Põlva County , or
Põlvamaa, is one of 15
counties of
Estonia. It is situated in south-eastern part of the country and borders
Tartu,
Valga and
Võru counties. The county also shares a common border with
Pskov Oblast of
Russia. Long sections of the border with neighboring Russia have not yet been ratified by treaty, and certain villages in Põlva County (e.g.,
Lutepää and Saatse) can only be reached by driving through Russian-controlled territory. 27,028 people live in Põlva County – constituting 2.3% of the total population in Estonia (as of January 2013).