Lääneranna Rural Municipality

Settlements

Town

Lihula

Boroughs

Virtsu

Villages

There are 150 villages: Alaküla, Allika, Aruküla, Emmu, Esivere, Haapsi, Hanila, Helmküla, Hälvati, Hõbeda, Hõbesalu, Irta, Iska, Joonuse, Jänistvere, Järise, Järve, Jõeääre, Kadaka, Kalli, Kanamardi, Karinõmme, Karuba, Karuse, Kaseküla, Kause, Keemu, Kelu, Kibura, Kidise, Kiisamaa, Kilgi, Kinksi, Kirbla, Kirikuküla, Kiska, Kloostri, Koeri, Kokuta, Koonga, Korju, Kuhu, Kuke, Kulli, Kunila, Kurese, Käru, Kõera, Kõima, Audru Parish, Kõima, Lääneranna Parish, Kõmsi, Laulepa, Lautna, Linnuse, Liustemäe, Lõo, Lõpe, Maade, Maikse, Massu, Matsalu, Matsi, Meelva, Mereäärse, Metsküla, Mihkli, Muriste, Mäense, Mäliküla, Mõisaküla, Mõisimaa, Mõtsu, Naissoo, Nedrema, Nehatu, Nurme, Nurmsi, Nätsi, Nõmme, Oidrema, Paadrema, Paatsalu, Pagasi, Paimvere, Pajumaa, Palatu, Parasmaa, Parivere, Peanse, Peantse, Penijõe, Petaaluse, Piha, Piisu, Pikavere, Pivarootsi, Poanse, Rabavere, Raespa, Raheste, Rame, Rannaküla, Rannu, Rauksi, Ridase, Rooglaiu, Rootsi, Rootsi-Aruküla, Rumba, Rädi, Saare, Saastna, Salavere, Salevere, Saulepi, Seira, Seli, Selja, Sookalda, Sookatse, Soovälja, Tamba, Tamme, Tarva, Tiilima, Tuhu, Tuudi, Täpsi, Tõitse, Tõusi, Ullaste, Uluste, Ura, Urita, Vagivere, Vaiste, Valuste, Vanamõisa, Varbla, Vastaba, Vatla, Veltsa, Voose, Võhma, Võigaste, Võitra, Võrungi, Äila, Ännikse, Õepa, Õhu.

Religion

According to the census, 8.7 per cent of the population in the municipality aged at least fifteen identified themselves as Lutherans, 0.9 per cent as Pentecostal, 0.5 per cent as Orthodox, 0.5 per cent as others Christians. 1.3 per cent of respondents said they followed other religions. 86.3 per cent of the residents said they were religiously unaffiliated. The affiliation of 1.8 per cent was unknown.

Notable people

Eduard Georg von Wahl (1833 in Vatla – 1890), a Baltic German surgeon in Tartu

Gregor von Bochmann (1850 in Nehatu – 1930), a Baltic German landscape and genre painter.

Wilhelm Petersen (1854 in Lihula – 1933), a Baltic German entomologist and lepidopterist.

Jakob Johann von Uexküll (1864 in Mihkli – 1944), a Baltic German biologist, he worked on muscular physiology, animal behaviour and biosemiotics

Jaan Teemant (1872 in Paatsalu – 1941), lawyer, politician, State Elder of Estonia, 1925 – 1927 & 1932.

Alexander Baron Engelhardt (1885 in Alaküla – 1960), a Baltic German physician and medical historian.

Jüri Uluots (1890 in Kirbla – 1945), journalist, attorney and Prime Minister of Estonia, 1939-1940

Ado Anderkopp (1894 in Hanila – 1941), politician, journalist and sports organiser; Minister of War, 1923–1924 & Minister of the Interior and Minister of Justice, 1930–1933

Karl Ristikivi (1912 in Varbla – 1977), writer of historical novels.

Eerik Kumari (1912 in Kirbla – 1984), biologist and ornithologist, president of the Estonian Naturalists' Society, 1954 to 1964.

Harri Jõgisalu (1922 in Korju – 2014), children's writer, mainly about nature and traditional rural life.

Tarmo Loodus (born 1958 in Lihula), educator and politician, Mayor of Viljandi, 1999 to 2002 & Minister of the Interior, 1999 – 2002.

Sport

Mihkel Müller (1887 in Paadrema – 1970), Greco-Roman middleweight wrestler at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Roman Steinberg (1900 in Massu – 1939), a middleweight, Greco-Roman wrestling bronze medallist at the 1924 Summer Olympics

August Kukk (1908 in Kirbla – 1988), men's freestyle welterweight wrestler at the 1936 Summer Olympics

Kristjan Palusalu 1908 in Matsi – 1987), heavyweight wrestler and gold medallist at the 1936 Summer Olympics