Counties of Estonia – Hiiumaa

Counties of Estonia – Hiiumaa

Hiiumaa is Estonia's second-largest island and, together with a number of smaller islets, forms Hiiu County in the west of the country. The island lies in the eastern Baltic Sea, separated from the mainland by the Väinameri, a shallow archipelagic sea that has shaped travel routes between Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic mainland for centuries. Hiiumaa itself is sparsely populated, heavily forested, and defined by a largely unspoiled natural landscape; the only town of any size is Kärdla in the northwest. Until the 20th century, the island's population was strongly influenced by Swedish and Baltic German communities, a legacy still visible in place names, church architecture, and local traditions. The Kõpu Lighthouse on the island's west coast is considered one of the oldest lighthouses still in operation in Europe and is a landmark known well beyond the county's borders.

Administratively, Hiiu is one of Estonia's 15 counties, which have formed the country's top territorial tier since the 2017 administrative reform. In recent years, Estonia has systematically strengthened these counties as regional identities, including in a European context. With its "Counties of Estonia" commemorative coin series, the country has been honoring each of the 15 regions step by step since 2024; Hiiu County's turn comes in 2027. The series follows a European tradition of regional coin programs that bring wider attention to small, lesser-known areas. For collectors of Estonian 2-euro commemorative coins, Hiiu County is thus a fixed building block in one of the few fully planned national series in the euro area.