Moscow Located on the World Map

Russia's capital city Moscow is a popular and historical metropolis in the world. It is located on the banks of Moskva River and the capital of the country in political, economical, cultural, and scientific terms. It is the largest city in Russia and among the largest cities in Europe with a population of more than 12 million people.

History

Russia has its capital in Moscow. It was started over eight centuries ago in 1147 on the Moskva River. It was formed by Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy. Due to the position of the Moscow metropolis at the convergence of trade arteries, the political and economic power was accumulated relatively fast in the medieval principality of Vladimir-Suzdal.

By the late thirteenth century it was the seat of the Grand Duchy of Moscow of the Daniilovichi dynasty. Grand Prince Ivan I (Ivan Kalita) finally achieved the position of a Grand Prince and started annexing the surrounding territories. Within the following two hundred years, the city expanded and not only became the political but the spiritual capital of the Russian lands. In 1380, Prince Dmitry Donskoy headed a significant victory over the Mongol Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo which was a significant step towards the rising of the power and the decline of Mongol power.

The city liberated itself of Mongol control in 1480 with Ivan III (Ivan the Great). Ivan III also married the niece of the last Byzantine emperor Sophia Palaiologina and increased the pretensions as the Third Rome, a New Orthodox center of Christianity. During the period, the Kremlin was reconstructed and turned into a symbol of increasing power of the state.

The sixteenth century saw the arrival of Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible), the first Tsar of Russia who crowned himself. During his reign, this region was transformed into a capital of a centralized Russian state. Nevertheless, his rule was characterized by severe domestic repression and the Oprichnina; a time of political terrorizing.

During the Time of Troubles (15981613) during which rules were broken and external interventions took a prominent place, the rule of the Troubles began with the death of Ivan the Terrible. In 1612, the city was released from the Polish grip through a voluntary armed unit that was led by Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. Soon afterwards, the Romanov dynasty assumed power which meant stability in politics.

Peter the Great had changed the capital in 1712 to his new city St. Petersburg, hence ending the influence of Moscow. Nevertheless, it remained the spiritual and the cultural epicenter of Russia. This was very instrumental when Napoleon arrived in Russia in the year 1812 and he wanted to take Moscow; the city was torched to divert the French. The French army was not in a position to endure the brutal winter weather and the lack of supplies; hence they were defeated and had to retreat.

It emerged as an industrial and intellectual center in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 the capital was restored in 1918. The city is the center of Soviet power, with the rapid development of industries and the transformation of architectural landscape under Joseph Stalin.

The Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991 and from then Moscow remains the capital city of the Russian Federation. The city got a great deal of economic and cultural redevelopment in the post-Soviet years, becoming one of the big global cities.

Culture

Moscow is influenced by a lot of things: Orthodox Christian tradition, tsarist pomp, the ideology of communism and the current realities of the world. The country has a culture that constantly reflects the diverse and on many occasions dramatic history of Russia.

Art and architecture is at the core of this city identity. It is an alive museum: Medieval onion-domed churches are close to Stalinist skyscrapers and glass towers of the 23d century. Some of the landmarks, such as the Kremlin and St. Basil Cathedral, concentrate religions, political and artistic thinking.

Changes show visually in the buildings of the city. During the 18 th and 19 th centuries, there was a domination of classic and baroque styles. They were replaced by constructivist and brutalist designs that told about those times in the stone and steel of the Soviet era.

There is a special place for performing arts. Ballet and opera are very bright as evidenced through Bolshoi Theatre. Individuals love classical music, folk performances and modern experimental shows. The field of music is very revered and reputed in the world developing musicians and composers.

The other pillar is literature. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov and Chekhov worked as great writers and lived in Moscow. Their legacies are commemorated in museums, statues and houses that they lived in. Literary cafes and bookstores are the preferred meeting spots and writers and readers travel long distances to attend the International Book Fair. There is a great respect for the written word, which is demonstrated through poetry readings and literary talks.

The arts which are visual grow well both in modern and traditional versions. The Pushkin Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery are the main stores of the Russian and European masterpieces, whereas the Garage Museum presents the works of avant-garde and experimental art. The tracks of the Soviet propaganda art are easily traced, frequently rediscovered in the contemporary discourse on memory and identity.

As it was in the Soviet epoch, religious traditions have reappeared in Russia. Nowadays the churches have turned into community centers and significant Orthodox feasts like Easter and Christmas are largely celebrated with mass festivals, songs and corteges. The religious traditions are shared with non-religious ones which result in a vibrant and accommodative cultural schedule.

Food culture is as diverse. Conventional Russian food and cuisine that includes foods such as borscht, blini, pelmeni, and caviar are served together with the foods of the former Soviet republics and the world. The vibrant restaurant industry has placed gourmet and fusion cuisine in the limelight with food markets and street food outlets keeping it more simple, and homely.

Language

Russian is the official language in the Russian Federation, and is the most widespread in Moscow. Being the cultural and political core of the nation, the city defines the norm of the Russian literary and spoken language commonly referred to as the Moscow dialect. Such a variant is described as being rather impartial in terms of accent and grammar and thus is subject to understanding and acceptance everywhere by persons of Russian speaking areas.

Russian is a Slavic language written in Cyrillic developed in a language that has rich vocabulary, complex grammar and expressiveness. It becomes very instrumental in determining the cultural and intellectual front of the people. It is the first language of communication and there is no way to understand literature and philosophy as well as science and politics. The works by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or Pushkin are classic works of nations and remain influential in the development of the contemporary Russian identity.

Multilingualism is increasing because of the international status and rising multiculturalism of the city. The most common foreign language taught is English, especially to youngsters and to business people and to those working in the tourism industry. Information in signs and bulletins may also be presented in the English language of the public transport, airports, and large tourist attractions and nowadays we can find English speaking services at a growing number of hotels, restaurants and museums.

Geography

Moscow lies on the west of Russia. It is located on the Moskva River that passes in the city approximately 80 kilometers. The city is located on the East European Plain, which is one of the flat lands in the world. The average height of it above sea level is around 150-250 meters. The coordinates of Moscow are about 55.75 °N in latitude, 37.62 °E in longitude, which makes it a dwelling city in the area with a temperate continental climate.

The city is influenced by the Moskva River that determines its history and structure. Numerous popular places of interest are located in its vicinity including the Kremlin and Christ the Saviour Cathedral. The river also has a network of canals which include the Moscow Canal that connects the city to the Volga River, and through it connects it to five seas, the white, Baltic, Caspian, the Azov and the Black Sea. This huge network of waterways allowed the city to become a trade and transport center.

The region is semi flat with mild hills and ridges, geographically. The southwest is elevated at Teplostanskaya Upland, with mountains as far as 255 meters above sea level. This level plane enabled the city to have a well organized road and rail network. The city is surrounded by the system of roads and railways that radiate outwards and are crossed by a few ring roads, such as the Garden Ring, the Third Ring Road and the Moscow Ring Road ( MKAD ), the historical boundary of the city.

Climate in the city is based on the location of a town. Here, the city is built on a plain close to a river, thus, the air always gets sour during winter season and hot and damp during summer time. The seasons have a significant variation in temperatures. They fall to approximately -10 ℃ in January and increase to 25 ℃ in July. Snow falls get big during the winter and at times summer is followed by prolonged hot weather.

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