South Kurzeme Municipality

South Kurzeme Municipality (Dienvidkurzemes novads) is one of the 35 municipalities established in Latvia in 2021. It surrounds Liepāja, Latvia's third largest city. Its first elected municipal council took office on 1 July 2021. Its seat is at Grobiņa.

Geography
South Kurzeme is Latvia's largest municipality, covering an area of 3591 km2. It is located in the southwestern part of the Courland region in western Latvia, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It borders Ventspils Municipality to the north, Kuldīga Municipality to the northeast, and Saldus Municipality to the east. It surrounds the port city of Liepāja in the west. It also borders the Lithuanian counties of Klaipėda and Telšiai to the south and southeast respectively. The westernmost point of Latvia is located at Cape Bernāti in Nīca Parish south of Liepāja.

The coastline of South Kurzeme Municipality is over 100 km long. Erosion of the coast north of Liepāja has been accelerated because breakwaters at Liepāja's seaport intercept sand drifting northward along the coast. The coast south of Liepāja features sandy beaches and dunes, behind which are lagoons and marshy plains. The largest of the lagoons are Lake Liepāja and Lake Tosmare on the municipality's border with Liepāja, and Lake Pape near the Lithuanian border. The Rietumkursa Upland rises east of the coastal lowlands, its highest point being Krievukalns at 190 m in Embūte Parish.

Rivers in the municipality include the Bārta which flows from its headwaters in Lithuania into Lake Liepāja; and the Durbe River and Tebra, which join to form the Saka River at the village of the same name. The Saka drains into the Baltic Sea at Pāvilosta.

Pape Nature Reserve covers 10853 ha and protects Lake Pape and the surrounding land areas. It forms the terrestrial component of the Pape Wetland Complex Ramsar site, which also covers the adjacent marine area and has a total area of 51725 ha. Bernāti Nature Park protects Cape Bernāti and Pūsēnu Hill, Latvia's highest sand dune at 37 m. Grīņu Nature Reserve is located in the northern part of the municipality.

History
South Kurzeme Municipality corresponds in extent to the former Liepāja District as it existed from 1991 to 2009. In the 2009 territorial reforms, Liepāja District was divided into the municipalities of Aizpute, Durbe, Grobiņa, Nīca, Pāvilosta, Priekule, Rucava, and Vaiņode. In 2020, the Saeima approved reducing the number of administrative divisions at the municipal level from 119 to 42, including rejoining the aforementioned municipalities to form South Kurzeme Municipality. Elections for Latvia's new municipal councils were held on 5 June 2021, and the new municipalities including South Kurzeme will go into effect on 1 July 2021.

Administration
The municipal council of South Kurzeme currently comprises 19 councillors. The municipality is to form joint authorities with the city of Liepāja for the administration of civil protection, education, and waste management.

The municipality is subdivided into five towns and 26 parishes:


 * Towns
 * Aizpute
 * Durbe
 * Grobiņa
 * Pāvilosta
 * Priekule
 * Parishes
 * Aizpute Parish
 * Bārta Parish
 * Bunka Parish
 * Cīrava Parish
 * Dunalka Parish
 * Dunika Parish
 * Durbe Parish
 * Embūte Parish
 * Gavieze Parish
 * Gramzda Parish
 * Grobiņa Parish
 * Kalēti Parish
 * Kalvene Parish
 * Kazdanga Parish
 * Laža Parish
 * Medze Parish
 * Nīca Parish
 * Otaņķi Parish
 * Priekule Parish
 * Rucava Parish
 * Saka Parish
 * Tadaiķi Parish
 * Vaiņode Parish
 * Vecpils Parish
 * Vērgale Parish
 * Virga Parish

Demographics
The Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia estimated a population of 33,364 living in what is now South Kurzeme Municipality at the beginning of 2021. This represented a 28% decrease from an estimated population of 46,451 at the beginning of 2000, and a 13% decrease from an estimated population of 38,351 at the beginning of 2011.

The municipal seat of Grobiņa had an estimated population of 3522 at the beginning of 2021. The largest town in the district is Aizpute, with an estimated population of 4036 at the beginning of 2021.

Economy and infrastructure
Significant economic activities in South Kurzeme Municipality include tourism, agriculture, forestry and fishing. The municipality is served by national roads A9, which connects Liepāja to Riga, and A11, which runs from Liepāja to the Lithuanian border crossing near Rucava. The Jelgava–Liepāja Railway runs east to west through the municipality. Liepāja International Airport is located in South Kurzeme Municipality at Cimdenieki just east of Liepāja.