Kuressaare Castle in Kuressaare | |
![]() Location of Saaremaa in Estonia | |
Location within Baltic Sea region | |
Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Baltic Sea |
Coordinates | 58°25′N 22°30′E / 58.417°N 22.500°E |
Archipelago | West Estonian archipelago |
Area | 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi) |
Administration | |
County | Saare County |
Demographics | |
Population | 31,435 (January 2020) |
Pop. density | 11.7/km2 (30.3/sq mi) |
Saaremaa (/ˈsɑːrəmɑː/ SAR-ə-mah, Estonian: [ˈsɑːremɑː]) (lit. island land) (also called Ösel [ˈøːsel] ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi),[1] its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020).[2] The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and northwest of the Gulf of Riga. The administrative centre of the island, and of the Saare County, is the town of Kuressaare, which in January 2018, had 13,276 inhabitants.[3]