In Russia today there are about a thousand cities. All of them radically differ in area and in the number of residents.

The smallest city is Chekalin. It is located in the Suvorovsky district of the Tula region and has been known only since the end of the 19th century, but is, nevertheless, one of the historical cities of Russia. It is interesting that before the revolution in the city of Likhvin, Kaluga province (that was the name of the city until 1944, which received its name in honor of the partisan Alexander Chekalin), there were about 1,700 people.

According to the 2010 census, only 994 people live in the city. Despite such a number of indigenous people, the settlement still holds the name of the city. The status of the city was preserved due to the fact that during the reporting activities on the liquidation of small towns, a list with cities that begin with the letters Ch, Sh and Sh was lost.

The largest city in Russia by population

Moscow

The population is more than 15 million people.
Naturally, in terms of population, the largest city in our country is the capital. Much more people live in this metropolis than in a number of European countries, for example, than in Finland and Norway combined. And approximately the same number of inhabitants are located in the Czech Republic and Belgium. And this is only according to official data.

More than 15 million people live in Moscow. Such a number, by the way, is typical for such a not so small country as Kazakhstan. According to experts, at the same time, only about 10 million people have a residence permit in the capital, another million live with temporary registration. The rest are registered foreigners, visitors (migrant workers, guest workers, students) and illegal immigrants. The influx of people to Moscow is constantly observed, mainly residents of other regions come to the capital - Russians, and residents of other countries, come here in search of work. It is worth noting that still more than 90 percent of the population of Moscow are Russians.

St. Petersburg

The population is over 5 million people.
Three times fewer people fit in the Northern capital than in the capital. The cultural center of the country is inhabited by approximately 5 million people. The five millionth resident of St. Petersburg was born in September 2012. In addition, Peter is the fourth largest city in Europe. By the way, there are more Russians in the northern capital than in Moscow.

The number of people living in other cities of Russia, which can be called large, ranges from 1-1.5 million people.

Novosibirsk

The population is more than 1.5 million people.
The city is quite young. It appeared just over a hundred years ago. The number of people living in the largest city of Siberia has already exceeded 1.5 million people. By the way, Novosibirsk is one of the few world record holders for turning a small town into a millionaire city. And in the 21st century, it became the first city in Russia (of course, after the two historical capitals), in which the population exceeded one and a half million. Despite the remoteness from the capital, the city of Novonikolaevsk, as Novosibirsk used to be called, is home to more than 80 representatives of different types of nationality. These are, including Germans, Tatars, Kazakhs, Finns, Koreans and Poles.

Yekaterinburg

The population is about 1.4 million people.
Yekaterinburg has every chance to remove its predecessor from the pedestal. In the capital of the Urals, according to data for 2012, almost 1.4 million people live. The first five largest cities in Russia are closed by Nizhny Novgorod with a population of about 1.3 million people.

It is worth noting that Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Rostov-on-Don, Ufa, Volgograd, Samara and Kazan were among the million-plus cities. More recently, Perm was in the ranking, however, the city has lost the honorary title of a millionaire. Its place was empty for a relatively short time, Krasnoyarsk became a city with a million inhabitants.

The largest cities in Russia by area

Sochi

The area is 3605 square kilometers.
Sochi is still a record holder among cities in another "nomination". It is the longest city in Russia. The capital of the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 FIFA World Cup matches stretches along the Black Sea coast for 145 kilometers, and the lion's share of the distance, namely 118 kilometers, is the beach strip. The resort capital is divided into Central, Khostinsky, Lazarevsky and Adler regions.

Several cities at once claim to bear the honorary title of the third capital of Russia. It is not clear, to be honest, what exactly is honorable or beneficial in this, because the city automatically recognizes the superiority of Moscow and St. Petersburg in all areas. Yes, the reality is exactly that, but our cities could not reach for the two capitals, but immediately adopt, say, the European experience.

Maybe for foreign tourists coming to Russia, there is some charm in this label, and it's all about their wallets? We do not have any special deductions from the federal budget for this title... Be that as it may, some time ago there was a serious struggle for the status of the third capital, and disputes do not subside to this day.

