As the capital of Russian Federation, Moscow has the largest population in the country with more than 12 million people. Moscow is the part of Central Federal District. There started a project to expand the territory of the city in 2012. At the end of the project, Moscow’s territory will expand approximately 2.4 times.
Moscow is located in the central part of the East European Russia and it has a continental climate, which is warm in summer and moderately cold in winter. However, eastern and southeastern part of the city has lower temperatures in winter and higher in summer.
Moscow is the mostly visited city of Russia in terms of inbound tourists. Mostly leisure and culture tourists visit Moscow. Since the city offers a wide range of luxury hotels, shopping malls, 400 museums, 200 showrooms and galleries and 129 theatres. Moscow is also home to the Bolshoi Theatre, numerous art galleries and museums such as the Tretyakov Gallery and museums such as The Moscow Kremlin, the State Museum of the Fine Arts of A.S. Pushkin, and the State Historical Museum. Headquarters of major companies are in the city since Moscow is the finance center of Russia. A large number of conferences are organized in Moscow each year.
The ensemble of Moscow Kremlin and Red Square, Rise Church in Kolomna and the ensemble of Novodevichy female Convent are the attractions in the focus of international tourists. These sights are also in the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.
Moscow contains the country’s most famous attractions, the most notable being Red Square, the iconic St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s tomb and the Kremlin. As the former headquarters of the Russian church, Moscow also houses the Archangel, Assumption and Annunciation Cathedrals, which act as tourist attractions as well as places of worship. Gorky Park stretches along the south bank of the Moscow River and hosts a skating rink in winter. Other frequently visited cultural sites include: the former Lubyanka prison, once home to the KGB, which now hosts a museum, and Novodevichy Convent’s cemetery, where Russian legends from Ckekhov to Kruschev are buried.
Moscow has 11 main railway lines, 15 highways, 3 river ports, 9 railway stations and 3 large international airports, which make city the main hub of the country. Moscow transportation links can also be considered as attraction points for international tourists since the decoration of Moscow’s Metro is an attraction itself and Trans-Siberian Railway offers unique glimpses of Russia on its journey from Moscow to Vladivostok on the Pacific Coast.
