Sport.
Unlike its neighbouring counties, County Sligo has had more success at soccer rather than Gaelic games. The county is home to League of Ireland Premier Division club Sligo Rovers, who have played home matches at The Showgrounds since they were founded in 1928 and won the league on 3 occasions. Brother Walfrid, the founder of Celtic Football Club, was born in Ballymote, in the south of the county.
The county is represented in Gaelic Games by Sligo GAA. Their colours are black and white. Sligo have won the Connacht Championship 3 times.
Geography and political subdivisions.
Sligo is the 22nd largest of Ireland's 32 counties in area and 26th largest in terms of population. It is the fourth largest of Connacht's 5 counties in size and third largest in terms of population. The County borders County Mayo to the west, County Roscommon to the south and south-east and County Leitrim to the north-east.
Railways.
The Dublin–Sligo railway line is operated by Iarnród Éireann in Ireland. It starts in Dublin Connolly station, terminating at Sligo Mac Diarmada railway station in Sligo. In the county there are stations at Ballymote and Collooney.


Uppsala County

Uppsala County () is a county or "län" on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea.
Province.
"For History, Geography and Culture see: Uppland"
The northern parts of the province of Uppland encompasses Uppsala County.
Administration.
The main aim of the County Administrative Board is to fulfil the goals set in national politics by the Riksdag and the Government, to coordinate the interests of the county, promote its development, establish regional goals and safeguard the due process of law in the handling of each case. The County Administrative Board is a Government Agency headed by a Governor. See List of Uppsala Governors.
Politics.
The County Council of Uppsala or "Region Uppsala" (previously "Landstinget i Uppsala län"), which is appointed by the electorate of the county, is primarily responsible for health care and public transportation.
Heraldry.
The County of Uppsala inherited its coat of arms from the province of Uppland. When it is shown with a royal crown it represents the County Administrative Board.
External links.


Northeast Italy

Northeast Italy ( or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency. Northeast encompasses four of the country's 20 regions:
Culturally and historically, Emilia-Romagna is part of Northwest Italy, but is included in Northeast Italy for statistical reasons.
Culture.
Italian is the main language. Other languages include Venetian, widely spoken in Veneto and along the coast to Trieste and Istria, as well as in the towns of Pordenone and Gorizia in Friuli, and in most of Trentino, but only recognised by the Veneto region; Friulian, spoken in most of Friuli and nationally recognized, and Ladin, spoken by a few thousand people in the Dolomites. Other languages are German, the primary language of South Tyrol, where Italian is spoken by about two thirds of the inhabitants, and Slovene, recognized by Italy and spoken on the border of Italy and Istria, where the main language today is Croatian but Italian is recognized as a minority language.
The terms Tre Venezie or "Triveneto "(literally "Triple Veneto"), refer to the three regions of Veneto (before 1947 Venezia Euganea, united to Friuli) Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (once Venezia Tridentina) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Venetia, a region which indicated the old land provinces of the Venetian Republic from river Adda to river Isonzo, and is sometimes still used today to indicate this territory together with Trentino and Trieste.
Venetia et Histria, an old region of Italy at the time of Roman Empire, refers to Veneto, Trentino, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, East Lombardy and Istria; it was named after the people of Veneti, who inhabited that region, and who are still largely the main ethnic group of the Italian area (other main ethnic groups include Friulani in the east, mostly in Udine province; Ladins in the Dolomites are between Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol; Germans in South Tyrol; and Slovene minorities on the border with Slovenia and in the city of Trieste); while after 1947 Venetian/Italian people are just a minority in Slovenian and Croatian Istria.
Economy.
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 407.9 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 23.1% of Italy's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 34,900 euros or 116% of the EU27 average in the same year.