Now the brand "Third Capital" belongs to Kazan. The city wrested it from Nizhny Novgorod and other less successful competitors. But times are changing. In recent years, there have often been proposals to move the capital of Russia somewhere in the Urals or Siberia, so that soon the struggle for the right to carry the banner of the third capital may again become relevant.

And what do you think about this? Let's vote, because we have so many cool applicants!

Kazan

Everything is clear with Kazan. The capital of Tatarstan, an ancient but modern city, which Putin himself called the third capital! True, sometimes there is such a thing ...

Novosibirsk

The third largest city in Russia, the capital of Siberia (although Krasnoyarsk would argue here), which in 100 years has turned from a provincial provincial town into a metropolis. True, in 1993 Rutskoi and Khasbulatov wanted to set up their temporary capital here, but the people of Novosibirsk are not to blame for this!

Yekaterinburg

The capital of the Urals with a rich history, a constant contender for the title of the third capital, the city in which the first president of Russia matured!

Nizhny Novgorod

The capital of the Volga region... True, this is the only million-plus city in Russia that is losing its population, but Nizhny Novgorod will still never recognize the superiority of Kazan!

Velikiy Novgorod

One of the oldest cities in Russia, once a rich center of international trade, which remained independent even during the Horde occupation of Russia, has now turned into a backwater (although it is the capital of the region). The status of the third capital of Veliky Novgorod was proposed by Nikita Mikhalkov himself.

Samara

Samara during the years of great upheaval was already (in fact) the temporary capital of Russia and the USSR. Another city, the inhabitants of which could not help but be dismayed by the fact that Kazan outran them.

Omsk

Ah, Omsk! Kolchak used to sit here, and now Dvorakovsky was barely kicked out... But maybe the status of the third capital will help this beautiful Siberian city to revive?

Sevastopol

The city-skrepa, which, after the annexation of the Crimea to Russia, received a unique status: along with Moscow and St. Petersburg, Sevastopol, in terms of legislation, is an independent region - a city of federal significance.

Grozny

Another city that the center willingly spends money on. A city that has risen from the ashes of the Chechen wars and has gained significant political importance, each time guaranteeing the incumbent president and the ruling party an excellent election result.

Great, but we need another option for fans of the Soviet Union!

Maybe Ruzaevka in Mordovia?

Or Naberezhnye Chelny in Tatarstan? But then the whole Kazan will be bombed ...

Let it be better Volgograd! Moreover, I have not been there yet and can not judge biased. And especially for fans of the USSR, we will also rename it to Stalingrad, it’s not a pity!

So, let's practice choosing!

UPD: There will still be a second round. Kazanians, with the active support of the Tatarstan media, tried very hard and forced, but still did not have time until midnight, and the voting results turned into a pumpkin!

At 0:05 Moscow time it was like this:

As you may have guessed, Kazan and Yekaterinburg are going to the final! I hope that Yekaterinburg residents will also wake up by the second round, and an exciting fight will await us.

Which city is worthy of the title of the third capital of Russia?

Velikiy Novgorod

83 (2.5 % )

Volgograd

79 (2.4 % )

70 (2.1 % )

Yekaterinburg

687 (20.6 % )

1576 (47.3 % )

The largest settlements of the Russian Federation are traditionally chosen according to two criteria: the occupied territory and the population. The area is determined by the master plan of the city. Population - by the All-Russian population census, or Rosstat data, taking into account births and deaths, if they are relevant.

The largest cities in Russia by population

There are 15 largest cities in Russia with a population of more than 1 million people. According to this indicator, Russia ranks third in the world. And their number continues to grow. More recently, Krasnoyarsk and Voronezh have been included in this category. We present you the top ten most densely populated Russian cities.

Population: 1,125 thousand people.

Rostov-on-Don became a million-plus city relatively recently - only thirty years ago. It is the only one among the ten largest cities in Russia that does not have its own subway. Its construction in 2018 will only be discussed. While the administration of Rostov is busy preparing for the upcoming World Cup.

