Transportation Directory - Moscow Russia

Description: Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million residents within the city limits, over 18.8 million residents in the urban area, and over 21.5 million residents in the metropolitan area.

The city covers an area of 2,511 square kilometers (970 sq mi), while the urban area covers 5,891 square kilometers (2,275 sq mi), and the metropolitan area covers over 26,000 square kilometers (10,000 sq mi). Moscow is among the world’s largest cities, being 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.

Population: 13,000,000

Demographics: According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition of Moscow was: Russian: 91.6%, Ukranian: 1.42%, Tatar: 1.38%, Armenian: 0.98%, Azeri: 0.5%, Jews: 0.49%, Belarusian: 0.4%, Uzbek: 0.3%, Tajik: 0.2%, Moldovan: 0.2%, Mordvin: 0.2%, Chechen: 0.1%, Chuvash: 0.1%, Ossetians: 0.1%, Other: 1.6%.

History: Archaeological digs show that the site of today’s Moscow and the surrounding area have been inhabited since time immemorial. Among the earliest finds are relics of the Lyalovo culture, which experts assign to the Neolithic period, the last phase of the Stone Age.

The first known reference to Moscow dates from 1147 as a meeting place of Yuri Dolgoruky and Sviatoslav Olgovich. The original Moscow Kremlin was built in the 14th century. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the three circular defenses were built: Kitay-gorod (Китай-город), the White City (Белый город) and the Earthen City (Земляной город).

However, in 1547, two fires destroyed much of the town, and in 1571 the Crimean Tatars captured Moscow, burning everything except the Kremlin. The annals record that only 30,000 of 200,000 inhabitants survived.

But after 1750, the population grew more than tenfold over the remaining duration of the Russian Empire, reaching 1.8 million by 1915. By 1700, the building of cobbled roads had begun. In November 1730, the permanent street light was introduced, and by 1867 many streets had a gaslight. In November 1917, upon learning of the uprising happening in Petrograd, Moscow’s Bolsheviks also began their uprising.

On November 2 (15), 1917, after heavy fighting, Soviet power was established in Moscow. When the USSR was dissolved in the same year, Moscow remained the capital of the Russian SFSR (on December 25, 1991, the Russian SFSR was renamed the Russian Federation). Since then, a market economy has emerged in Moscow, producing an explosion of Western-style retailing, services, architecture, and lifestyles.

The city has continued to grow during the 1990s to 2000s, its population rising from below nine to above ten million.

Elevation: 124 m

Climate: Humid continental climate. Average annual temperature in Moscow is 6 C (42 F), the average for July is 19 C (66 F), the average for January is -8 C (17 F).

Attractions: Red Square, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow Metro, Moscow Kremlin, Armory Chamber, Bolshoi Theater, GUM, The Museum Of Cosmonautics

Airports: Domodedovo Mikhail Lomonosov Airport DME, Vnukovo International Airport VKO, Sheremetievo A.S. Pushkin International Airport SVO

Distance To City Centre: 45 km

Commute Length: 45 min

Average Cost: 55 USD

Traffic Hours: 8 am – 11 am, 5 pm – 8 pm