Jammerbugt Municipality

Jammerbugt Municipality is a municipality (Danish: "kommune") in the North Jutland Region on the North Jutlandic Island. It is located along the coast of Skagerrak to the north and the Limfjord to the south. It and borders the municipalities of Thisted, Vesthimmerland, Aalborg, Brønderslev and Hjørring.
Jammerbugt Municipality was formed during the municipal reform of 2007, when the municipalities of Brovst Municipality, Fjerritslev Municipality, Pandrup Municipality and Aabybro Municipality were merged.
Since the municipality's foundation in 2007 the mayor has been Mogens Christian Gade of the Venstre party. Mogens Christian Gade was also the mayor of Brovst Municipality since 2002 and until it was dissolved in 2007.
The name of the region, the Jammerbugt, translating to the "Bay of Woe", was originally given due to the numerous shipwrecks laid there.
The municipality include the uninhabited islands of Fruensholm and Troldholme.
History.
In the Middle Ages, Denmark was divided into syssels. The area that currently make up Jammerbugt Municipality was known as Han Hundred (Danish: "Han Herred") and belonged to the syssel of Thysyssel. It later came under the fief of Aalborghus. In 1662 Han Hundred was merged with a number of hundreds and came under Åstrup, Sejlstrup, Børglum County. The county lasted until 1793. Vester Han Hundred, making up approximately half of the current Jammerbugt Municipality's borders, came under Thisted County, while Øster Han Hundred and Hvetbo Hundred, making up the other half, came under Hjørring County. These counties lasted until the 1970 Danish Municipal Reform where they came under the North Jutland County.
In 1842 Denmark was divided into smaller administrative divisions, namely parish municipalities (Danish: "sognekommunner"). The borders of these municipalities were largely based on the country's parishes. In the 1970 municipal reform these parish municipalities were dissolved. Three parish municipalities were merged to create Aabybro Municipality, three were merged to form Pandrup Municipality and seven were merged to form Fjerritslev Municipality. Five parish municipalities had been merged already in 1966 to form Brovst Parish Municipality. This parish municipality was changed to become Brovst Municipality in 1970.
Mayors.
Since the 2007 municipal reform, the mayors of Jammerbugt Municipality have been:
Towns.
These are settlements in the municipality with populations of at least 200 inhabitants (2020).
Aabybro.
Aabybro is the main city of the municipality and the seat of the municipal council. It is located in the eastern part of the municipality.
North of the town is an ice cream factory from 1888, Aabybro Dairy (Danish: "Aabybro Mejeri"). Also to the north is an efterskole, as well as Aaby Church and many residential areas. Along the town's main road, on the western part of town, is a number of shops and amenities, including a school and a library. The remainder of the western, central and eastern parts of Aabybro are mainly residential areas. The southern part of the town has an industrial area, which also includes a number of shops and a school.
Fjerritslev.
Fjerritslev is located 28 km west of Aabybro, 35 km northeast of Thisted and 13 km north of Løgstør.
In the town is a number of shops and amenities, including a cinema. Fjerritslev Brewery- and Local Museum (Danish: "Fjerritslev Bryggeri- og Egnsmuseum") is also located in the town, and tells about the history of brewery, as well as the local history. In the summer, Fjerritslev hosta a weekly market along its main street.
Pandrup.
Pandrup is located in the northern part of the municipality, 1 km north of Kås, 4 km north of Aabybro and 15 km southwest of Brønderslev.
It is located close to nearby vacation homes, and hosts a yearly shopping event during the summer. A sports center is also located in the town.
Brovst.
Brovst is located centrally in the municipality, 15 km southwest of Aabybro and 16 km east of Fjerritslev.
The central location of the town allows for easy access to the many nature areas located centrally in the municipality.
Villages.
With no major towns in the municipality, many citizens of Jammerbugt Municipality live in villages. Only Aabybro, Fjerritslev, Pandrup, Kås, Brovst and Skovsgård has a relatively high population density, with the rest of the municipality being much less densely populated. This leads to a lot of small villages and scattered settlements.
One of Denmark's biggest amusement parks, Fårup Summer Park, is located by the villages of Hune and Saltum.
Grønhøj, located in the northern part of the municipality, is connected to Løkken and is a large area with vacation homes. The area include a number of amenities, including a public pool and sports hall.
In the village of Hune is the Museum for paper art (Danish: "Museum for papirkunst").
In addition to these villages, there are a number of smaller settlements in the municipality. These are all the settlements with populations of less than 200 people:
Nature.
There are many nature areas in the municipality, and many of them are protected. The municipality is also located by the Limfjord, which is a large fjord that separates the North Jutlandic Island from mainland Jutland. The fjord is home to a large variety of flora and fauna.
A beach, heath and dune area known as "Grønnestrand" and "Svinkløv" was protected in 1972. The area is an important place for breeding birds, with a large variety of birds breeding here.
