|
One
of the world's great cities, Moscow (Russian Moskva) is
the capital of Russia. Since it was first mentioned in
chronicles of 1147, Moscow has played a vital role in
Russian history; indeed the history of the city and of
the Russian nation are closely interlinked. Today Moscow
is not only the political centre of Russia but also the
country's leading city in population, in industrial
output, and in cultural, scientific, and educational
importance.
Moscow
covers an area of about 386 square miles (878,7 square
kilometres), its outer limit being roughly delineated by
the Moscow Ring Road. Most of the area beyond this
highway has been designated as a Forest-Park Zone, or
greenbelt.
The
pattern of rings and radials that marked the historical
stages of Moscow's growth remains evident in its modern
layout. The center of all rings is Moscow Kremlin and
famous Red Square.
Moscow
has a large concentration of educational institutions,
and its centres of higher education draw students from
throughout Russia. Moscow State University (1755) is the
leading educational institution. The city's many
specialized educational institutions include the Moscow
Timiryazev Academy of Agriculture and the Moscow P.I.
Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. Scientific research is
conducted by the Academy of Sciences of Russia and many
institutions linked to industry. The biggest city's
library is so-called the V.I. Lenin State Library. The
old KGB headquarters building is known worldwide.
Theatre,
music, and art are important in the city's life. The
State Academic Bolshoi ("Great") Theatre 1825,
Maly ("Little") Theatre, and Moscow Art
Theatre ("MAT") are especially renowned. Of
the many museums and galleries, Moscow Kremlin, the
State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the State Tretyakov
Gallery and the Andrei Rubliov museum are especially
notable. Tretyakov Gallery and A.Rubliov museum exibits
a great collection of Russian icons and paintings. In
particular, the most eminent Russian icon - the Trinity
icon by Andrei Rubliov (JPG file, 220K) has being
preserved in the Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) since 1927.
Relatively
few people in Moscow own automobiles, necessitating
heavy reliance on public transportation provided by the
Metropolitan subway (Metro), buses, streetcars, and
trolleybuses. The Metro system, which reflects the
city's street patterns, is known for the elaborate
architecture of its stations (some old stations look as
palace under the ground, JPG image, 68kb). Moscow is the
centre of the country's rail network, on which freight
transport is heavily dependent. Trunk rail lines radiate
from the city in all directions to major Russian
population and industrial centres, to Ukraine, Belarus,
and eastern Europe, and to Central Asia. Suburban
commuter traffic is facilitated by the Moscow Little
Ring Railway (1908) and the Greater Moscow Ring Railway,
which link radial lines. Passenger trains connect to
destinations throughout Russia and Europe. Moscow is
also a major river port and is served by the Moscow
Canal. The Volga's various canals link Moscow to all the
seas surrounding European Russia. Moscow is the centre
of the country's airline network; the Sheremetyevo-2
airport (schemas of arrivals hall and departures hall),
24 miles (39 km) north, handles international flights.
Moscow
is located at 55.55'of northern latitude and 37.37' to
the east of the Greenwich's meridian, in the centre of
the East-European plain in the zone of mixed forests.
The city is intersected by the Moscow river, which takes
a number of tributaries between the Oka and the Volga.
Normally, the rainfall ranges within 540--650mm per
year.
Moscow
is one of the world biggest megapolis. Its population
was equal to 8,011,000 people in January, 1979 (1991
estimate of population is 8,801,500). The area of Moscow
is 878,7 square kilometres (or 386 square miles). The
boundary of Moscow (since 1960) corresponds to the
Moscow Ring Road distanced from 17 to 21 kilometres from
a city centre.
Moscow
has nearly 16 higher Educational Institutes attended by
almost 7.2 laks students including 23 thousand from
foreign countries including India.
|
