SEAT OF POWER
Radiating outward from the Kremlin, first built of oak in 1156, Russia's largest city and capital has known its share of turmoil, fighting against Mongols and Tatars, Napoleon and Nazis. In the 19th century Moscow became a center for manufacturing and a railroad hub for the immense country. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Moscow has seen economic booms fueled in large part by oil exports, and busts from speculation and financial tremors. For visitors Moscow has become one of the world's most expensive cities. Even through unsteady recent times, massive rebuilding and infrastructure improvements have given impetus to the city's vitality.
ECONOMYMachine building, metalworking, oil refining, publishing, brewing, motion pictures, machine tools, precision instruments, building materials, motor vehicles, aircraft, chemicals.Text source:
National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004
