Moscow is the official capital of Russia.However, the city of St. Petersburg is also very often called the capital - cultural or Northern. In this article you will find a detailed comparison of St. Petersburg and Moscow. What is the difference between these two cities? And what do they have in common? Let's look into this issue together!
Capital status in the history of Moscow andPetersburg passed each other several times, like athletes, runners, passing on the treadmill to the baton of their colleagues. But even so, not one of the cities lost its "capitalism". Both Moscow and St. Petersburg were and remain the centers of scientific, political and cultural life in their country.
"Two capitals" contrast sharply with the restcities of Russia. At the same time, they in many respects are not similar and with each other. Comparison of St. Petersburg and Moscow resulted in his works A.S. Pushkin and N.V. Gogol. It is also reflected in numerous folk proverbs: "Peter is the head, Moscow is the heart", "Peter marries, and Moscow marries", etc.
Our comparison of St. Petersburg and Moscow will be based on four criteria. It:
Comparison of the two Russian megacities is most logical starting with an analysis of the geographical situation of each of them.
So, Moscow is located in the center of the Europeanpart of Russia, on both banks of the same river. It is roughly the same distance from the nearest seas: Black, Baltic and White. The relief within Moscow is hilly and heterogeneous, the elevations within the city reach 140 meters.
The city of St. Petersburg is onnorthwestern outskirts of the European part of Russia, off the coast of the Baltic Sea. It is one of the most important ports of the country. The relief of the city is flat and homogeneous, its distinctive feature is a large number of artificial waterways and canals.
The climate of the capital is moderately continental, with a clearexpressed in seasons. The average annual precipitation is about 700 mm per year. Summer in Moscow is moderately warm and dry, winters are mild and with frequent frosts.
The climate of the "northern capital" is colder and moremoist, transitional to moderately-marine. Sunny days in the year are much less. A characteristic feature of St. Petersburg is the so-called "white nights", which last 50 days.
Petersburg was founded in 1703 by the decree of Peter the Great. The age of Moscow is much more solid. It was founded by Prince Yuri long-armed in the middle of the XII century.
In Moscow, historically formedRadial-ring layout (the heart of the city is the Kremlin and Red Square). In St. Petersburg, such a structure of streets could not be formed for objective geographical reasons (the coastal position of the city played a role). In addition, St. Petersburg was built according to a preplanned plan with a rectangular layout of streets and thoroughfares.
In St. Petersburg, more than 5 million people live. The population of Moscow is much larger - from 12 to 15 million inhabitants (according to different estimates).
The similarity of the two Russian capitals is evident ineconomic sphere. Both cities are the most important financial, industrial and scientific centers of the country. In the industry of both megacities, the leading place belongs to machine building. However, Petersburg specializes more in shipbuilding, while Moscow - in the production of space, aviation and computer technology.
