Москва

Moscow is the capital and largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents within the city limits, over 19.1 million residents in the urban area, and over 21.5 million residents in its metropolitan area. The city covers an area of , while the urban area covers , and the metropolitan area covers over . Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely in Europe, the largest urban and metropolitan area in Europe, and the largest city by land area on the European continent.

First documented in 1147, Moscow became the capital of the Grand Principality of Moscow, which led the unification of the Russian lands in the 15th century and became the center of a unified state. Following the proclamation of the Tsardom of Russia in 1547, Moscow remained the political and economic center for most of its history. During the reign of Peter the Great, the Russian capital was moved to the newly founded city of Saint Petersburg in 1712, leading to a decline in Moscow's importance throughout the imperial period. Following the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Russian SFSR, the capital was moved back to Moscow in 1918. The city later became the political center of the Soviet Union and experienced significant population growth throughout the Soviet period. In the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow remained the capital city of the newly reconstituted Russian Federation and has experienced continued growth.

The northernmost and coldest megacity in the world, Moscow is governed as a federal city, where it serves as the political, economic, cultural, and scientific center of Russia and Eastern Europe. Moscow has one of the world's largest urban economies. Moscow has the second-highest number of billionaires of any city (tied with Hong Kong). The Moscow International Business Center is one of the largest financial centers in the world and features the majority of Europe's tallest skyscrapers. Moscow was the host city of the 1980 Summer Olympics and one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The city contains several UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is known for its display of Russian architecture, particularly in areas such as Red Square and buildings such as Saint Basil's Cathedral and the Moscow Kremlin, the latter of which is the seat of power of the Government of Russia. Moscow is home to Russian companies in different industries and is served by a comprehensive transit network, which includes four international airports, ten railway terminals, a tram system, a monorail system, and the Moscow Metro, which is the busiest metro system in Europe and one of the largest rapid transit systems in the world. The city has over 40 percent of its territory covered by greenery, making it one of the greenest cities in the world.

Etymology

The city's name is thought to be derived from the Moskva River. Theories of the origin of the name of the river have been proposed.

The most linguistically well-grounded and widely accepted is from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *''mŭzg''-/''muzg''- from the Proto-Indo-European *'- "wet", so the name ''Moskva'' might signify a river at a wetland or marsh. Its cognates include , "pool, puddle", and "to wash", "to drown", "to dip, immerse". In many Slavic countries Moskov is a surname, most common in Russia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and North Macedonia. Additionally, there are similarly named places in Poland like Mozgawa. According to a Finno-Ugric hypothesis, the Merya and Muroma people, who were among the pre-Slavic tribes which inhabited the area, called the river ''Mustajoki'' "Black river", and the name of the river derives from this term. Other theories, having little or no scientific basis, are rejected by linguists.

The Old Russian form of the name is reconstructed as *, *, hence it was one of a few Slavic ''ū''-stem nouns. As with other nouns of that declension, it had been undergoing a morphological transformation at the early stage of the development of the language, as a result, the first written references in the 12th century were , (accusative case), , (locative case), , (genitive case). From the latter forms came the modern Russian form , , which is a result of morphological generalization with the numerous Slavic ''ā''-stem nouns. The form ''Moskovĭ'' has left traces in other languages, including ; ; ; ; and .

Moscow has acquired epithets, such as the "third Rome". Moscow is one of twelve Hero Cities. The demonym for a Moscow resident is rendered as ''Muscovite'' in English.

History

Prehistory

The site of modern-day Moscow has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Among the earliest finds are relics of the Lyalovo culture, which experts assign to the Neolithic period. They confirm that the first inhabitants of the area were hunters and gatherers. Around 950 AD, two Slavic tribes, Vyatichi and Krivichi, settled here. The Vyatichi may have formed the majority of Moscow's indigenous population.

Early history (1147–1263)

Moscow is first mentioned in chronicles under the year 1147, as part of the principality of Rostov-Suzdal, which emerged from the disintegration of Kievan Rus'. It was referred to as a meeting place of Yuri Dolgorukiy and Sviatoslav Olgovich. At the time, it was a minor town on the western border of the principality. The importance of Moscow greatly increased during the second half of the 12th century, and it was converted into a fortified ''gorod'' (stronghold) in the 1150s, with the first walls of the Kremlin being built. During the Mongol invasions of 1237–1238, Moscow was sacked following the destruction of Ryazan.

The first prince of Moscow was Daniel, the youngest son of Alexander Nevsky, and in 1263, he was given Moscow as an ''otchina'' (hereditary land), where he established a local branch of Rurikid princes. Two chronicles refer to Mikhail Khorobrit as "Mikhail of Moscow" in the mid-13th century, but Daniel is generally considered to be the first prince of Moscow. On Mikhail's death in 1248, if it is assumed that an appanage principality was created, Moscow reverted as an escheat to the grand prince of Vladimir. Until 1271, the principality was ruled by the governors of Daniel's uncle Yaroslav, who was given Tver as an appanage. Daniel himself is first mentioned in chronicles under the year 1282 as taking part in a feudal war between his two older brothers.

Grand Principality (1263–1547)

By the turn of the century, Moscow was one of the leading principalities within Vladimir-Suzdal, alongside Tver. On the right bank of the Moskva River, at a distance of from the Kremlin, Daniel founded the first monastery with the wooden church of St. Daniel-Stylite, which is now the Danilov Monastery. Following Daniel's death in 1303, the territory of the principality had almost tripled in size, encompassing the entire Moskva River along with its tributaries, which allowed Moscow to become self-sufficient. The principality was also provided with an excellent river network that facilitated trade.

Daniel's descendants struggled with the princes of Tver for succession to the grand principality. Yury won recognition from the Mongol khan as the grand prince in 1318, but he lost the title four years later. Ivan I

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