Moscow is the capital of Russia, its political, economic, cultural and scientific center.
It was founded 8 centuries ago by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky.
Historians have accepted the year of 1147 as the start of Moscow’s history. Gradually the city became more and more powerful.
In the 13th century Moscow was the center of the struggle for the liberation of Russian lands from the tartar yoke.
In the 16th century under Ivan the Terrible Moscow became the capital of the new united state. Though Peter the Great moved the capital
to St. Petersburg in 1712, Moscow remained the heart of Russia, and was reinstated as the capitol in 1728.
Now Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe.
More interesting information about the city can be found here.
Classified as having a humid continental climate, Moscow is the most northerly (56°N) “megacity” on the globe. The city is known for its climatic extremes, experiencing long, cold winters, usually blanketed with snow, and relatively short, hot summers, when heatwaves are possible in the warmest months (July and August).
To illustrate the diversity it is interesting to note that the highest temperature ever recorded in Moscow was 38.2 °C (100.8 °F) on July 29, 2010, and the lowest −42.2 °C (−44.0 °F) in January 1940.
Summers run from May to October, and the rest of the year can be categorized as experiencing wintry weather, with most of the precipitation falling as snow.
Summer in Moscow is unexpectedly warm, with high humidity during the height of the season (July and August). The snow begins to thaw in April/May and highs during the peak summer period range between 20°C (68°F) to 25°C (77°F), with a steep increase in temperature from mid-April to May. In recent years the city has experienced extreme heatwaves for a week or more between May and September.
