Moscow serves as the capital city of the Russian Federation, and is where 70 billionaires lived in 2020 according to Forbes World’s Billionaires list. Moscow’s total represents home to the third-most billionaires trailing New York City and Hong Kong.

Moscow’s economic might is also illustrated by the fact that 23 of the Fortune Global 500 companies have their headquarters located in Russia’s capital city. These mega-businesses include petroleum refiners Lukoil and Rosneft Oil as well as commercial and savings banks Sberbank and VTB Bank.

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“The Third Rome” is one nickname for Moscow. Another moniker is “First Throne” also referring to Moscow’s preeminent status and mammoth size.

Moscow was recognized by the Guinness World Records on March 18, 2020 as the site where 23 tunnel boring machines operated at the same time, the most ever. The gigantic excavating machines burrowed into the underground as part of a project to improve Moscow’s busy subway system.

Another of Moscow’s Guinness World Records was achieved in 2019 when 7 daredevils walked 708 feet (216 meters) across a slackline stretched over Moscow’s business district. The high wire ran between Moscow’s OKO Tower—Europe’s second tallest building–and Neva Tower which was to become Europe’s highest building. The event commemorated the 873rd anniversary of the founding of Russia’s capital city.

Back on the ground, Moscow State University claims title to having the world’s largest university building. Russian State Library in Russia’s capital city is the second-biggest library in the world after America’s Library of Congress but ranks as number one in Europe.

Research website numbeo ranks Moscow in the bottom 17% compared to the 250 cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Moscow scored poorly on index factors such as traffic commute time (bottom 7%), highest property price to income ratio (top 8%), health care (bottom 29%) and relatively high pollution (top 37%).

From an international trade perspective, Russia placed 14th among the world’s top exporters in 2019, shipping US$422.8 billion worth of goods around the globe. Its most valuable exports are crude oil (32.5% of Russia’s global total), refined petroleum oils (17.9%), coal (4.3%), petroleum gas (2.5%), wheat (1.7%), semi-finished products made from iron or non-alloy steel (1.6%), gold (1.5%), platinum (1.4%), aluminum (1.2%), sawn wood (1.2%), products distilled from high-temperature coal tar (also 1.2%), refined copper and copper alloys (1.1%), then unmounted diamonds (1%) according to the International Trade Centre.

Capital Facts for Moscow, Russia: Quick Reference

 
Russia Day is celebrated as a public holiday each June 12.

Moscow’s built-up city area has a land area measuring 970 square miles (2,511 square kilometers). The capital’s estimated population was 12.5 million residents in July 2020.

At the country level, Russia’s land territory covers 6,323,142 square miles (16,376,870 square kilometers). The nation’s population count was 145.9 million inhabitants as of July 20, 2020.

Population density is more concentrated in Moscow averaging an estimated 12,926 inhabitants per square mile (4,993 per square kilometer).

Zooming out to Russia overall land borders, population density dilutes to an average 23 residents per square mile (9 per square kilometer).