Moscow

Moscow, the capital of Russia, sits on the Moskva River in the central part of the country. It is Russia's largest city and the most populous city entirely within Europe, with over 13 million people living within its official borders, more than 19.1 million in its urban area, and upwards of 21.5 million in the wider metropolitan region. The city itself covers 2,511 square kilometers, its urban sprawl extends over 5,891 square kilometers, and the metropolitan area spans more than 26,000 square kilometers. It is also the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe by population and the largest European city by land area.

The first written record of Moscow dates to 1147. It later became the capital of the Grand Principality of Moscow, which unified Russian lands in the 15th century and formed a single state. After the Tsardom of Russia was proclaimed in 1547, Moscow remained the political and economic hub for most of that era. In 1712, Peter the Great moved the capital to the newly built Saint Petersburg, which diminished Moscow's importance during the imperial period. Following the Russian Revolution and the creation of the Russian SFSR, the capital returned to Moscow in 1918. The city then became the political center of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union dissolved, Moscow stayed on as the capital of the newly formed Russian Federation and has continued to grow.

As the northernmost and coldest megacity on Earth, Moscow is governed as a federal city and serves as the political, economic, cultural, and scientific heart of Russia and Eastern Europe. Its urban economy is among the largest in the world, and it ties with Hong Kong for the second-highest number of billionaires of any city. The Moscow International Business Center is a major global financial hub and contains most of Europe's tallest skyscrapers. Moscow hosted the 1980 Summer Olympics and was one of the host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The city is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is famous for its Russian architecture, especially around Red Square, Saint Basil's Cathedral, and the Moscow Kremlin—the latter being the seat of Russia's government. Moscow hosts Russian companies across many industries and has a comprehensive transit network, including four international airports, ten railway terminals, a tram system, a monorail, and the Moscow Metro, which is the busiest metro in Europe and one of the world's largest rapid transit systems. More than 40 percent of the city's territory is covered by greenery, making it one of the greenest cities globally.