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Hiiu maakond
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Kärdla
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Hannes Maasel
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1,023
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2004
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10,289
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101
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EE-39
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Hiiumaapng
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( of
Estonia . It consists of
Hiiumaa (Dagö), the second largest
Island of Estonia, and several smaller islands near it. The county borders
Lääne County to the east and
Saare County to the south.
Human inhabitation of Hiiumaa can be traced back to the 5th millennium BC.
Mesolithic sites in Kõpu peninsula are presented by the seal-hunters' settlements. There are several well preserved grave fields of the
Iron Age . In
1228 , the island was first mentioned in written annals under the name ''Dageida''. In
1254 , Hiiumaa was divided between the
Livonian Order and the
Bishopric Of Ösel-Wiek . In
1563 Hiiumaa was annexed into
Sweden . In 1710, as a result of the
Great Northern War the island went under the control of the
Russian Empire . During
World War I , the German military forces occupied Hiiumaa in
1917 . In 1918 - 1940 Hiiumaa was part of the Republic of Estonia, then until 1991 occupied by the
Soviet Union .
On demands of the Hanseatic League a lighthouse was built in Kõpu in the beginning of XVI century (known also as Dagerort). It is considered the third oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the whole world, still showing its light to 35 miles to the sea.
The best part of the farm architecture comes from the XIX century. Examples are Mihkli farming complex and Soera farm-museum with all the old national artefacts.
The for a term of five years. Since
3 March 2004 the Governor position is held by
Hannes Maasel .
The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are 1 urban municipality (Estonian: ''linn'' - city) and 4 rural municipalities (Estonian: ''vallad'' - communes) in the county.
The county includes the islands of
Hiiumaa (980 km&
2) and
Kassari (19 km&
2) and a number of surrounding islets. The highest point is Tornimägi hill (68 m), the longest river is Luguse (21 km), and the biggest lake is Tihu Suurjärv (850,000 m&
2).
In the landscapes there can be found pine forests, mixed spruce and deciduous forests, swampy thickets and juniper shrubs, coastal meadows and bogs. The most frequent tree is pine which makes about a half of forests. Pine is followed by birch, spruce and alder. In total, there are about 1,000 species of vascular plants, of which about 100 are under protection. The wildlife of Hiiumaa is remarkable. Out of 30 species of mammals, big game as elk, deer, fox, wild boar and lynx roam the island. There are about 250 species of birds on the island, 195 of them nesting.
Among the Estonian counties Hiiumaa is the richest in forest - nearly 60 % of the island are wooded areas. There are large marsh areas in the middle of the island. The marshes cover about 7 % of its area. Cultivated land and settlements take about 23 % of the area of the county.
