About Moscow
Geographic coordinates
Moscow is located at 55 45 N and 37 37 E of the Greenwich meridian in the middle of the East European Plain. The area lies at a height of 30-35 meters above the Moskva river and about 150 meters above sea level.
Total area
Moscow occupies more than 2,500 square kilometers. The boundary of the city corresponds to the Moscow Ring Road, which is situated at 15-17 kilometers from the city center. The city extends for 38 kilometers from the North to the South and for 39 kilometers from the East to the West.
Population
More than 12 million people are living in Moscow. Among them there are representatives of about one hundred nations and ethnic groups. Russians are the largest ethnic group in Moscow. There are also Jews, Ukrainians, Belorussians and Tatars as well as increasing number of refugees and immigrants from Afghanistan, the Caucasus, the Baltic States and Central Asia. Orthodox Christianity is a predominant religion in Moscow. The city also has communities of Protestants, Roman Catholics, Judaists and Muslims.
Government
Moscow as a separate subject of the Russian Federation is governed by a mayor, who is popularly elected for a four-year term, and by a 35-member Duma (assembly), which is the city's legislature. Moscow consists of 10 administrative regions, which are subdivided into 128 districts. The Duma is elected from administrative regions and each district elects local councils. As the capital of Russia, Moscow is the seat of the national government. The Kremlin palaces house the majority of offices. The prime minister's offices occupy the House of Government of the Russian Federation, usually known as the White House.
Time
Moscow Standard Time - MST differs from Greenwich Mean
Time – GMT
Summer MST = GMT+4 hours
Winter MST=GMT+3 hours
Climate
The climate in Moscow is temperate continental. It is mainly characterized by hot summers and very cold winters. The amplitude in annual temperature range is 28 C. The cold period starts in October and ends in April. Snow falls in November and stays till March. The height of the snow cover usually reaches 350 millimeters. There may be long frosts or periods of thaw. The mild weather comes in June and stays till mid-September.
Foundation
The date of Moscow's founding is generally accepted to be April 4, 1147, when the first record of Moscow in Russian chronicles was done. Moscow's history starts from a wooden fortress, which was built by order of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky on a hill at the confluence of the Moskva and the Neglinnaya rivers. It is often said that Moscow is the third Rome, because the main part of the city, according to the legend, was built on seven hills. The city's general scheme can be represented as the system of concentric circles radiating from the Kremlin, Moscow's geographical, historical and political centre.
City Day in Moscow celebrated on the first Saturday of September.
Area code
+7 (495), +7 (499)
Symbol
The official symbol of Moscow is a dark-red shield, where an ancient Old-Russian subject is depicted: St. George fighting down the Serpent. This symbol was restored in 1993 per sample of the first official symbol of Moscow, which was established in 1781.
Holidays
New Year - January 1st
Orthodox Christmas - January 7th
Defenders of the Motherland Day - February 23rd
International Women's Day - March 8th
International Labor Day - May 1st and 2nd
Victory Day - May 9th
Russian Day - June 12th