Russia, or the Russian Federation, occupies an area of 17 million square kilometers or nearly twice the area of the United States. The shores of the country are washed by the waves of ten seas, which belong to three oceans: Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific.
The distance between the southern and the northern borders of Russia is about four thousand kilometers. Russian Federation stretches 10 thousand kilometers from west to east, equaling a quarter of the equator. Even the most modern airliners need half a day of direct flight to cover such an enormous distance.
Spreading widely from west to east, the territory of Russia encompasses 11 time zones. The western and eastern borders are so distant from each other that at the time when the sun rises in the east, deep darkness of late evening comes over the western regions.
The geographical location of the country is such that natural and climate conditions of Russia are very diverse. Russia comprises three climatic zones: the arctic, the subarctic, and the temperate zone. Winters vary from cool along the Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along the Arctic coast.
The population of Russia totals 148 million people (according to the 1990 census), representing over 100 nationalities and ethnic groups. That is why Russian culture is very rich and diverse.
About three-fourth of Russia’s people live in urban area. Approximately 35 cities in Russia have population over 500,000, Moscow and St. Petersburg being the largest cities.
Moscow City
Moscow, the capital of Russia, is one of the world's biggest cities. It occupies an area of 1035 square kilometers, and has a population of about 9 million people (and almost as many tourists and city guests). Moscow's local time is Greenwich Mean Time (+3), the summer time (+I) is active in Moscow from March to October. The most common language spoken in the city is Russian.
Moscow's climate is moderate, with an average temperature of about 20 - 25'C in July and August, and varying from about -10' C to -25' C in December and January. The humidity is usually ranging from "moderate" to "high." Most of the time Moscow winters are very cold and snowy.
The city landscape is a rather complicated one. The highest point of the city area is in the South West, 250 meters above the sea level and 130 meters above the Moskva River. There are over 10 rivers in Moscow and Moscow Region, the Moskva River being the biggest one.
Legislatively, Moscow is segmented into 10 administration districts. The names of the districts comply with their location: Central, West, North West, etc. The districts are further segmented into city regions, there are 128 of them in Moscow. The Moscow City Duma serves as the main legislative body. The executive power is exercised by the Moscow Mayor, the prefects, and the sub prefects. The municipal authorities are elected by the citizens of Moscow (vote by secret ballot).
The capital has the largest concentration of educational institutions, and its centers of higher education draw students from throughout all Russia. Moscow is also the largest scientific and research center. It is the seat of the Russian Academy of Sciences and many of its leading research institutes (78), branch academies and research establishments. It has 81 higher educational establishments with over 600,000 students enrolled.
Theatre, music, and art are important in the city’s life. Over 60 theatres, concert halls, circuses, 74 museums, and film studios are located in Moscow. The Bolshoi («Great») Theatre and the Maly («Little») Theatre, and Moscow Art Theatre («MHAT») are especially renowned. The capital was a birthplace for many famous actors, writers, painters and scientists whose talents and ideas made the glory of Russia: Pushkin, Googol’, Tolstoi, Chekhov, Pirogov, Sklifosovsky, Vasnetsov, Serov and many others.
Moscow is world renowned for its elaborate and unique architecture, that reached its peak level of perfection in the second half of the 18th century due to the talanted Russian architects V.I.Bazhenov and M.F.Kazakov.
Public transportation is provided by the Metropolitan subway (Metro), buses, taxis, and trolley-buses. The Metro system is known for the elaborate architecture of its 149 stations. Moscow is the center of the country’s rail network and the largest transportation center in Russia. It has air, rail, and road links with all the major tourist centers of the country and many cities of the world. There are 9 railroad stations, 3 river ports, and 5 airports in Moscow.
Russia and Moscow Overviews