Moscow

Russia's capital and biggest city, Moscow, is the country's most populous metropolis. With a population of about 12.4 million people inside the city boundaries, over 17 million residents in the urban area, and more than 20 million residents in the metropolitan region, the city is located on the banks of the Moskva River in Central Russia. There are over 26,000 square kilometres of land area covered by the city, which is 2,511 square kilometres (970 square miles) in size. The urban area has 5,891 sq.km (2,275 square miles) in size, while the metropolitan region is over 26,000 square kilometres in size (10,000 sq mi). Russian capital Moscow is one of the world's most populous cities; it is the biggest city completely inside Europe, the largest urban area within Europe, the largest metropolitan region within Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.

In the centuries after its founding, Moscow developed to be an economically successful, militarily strong metropolis that served as the seat of government for the Grand Duchy that bears its name. The Grand Duchy of Moscow became the Tsardom of Russia, although the city retained its position as the political and economic heart of the Tsardom throughout the majority of the period of its existence. Because to the Russian Empire's reformation, the capital was relocated from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, reducing the importance of the city in the process. Following the October Revolution, the capital was relocated to Moscow, and the city was re-established as the political centre of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and later of the Soviet Union. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moscow remained the capital city of the modern and newly formed Russian Federation, which was established in 1991.

Due to its location as the world's northernmost and coldest megacity, as well as its long and illustrious history dating back over eight centuries, Moscow has since 1993 been governed by a federal city that serves as the political, economic, cultural, and scientific hub for Russia and Eastern Europe. Moscow, being a world-class metropolis, has one of the world's most developed metropolitan economies. The city is one of the world's most rapidly expanding tourist attractions, and it is also one of Europe's most visited cities, according to the World Tourism Organization. Russian capital Moscow is home to a disproportionately large number of billionaires compared to any other city in the world, and it has the greatest concentration of billionaires of any European metropolis. With some of Europe's highest buildings, the Moscow International Business Center ranks as one of the world's biggest financial centres, as well as one of Europe's largest financial centres. Muscovites have greater access to public digital services than residents of any other European country, and they have the finest e-government services in the world. Moscow was the host city for 1980 Summer Olympics, and it will be one of the host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Russia.