Search results
Website. mos.ru. Moscow[a] is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at over 13 million residents within the city limits, [6] over 18.8 million residents in the urban area, [7] and over 21.5 million residents in its metropolitan area. [14]
The city of Zelenograd (a part of the federal city of Moscow) and the municipal cities/towns of the federal city of St. Petersburg are also excluded, as they are not enumerated in the 2021 census as stand-alone localities. Note that the sixteen largest cities have a total population of 35,509,177, or roughly 24.1% of the country's total population.
- Overview
- Character of the city
Moscow, city, capital of Russia, located in the far western part of the country. Since it was first mentioned in the chronicles of 1147, Moscow has played a vital role in Russian history. It became the capital of Muscovy (the Grand Principality of Moscow) in the late 13th century; hence, the people of Moscow are known as Muscovites. Today Moscow is not only the political centre of Russia but also the country’s most populous city and its industrial, cultural, scientific, and educational capital. For more than 600 years Moscow also has been the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) until the union dissolved in 1991, Moscow attracted world attention as a centre of communist power; indeed, the name of the seat of the former Soviet government and the successor Russian government, the Kremlin (Russian: Kreml), was a synonym for Soviet authority. The dissolution of the U.S.S.R. brought tremendous economic and political change, along with a significant concentration of Russia’s wealth, into Moscow. Area 414 square miles (1,035 square km). Pop. (2010) city, 11,738,547; (2020 est.) city, 12,678,079.
If St. Petersburg is Russia’s “window on Europe,” Moscow is Russia’s heart. It is an upbeat, vibrant, and sometimes wearisome city. Much of Moscow was reconstructed after it was occupied by the French under Napoleon I in 1812 and almost entirely destroyed by fire. Moscow has not stopped being refurbished and modernized and continues to experience rapid social change. Russia’s Soviet past collides with its capitalist present everywhere in the country, but nowhere is this contrast more visible than in Moscow. Vladimir Ilich Lenin’s Mausoleum remains intact, as do many dreary five-story apartment buildings from the era of Nikita Khrushchev’s rule (the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s), yet glitzy automobiles and Western-style supermarkets, casinos, and nightclubs are equally visible. Many Orthodox churches, as well as some synagogues and mosques, have been restored, Moscow’s novel theatres have reclaimed leadership in the dramatic arts, and traditional markets have been revived and expanded. These markets, which under the Soviets were known as kolkhoz (collective-farm) markets and sold mainly crafts and produce, are now more sophisticated retail establishments.
It has become habitual to compare Moscow with St. Petersburg, its rival and the former (1712–1918) capital of Russia. While St. Petersburg has absorbed western European influences, Moscow is viewed as a traditional Russian city. Unlike its rival, Moscow has a well-defined city centre marked by the Kremlin. Other characteristics of Moscow are its physical layout in radial spokes and rings that have been extended over time, its hodgepodge of architectural styles, and its historical buildings that were mainly built by Russian architects. Moscow’s buildings were predominantly wooden until the 1920s, when brick and stone came into use.
Britannica Quiz
World Cities
- Moscow’s oldest surviving building is more than 550 years old. The Assumption Cathedral is Moscow’s oldest surviving building. It is a striking piece of architecture with five golden helmet domes and four semicircular gables.
- The world’s largest medieval fortress is found in Moscow. The Moscow Kremlin is the world’s largest medieval fortress. It is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow that was linked to all of Russia’s most important historical and political events from the 13century.
- Moscow hosts Russia’s largest zoo. Russia’s largest zoo is home to more than 3,000 animals of 550 species from all over the world. Founded in 1864, this zoo is located in Moscow covering 49 acres.
- Trains with the most frequency in the world are found in Moscow. Imagine trains picking and dropping off passengers within just 1 and a half minutes of each other!
Jan 23, 2024 · Moscow is definitely a big city. With a population of approximately 12 million, it is considered one of the largest cities in the world. It is the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.
Moscow , Russian Moskva, Capital and largest city (pop., 2006 est.: 10,425,075) of Russia. It is located on both sides of the Moskva River in western Russia, about 400 mi (640 km) southeast of St. Petersburg and about 600 mi (970 km) east of Poland. Inhabited since Neolithic times, the site was first mentioned as a village in 1147 and became ...
People also ask
Is Moscow a metropolitan area?
Why is Moscow the capital of Russia?
What is the capital and largest city of Russia?
Where is Moscow located?
Is Moscow a busiest city in the world?
When did Moscow become a city?
Moscow metropolitan area from space. The Moscow metropolitan area includes the city of Moscow, population 12,197,596, [3] a ring of cities annexed to it and administered within (Balashikha, Korolyov, Krasnogorsk, Khimki, Mytishchi and Zelenograd), as well as large nearby towns with population of over 100,000 citizens (Reutov, Zheleznodorozhny, Podolsk and Lubertsy, to name a few) that fall ...
