Moscow (Russia)

Moscow (Москва). 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. Moscow is among the world’s largest cities, being the most populous city in its entirety in Europe.

First documented in 1147, Moscow grew to serve as the capital of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. When the Tsardom of Russia was proclaimed, Moscow remained the political and economic center for most of its history. Under the reign of Peter the Great, the Russian capital was moved to the newly founded city of Saint Petersburg in 1712, decreasing Moscow’s influence.

Following the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Russian SFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), the capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918, where it later became the political center of the Soviet Union. In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow remained the capital city of the newly established Russian Federation.