Järva County

Järva County

*Järvamaa*
Järva County Järvamaa
County
	Flag Coat of arms
Country	Estonia
Capital	Paide
Government
• Governor
Area
• Total	2,459.58 km2 (949.65 sq mi)
Population (2022)
• Total	29,693
• Rank	12th
• Density	12/km2 (31/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2023)
• Estonians	92.7%
• Ukrainians	3.1%
• Russians	2.3%
• Other	2.0%
GDP
• Total	€610 million (2022)
• Per capita	€20,405 (2022)
ISO 3166 code	EE-52
Vehicle registration	P

Järva County (Estonian: Järva maakond or Järvamaa; German: Jerwen; Latin: Jervia) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the central part of the country and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Jõgeva County to the south-east, Viljandi County to the south, Pärnu County to the south-west, Rapla County to the west, and Harju County to the north. In January 2009, Järva County had a population of 29,940 – constituting 2.7% of the total population in Estonia.^[2]

History

In the first centuries AD political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (kihelkond) and the county (maakond). The parish consisted of several villages. Nearly all parishes had at least one fortress. The defense of the local area was directed by the highest official, the parish elder. The county was composed of several parishes, also headed by an elder. By the 13th century the following major districts had developed in Estonia: Saaremaa (Osilia), Läänemaa (Rotalia or Maritima), Harjumaa (Harria), Rävala (Revalia), Virumaa (Vironia), Järvamaa (Jervia), Sakala (Saccala), and Ugandi (Ugaunia).^[4]

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 Alo Aasma.^[1]

Municipalities

The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are two rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad – parishes) and one urban municipality (Estonian: linnad – towns) in Järva County. There are 217 villages in Järvamaa.

Rank	Municipality	Type	Population (2018)^[5]	Area km²^[5]	Density^[5]
1	Järva Parish	Rural	9,121	1,223	7.5
2	Paide	Urban	10,898	443	24.6
3	Türi Parish	Rural	11,063	1,009	11.0

Religion

Religion in Järva County (2021)[1]

Unaffiliated (85.3%)

Lutheran (7.8%)

Orthodox & Old Believers (2.1%)

Catholic (1.1%)

Others Christians (2.0%)

Others Religions (1.35%)

Religious affiliations in Järva County, census 2000–2021*^[6]
Religion	2000		2011		2021
Religion	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Christianity	5,647	18.3	3,774	14.6	3,250	12.9
—Orthodox Christians	542	1.7	584	2.2	530	2.1
—Lutherans	4,544	14.7	2,655	10.2	1,960	7.8
—Catholics	64	0.2	40	0.1	270	1.1
—Baptists	174	0.5	90	0.3	120	0.4
—Jehovah's Witnesses	172	0.5	164	0.6	110	0.4
—Pentecostals	47	0.1	28	0.1	50	0.2
—Old Believers	3	0.01	6	0.02	-	-
—Methodists	37	0.1	22	0.08	20	0.08
—Adventists	64	0.2	44	0.1	30	0.1
—Other Christians	-	-	153	0.6	160	0.6
Islam	8	0.02	4	0.01	-	-
Buddhism	-	-	10	0.03	20	0.08
Other religions**	201	0.6	160	0.6	340	1.3
No religion	14,796	48.0	18,694	72.2	18,890	74.9
Not stated***	10,166	33.0	3,165	12.2	2,610	10.3
Total population*	30,818		25,865		25,210
*The censuses of Estonia count the religious affiliations of the population older than 15 years of age.^[6] ".^[6]