"Hingelbjerge" is a forest and heath which has been protected since 1968. 129 acres are protected.
Southeast of Fjerritslev are 136 protected acres of heath and forest. This area is known as "Skårhøjene". In the forest breed several birds, including the European green woodpecker and Eurasian nuthatch.
Other protected nature areas in the municipality include the hills of "Alsbjerg Hills" (Danish: "Alsbjerg Bakker"), covering 40 acres. Also protected is approximately 9 acres around the large rock of "Janum Kjøt".
Dune plantations.
In the northwestern corner of the municipality, bordering Thisted Municipality, is "Vester Thorup Dune Plantation" (Danish: "Vester Thorup Klitplantage"). In it is a small protected area. It's a chalk cliff with a unique flora known as "Valbjerg Sande".
"Vester Thorup Dune Plantation" is home to a rich flora, including plants such as drug eyebright, deer fern, wintergreen, rought horsetail, lesser twayblade, marsh helleborine, butterwort, moonwort, Danish kidneyvetch and field gentian.
Although the flora is similar in most of the dune plantations along the municipality's coast, there are slight differences. In the "Fosdal Plantation", located slightly north between Fjerritslev and Brovst, is a heath which is home to the wolf's bane, a rare plant in Denmark.
The fauna in the municipality's dune plantation include many birds and insects. There are mammals, such as polecats and hares, though there generally aren't many mammals in the dune plantations. "Tranum Dune Plantation", west of Pandrup, has a population of roe deer, as does "Blokhus Dune Plantation" further north.
The carpenter ant can be found in "Vester Thorup Dune Plantation". The marsh fritillary, rare in Denmark, can be found in "Tranum Dune Plantation".
Birds breeding in the plantations include nightjar, redstart, European pied flycatcher and red-backed shrike. During the winter the white-throated dipper can be found in "Svinkløv Plantation" and "Kollerup Plantation".
A large area of 3,000 acres is protected, including parts of "Fosdal Plantation" and "Langdal Plantation". It was protected in 1902, then expanded again in 1954, 1956, 1962 and 2009. Also protected is seven separate areas, amounting to 415 acres total, located between Rødhus and Løkken.
"Klim Dune Plantation" can also be found in the municipality, located between the plantations of "Vester Thorup" and "Kollerup".
Store Vildmose.
Store Vildmose is a bogland located north of Aabybro. It is the remnant of an extensive raised peat bog, in large part drained by constructed canals in the early 20th century. Some areas are still relatively untouched and give an impression of the original nature of this bog. 1895 acres are protected.
The bogland is home to the cloudberry, which is a rare plant in Denmark. The Eurasian otter can be found here.
Politics.
In the municipal reform of 2007, the municipalities of Brovst Municipality, Fjerritslev Municipality, Pandrup Municipality and Aabybro Municipality were merged to form the current Jammerbugt Municipality.
Municipal council.
Jammerbugt's municipal council consists of 27 members, elected every four years.
Below are the municipal councils elected since the Municipal Reform of 2007.
Economy.
The largest industries by number of employees in Jammerbugt Municipality are social institutions, retail, farming and fishing.
Companies with their headquarter in the municipality include Migatronic, a large welding machine company. The company's headquarter is set in Fjerritslev and the company has existed since 1970. Also in the municipality is Aabybro Dairy (Danish: "Aabybro Mejeri"), located in Aabybro. The dairy is home to the company Ryå Is, an ice cream factory.
Demographics.
There are 38,324 people living in Jammerbugt Municipality (2020). 49.40% are women and 50.60% are men.
Below is the age distribution of the municipality.
Education.
There are 12 ground schools, 4 efterskoles, 4 independent schools and 1 music school in the municipality.
There are 4 libraries in the municipality.
Sights.
The municipality is a famous vacation area in the summer, with numerous areas with vacation homes. As a result, the sights in the area are mostly open in the summer.
Churches.
See List of churches in Jammerbugt Municipality
Events.
The Saltum Wool Festival (Danish: "Uldfestival Saltum") is a yearly event hosted in Saltum. The event focuses on wool, yarn and clothes and has existed since 2007. The event is the largest of its kind in Scandinavia.
Parishes.
There are 28 parishes in Jammerbugt Municipality. Shown in the table below are the populations of each parish, as well as the percentage of that population that are members of the Church of Denmark. All numbers are from 1 January 2020.
Symbols.
The coat of arms of Jammerbugt Municipality is named "Fuglen" (Danish for "The Bird"). It was accepted by the city council on 6 June 2006. It features a white bird dividing the coat of arms in half. One half is blue, the other is green. The blue represents the ocean around Jammerbugt Municipality, with the green representing the land. The bird is free and embraces the entire area as a whole, while marking the coastline of Jammerbugt Municipality. The bird is looking ahead, to represent the municipality's vision and ambitions. It is meant to symbolise unity, openness, focus on the future and recreational nature areas.


