[mos-koh or, for 1, 2, -kou] 
| a republic extending from E Europe to N and W Asia. 147,987,101; 6,593,000 sq. mi. (17,076,000 sq. km). Capital: Moscow. |
| a former federal union of 15 constituent republics, in E Europe and W and N Asia, comprising the larger part of the former Russian Empire: dissolved in December 1991. 8,650,069 sq. mi. (22,402,200 sq. km). Capital: Moscow. Abbreviation: U.S.S.R., USSR |
| Mos·cow (mŏs'kou, -kō) The capital and largest city of Russia, in the west-central part of the country on the Moscow River, flowing about 499 km (310 mi) eastward to the Oka River. First mentioned in 1147, Moscow became the capital of the principality of Muscovy and by the 15th century was the capital of the Russian state and the seat of the metropolitan (later patriarch) of the Russian Orthodox Church. The capital was transferred to St. Petersburg in 1712 but was returned to Moscow by the Soviets in 1918. Population: 10,400,000. |
Capital and largest city of Russia, located in the west-central region on the Moscow River; Russia's economic and cultural center.
Note: The Kremlin, Russia's political and administrative headquarters, is at the center of the city. Adjoining the Kremlin is Red Square.
Note: Its landmarks and institutions include the tomb of Lenin, the University of Moscow, Gorki Central Park, and the Bolshoi Ballet Theater.
Note: In 1991, hundreds of thousands of Muscovites, led by Boris Yeltsin, rallied against a coup that had overthrown reformist president Mikhail Gorbachev, resulting in the defeat of the coup plotters, the end of the communist system, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
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