Moscow Mосква (Russian) | |||
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— Federal city — | |||
Clockwise, from top right: Spasskaya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin; MIBC; Red Square, Saint Basil's Cathedral; Bolshoi Theatre; Moscow State University; and Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. | |||
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Anthem: "My Moscow" | |||
Coordinates: 55°45′N 37°37′E / 55.750°N 37.617°E | |||
Political status | |||
Country | Russia | ||
Federal district | Central[1] | ||
Economic region | Central[2] | ||
Established | 1147[3] | ||
Federal city Day | The second weekend of September[4] | ||
Government (as of July 2014) | |||
• Mayor[5] | Sergey Sobyanin[5] | ||
• Legislature | City Duma[6] | ||
Statistics | |||
Area [7] | |||
• Total | 2,511 km2 (970 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 83rd | ||
Time zone(s) | MSK (UTC+04:00) | ||
ISO 3166-2 | RU-MOW | ||
License plates | 77, 177, 777; 97, 197, 797; 99, 199, 799 | ||
Official languages | Russian[8] | ||
Official website |
Moscow (/ˈmɒskoʊ/ MOS-koh, US chiefly /ˈmɒskaʊ/ MOS-kow;[9][10] Russian: Москва, tr. Moskva, IPA: [mɐskˈva] (listen)) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city is on the Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population of around 13 million people in the city limits,[11] over 17 million people in the urban area,[12] and over 20 million people in the metropolitan area.[13] The city has an area of 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi). Moscow's urban area has an area of 5,891 square kilometers (2,275 sq mi).[12] Moscow's metropolitan area has an area of over 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 sq mi).[13] Moscow is one of the world's largest cities. It is the most populous city that is only in Europe. It is also the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe[12][13] and the largest city by land area on the European continent.[14]
It was first wrote about in 1147. Moscow grew to become a powerful city that was the capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Moscow stayed the political and economic center of the country when the Tsardom of Russia was made. When the Tsardom turned into the Russian Empire, the capital was moved from Moscow to Saint Petersburg which lowered the influence of the city. The capital was moved back to Moscow after the October Revolution. This brought the city back as the political center of the Russian SFSR and then the Soviet Union.[15] After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow stayed the capital city of the new Russian Federation.
Moscow is the northernmost and coldest megacity in the world. It has a history that goes through eight centuries. Moscow is a federal city of Russia since 1993[16] that is the political, economic, cultural, and scientific center of Russia and Eastern Europe. Moscow has one of the world's largest urban economies as an alpha world city.[17][18] The city is one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations in the world,[19] and it is one of Europe's most visited cities. Moscow is home to the seventh-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world.[20] The Moscow International Business Center is one of the largest financial centers in Europe and the world. Moscow has most of Europe's tallest skyscrapers. Moscow was the host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics, and one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[21]
Moscow is the home of many Russian artists, scientists, and sportspeople. The city also has several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Moscow is well known for its Russian architecture. This includes its historic Red Square, and buildings such as the Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Moscow Kremlin. The Moscow Kremlin is the seat of power of the Government of Russia. Moscow is home to many Russian companies in different industries. It has a large transit network, which includes four international airports, ten railway terminals, a tram system, a monorail system, and the Moscow Metro. The Moscow Metro is the busiest metro system in Europe. It is one of the largest rapid transit systems in the world. The city has over 40 percent of its land covered by greenery. This makes it one of the greenest cities in Europe and the world.[14][22]
A person from Moscow is called a "москвич" (moskvich) for male or "москвичка" (moskvichka) for female. In English, people from Moscow are called Muscovites.
The supreme and exclusive legislative (representative) body of the state power in Moscow is the Moscow City Duma.