Vormsi (rural community)
| Vormsi | |||
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| State : |
 Estonia
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| Circle : |
 Lääne
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| Coordinates : | 59 ° 0 ′ N , 23 ° 14 ′ E | ||
| Area : | 92.93 km² | ||
| Residents : | 425 (January 1, 2017) | ||
| Population density : | 5 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Time zone : | EET (UTC + 2) | ||
| Telephone code : | (+372) 0372 | ||
| Postal code : | 91301 | ||
| Community type: | Rural community | ||
| Structure : | 14 villages | ||
| Website : | |||
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Vormsi vald (Swedish: Ormsö kommun ) is a rural municipality in the Estonian county of Lääne . It includes the Baltic Sea island Vormsi , which belongs to the Moonsund Islands, and covers an area of 92.93 km². It has 425 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017).
The Estonian name of the island is derived from the Swedish Ormsö ("snake island "). Swedes have settled on the island since the 13th century . By the Second World War , the number of residents rose to 3,000. In 1944, almost all of the inhabitants of Swedish descent fled the advance of the Red Army across the Baltic Sea to Sweden .
The place names still bear witness to the island's Swedish past: The fourteen island villages are called Borrby , Diby , Fällarna , Förby , Hosby , Hullo , Kersleti , Norrby , Rälby , Saxby , Sviby , Söderby and Suuremõisa (Vormsi) .