Podlaskie Voivodeship (Congress Poland)

Administrative subdivision of Congress Poland
It was created in 1816 from the Siedlce Department.
Its capital was in Siedlce.


List of Polish voivodeships by GRP

This is a list of Polish voivodeships by gross regional product (GRP) per capita shown in euros. Statistics shown are for 2019 levels.
This is a list of Polish voivodeships by nominal gross regional product (GRP) shown in billion euros. Statistics shown are for 2018 levels.


List of provincial flags of Spain

This is a list of flags of provinces of Spain. The flags are listed per autonomous community.


Province of Benevento

The Province of Benevento () is a province in the Campania region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Benevento.
Geography.
The province has an area of 2,071 km2, and, , a total population of 279,308. There are 78 "comuni" in the province (for the full list, see comuni of the Province of Benevento). The biggest municipalities, the only ones over 10,000 inhabitants, are Benevento, Montesarchio, Sant'Agata de' Goti and San Giorgio del Sannio.
The territory of the province of Benevento closely approximates that of the Principality of Benevento in the mid and late eleventh century. It borders Molise (province of Campobasso) on the North, Apulia (province of Foggia) on the East, the province of Avellino and the metropolitan City of Naples on the South, and the province of Caserta on the West.
The lowest point is in the comune of Limatola (44 meters above sea level), while the highest point is Monte Mutria (1822 meters), one of the mountains of the Matese range, which separates the province of Benevento from Molise.


Lazdijai District Municipality

Lazdijai District Municipality () is a municipality in Alytus County, Lithuania.
Seniūnijos (Elderships or Wards).
The Lazdijai district municipality contains 14 "seniūnijos" (in English: elderships or wards); the main town or village is listed for each.


List of Swedish counties by GDP

This is a list of Swedish Counties by GDP and GDP per capita. The equivalent countries which are comparable to the Swedish Counties in GDP per capita are chosen by Worldbank data for the same year.
List of Counties by GDP.
Counties by GDP in 2015 according to data by the OECD.
List of Counties by GDP per capita.
Counties by GDP per capita in 2015 according to data by the OECD.


Yambol Province

Yambol (, "oblast Yambol", former name Yambol okrug) is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, neighbouring Turkey to the south. It is named after its main city Yambol, while other towns include Straldzha, Bolyarovo and Elhovo. The province embraces a territory of that is divided into 5 municipalities with a total population, as of December 2009, of 138,429 inhabitants.
Municipalities.
The Yambol province (област, "oblast") contains five municipalities (общини, "obshtini"; singular: община, "obshtina"). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village (towns are shown in bold), and the population of each as of December 2009.
History and background.
The motto of the town of Yambol is "Coming from the remote past, going to the future". Archaeological findings in the area date back to the year 6000 BC, to the time of Roman Emperor Diocletian's reign when the castle, called Diospolis, was built on the location of the present modern town. The best preserved historical sites, dating back to the fifteenth century, are the bazar "Bezisten" and the mosque "Esky Djamia", which have been restored and are functioning at present. Other historical sites of interest are the prehistoric tumulus by the village of Drama, the remains of Yambol Mediaeval castle and the Monastery of the Middle Ages in Voden.
Yambol is home to the ancient settlement of Kabile, a national archaeological reserve and a nature preserved site, being the most important Thracian settlement in Bulgaria. In modern study of ancient Thrace it has already been proved that Kabile was the most prominent political, economic and religious centre from the first millennium BC. The archaeological investigations of the ancient city that have taken place in the last thirty years have revealed a great number of artefacts (stone inscriptions, coins, ceramic ware and remains of building activities) dating from times over a millennium long history. Most of the discovered artefacts have already been published and used as a data for archaeological and historical studies.
Population.
The Yambol province had a population of 156,080 (156,070 also given) according to a 2001 census, of which were male and were female.
As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 138,429 of which are inhabitants aged over 60 years.
The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II:
Ethnic groups.
Total population (2011 census): 131 447<br>
Ethnic groups (2011 census):
Identified themselves: 123 062 persons:
Religion.
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:
Famous residents.
Yambol is the native place of popular artists George Papazov and John Popov and sumo wrestler Aoiyama. The computer inventor John Atanasoff has family roots in the district – his father was born in a village Boyadjik, which is near Yambol.
Topology and natural resources.
The Tundja River, the fourth of its size with an earth embankment, flows through the district, and mineral water wells are found near the village of Stefan Caradjovo. The territory of the area covers the middle part of the river valley, the Bakadjitsi, parts of the Svetiliiski, Derventski and Manastirski uplands, with the hilly plain relief predominating 100-150m above sea level. The northern areas of Tundja valley are characterized by a transcontinental climate, while the southern parts have a typical continental/Mediterranean climate. The average annual temperatures are between 12 and 12.5 °C.
Agricultural lands take 76.9% of the whole district territory, and the forests 15.5% of it. The wood resources include elm, willow, poplar and oak.


Raseiniai District Municipality

Raseiniai District Municipality is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania.
Symbols.
Coat of arms: "A traditional Iberic shield Argent, resting on a base Vert a lynx salient Proper."