| South Kurzeme Municipality | |
| Native Name: | Dienvidkurzemes novads |
| Native Name Lang: | lv |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Latvia |
| Seat Type: | Seat |
| Seat: | Grobiņa |
| Leader Party: | ZZS/LZS |
| Leader Title: | Council Chair |
| Leader Name: | Aivars Priedols |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1 July 2021 |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3591 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 1 January 2021 |
| Pop Est Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Est: | 33364 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Seat |
| Population Blank1: | 3522 |
| Timezone: | EET |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Timezone Dst: | EEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
| Elevation Max Footnotes: | [3] |
| Elevation Max M: | 190 |
South Kurzeme Municipality (lv|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.[4]
South Kurzeme is Latvia's largest municipality, covering an area of .[1] 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.[5] 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.[6] [7]
The coastline of South Kurzeme Municipality is over long.[8] 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 on the municipality's border with Liepāja, and Lake Pape near the Lithuanian border.[9] The rises east of the coastal lowlands, its highest point being at in Embūte Parish.[3]
Rivers in the municipality include the Bārta which flows from its headwaters in Lithuania into Lake Liepāja; and the and Tebra, which join to form the at the village of the same name. The Saka drains into the Baltic Sea at Pāvilosta.
Pape Nature Reserve covers and protects Lake Pape and the surrounding land areas.[10] 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 .[11] [12] protects Cape Bernāti and Pūsēnu Hill, Latvia's highest sand dune at .[7] Grīņu Nature Reserve is located in the northern part of the municipality.
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.[13] [14] Elections for Latvia's new municipal councils were held on 5 June 2021,[15] and the new municipalities including South Kurzeme will go into effect on 1 July 2021.[13]
The municipal council of South Kurzeme currently comprises 19 councillors.[16] The municipality is to form joint authorities with the city of Liepāja for the administration of civil protection, education, and waste management.[4] [13]
The municipality is subdivided into five towns and 26 parishes:[4] [13]
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.[2] [5]
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.[17]
Significant economic activities in South Kurzeme Municipality include tourism, agriculture, forestry and fishing.[8] 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.