Pärnu County (Estonian: Pärnu maakond), or Pärnumaa, is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the north, Järva and Viljandi counties to the east, and Latvia to the south. 6.6% of the total population of Estonia live in Pärnu County. Pärnu County is the largest county of Estonia in terms of land area.-------------------In Pärnu county there is the oldest known human settlement in Estonia, from town of Sindi 2 km upstream by Pärnu river, near village Pulli. 8500 years BC. Mesolithic historical period.-----------------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.--------------------The city of Pärnu is a popular holiday resort for Estonians and increasingly for non-Estonians, e.g., from Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Russia.-------------The county is subdivided into municipalities. There are 2 urban municipalities (Estonian: linnad - towns) and 19 rural municipalities (Estonian: vallad - parishes) in Pärnu County.