Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia, and is located in the southwestern portion of the country. It is about 300 miles from the European border. Founded in the 12th century, it was originally called the Citadel (or Kremlin) of Moscow. It was built as a trading post along the Moskov (Moscow in Russian) River. It grew in size and population as its location near the river became a necessity for trading.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/393409/Moscow It was heavily damaged by the Fire of 1812, and is still undergoing reconstruction to fix the damages.http://www.museum.ru/museum/1812/Library/davidov1/index.html#part3In 1918, Moscow was declared the official capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the population boomed.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/393409/Moscow As of January 2010, Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world, with an urban population of nearly 11 million.http://www.mos.ru/wps/portal/WebContent?rubricId=15408

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the city of Moscow changed in many ways. As of 2001, it accounts for nearly one fourth of Russia's wealth, and has a very large chemical industry.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/393409/Moscow The oil refineries in Moscow produce the materials for synthetic industrial rubber, tires, plastics, and oil based products with oil from fields in eastern Russia.http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Volga-Ural+Oil-Gas+Region Besides manufacturing, a large portion of Moscow's income is derived from its tourist attractions. With the Kremlin still standing in the center of the city, large cathedrals, and Red Square, Moscow's history draws people from all over the world.http://www.moscowcity.com/attractions/attractions.htm

Though Moscow was not founded until 1147 C.E., the same land has been inhabited since before 2000 B.C.E. After its founding, Moscow was a small citadel for many years. It was sacked multiple times by the Mongols in the 13th century, until the small town finally became better defended.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/393409/Moscow In the next five hundred years, the city would be attacked and burned down by the Crimean Tatars, the Mongols, and Napoleon Bonaparte's army. The fire that did the most damage was the Fire of 1812, set by Napoleon's troops. By this time the city was very large and well established, and many historical buildings were burned down. The fire lasted for four days and destroyed nearly three-quarters of the city. http://www.worldlingo.com/ma/enwiki/en/Fire_of_Moscow_(1812)

The rise of the Soviet Union impacted Moscow. During World War II, Russian forces sided with Adolf Hitler and his army until the Nazis invaded Russia. This invasion directly violated the German-Soviet Pact, which prompted the Soviet Union to attack.http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005137 They defeated the Nazi army in 1942, and began taking control of nearby countries. By 1945, the Soviet Union consisted of fifteen states and parts of Eastern Europe.http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005137 This marked the beginning of the Cold War and almost fifty years of tension between the Soviet Union, the United States, and their respective allies. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and became the Russian Federation, starting a time of peace in Moscow and all of Russia.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/125110/Cold-War

Moscow has a long winter, lasting from October until late April. During these months the temperature drops below freezing, and it snows most of the time. In the summer, from June until August, the temperature rarely exceeds 90°F, but sometimes there is a high humidity. http://www.russia-ic.com/regions/5108/1281

• Kremlin: One of the first things to be built when Moscow was just a trading post, the Kremlin has been burned, sacked, and rebuilt many times. Now it is a museum filled with Russia's history and treasures of the Russian tsars.http://www.kremlin.museum.ru/main_en.asp
• Red Square: The Kremlin sits on the edge of this square, which used to be the central marketplace of Moscow.http://www.moscow-life.com/moscow/red-square
• Saint Basil's Cathedral: Built in the 16th century to celebrate a military victory, this cathedral has many brightly colored towers and sits on the border of Red Square. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/russia/moscow-st-basil-cathedral
• Kuskovo Estate: Built in the 18th century as a summer residence for the nobility, it is now a well preserved historic site in Moscow. Parts of the Estate like the palace, stone conservatory, and old church are still standing. They also contain many painting and portraits of some of the Russian Emperors. http://www.moscow-hotels-russia.com/kuskovo.htm

• Anton Chekhov: playwright and writerhttp://www.theatrehistory.com/russian/chekhov001.html
• Fyodor Dostoevsky: author of Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamozov http://www.europe-cities.com/en/609/russia/moscow/history/famous-people/
• Wassily Kandinsky: painter, printmaker and art theoristhttp://www.wassilykandinsky.net/
• Anna Kournikova: tennis playerhttp://www.kournikova.com/about/bio
• Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky: actor, director and producerhttp://www.nndb.com/people/290/000205672/
• Joseph Stalin: politician http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Stalin-Joseph.html