Population: 1,170 thousand people.

In the penultimate place in the list of the largest cities in Russia in terms of population is the administrative center of the Volga region - Samara. True, starting from 1985, the population preferred to leave Samara as soon as possible, until the situation improved by 2005. And now the city even has a small migration increase.

Population: 1,178 thousand people.

The situation with migration in Omsk is not brilliant - many educated Omsk residents prefer to move to Moscow, St. Petersburg and neighboring Novosibirsk and Tyumen. However, since 2010, the population in the city has been steadily growing, mostly due to the redistribution of the population in the region.

Population: 1,199 thousand people.

Unfortunately, Chelyabinsk is experiencing problems with amenities: residents complain about the abundance of dirt, giant puddles in spring and summer, when, due to non-functioning storm sewers, entire microdistricts turn into something like Venice. It is not surprising that about 70% of Chelyabinsk residents are thinking about changing their place of residence.

Population: 1,232 thousand people.

The capital of the Republic of Tatarstan rightfully bears the title of one of the most comfortable cities in Russia. This is probably one of the reasons why the city has experienced a steady population growth since the mid-90s. And since 2009, Kazan has become a plus not only due to migration, but also in terms of natural growth.

Population: 1,262 thousand people.

The ancient and very beautiful city is going through hard times in terms of the number of residents. The peak was in 1991, when its population exceeded 1,445 thousand people, and since then it has only been falling. A slight increase was observed only in 2012-2015, when the population increased by about 10 thousand people.

Population: 1,456 thousand people.

"The Capital of the Urals" became a million-plus city exactly 50 years ago, in 1967. Since then, having experienced a population decline in the "hungry 90s", the city's population has been growing slowly but steadily. It is rising, as in all large cities of Russia, mainly due to migrants. But not the ones you think about - the replenishment of the population mainly (more than 50%) comes from the Sverdlovsk region.

Population: 1,602 thousand people.

The third place in the list of the largest cities in Russia is occupied by the center of the Novosibirsk region. In addition to the status of "millionaire", the city can also boast of entering the top 50 cities in the world with the longest traffic jams. True, Novosibirsk is hardly happy with such a record.

However, unlike traffic jams, things are more or less successful with the demographic situation in the city. Novosibirsk is implementing a number of regional and state programs aimed at increasing the birth rate and reducing mortality. For example, at the birth of a third or subsequent child, a family is awarded a regional certificate for 100,000 rubles.

According to the city authorities, if the current dynamics of population growth continues, then by 2025 the number of residents of the Novosibirsk region will increase to 2.9 million people.

Population: 5,282 thousand people.

The cultural capital of Russia, where polite intellectuals bow to each other, raising their berets, and where such beasts as “bun” and “curb” live, demonstrates a steady increase in both area and population.

True, it was not always so; starting from the end of the USSR, the population preferred to leave St. Petersburg. And only since 2012, positive dynamics began to be observed. In the same year, the five millionth inhabitant was born in the city (for the second time in its history).

1. Moscow

Population: 12,381 thousand people.

It is unlikely that the answer to the question: "What is the largest city in Russia?" came as a surprise to some. Moscow is the largest city in Europe in terms of population, but is not included in the first.

More than 12 million people live here, and if we add to this the population of the Moscow region, which regularly travels to Moscow for work and shopping, the figure is more than impressive - 16 million. Due to the current economic situation in the country, the population as a modern Babylon and the territories adjacent to it will only increase. According to experts' forecasts, by 2030 this number may reach 13.6 million people.

Muscovites are traditionally not happy with "come in large numbers", and "come in large numbers" shrug their shoulders: "I want to live, and I even want to live well."

The largest cities in Russia by area

It would seem that the list of the largest cities in Russia in terms of area should coincide with the list of the most populated cities, but this is not so. In addition to the simple population, the area of ​​the city is influenced by many factors - from the historical way of increasing the territory up to the number of industrial enterprises in the city. Therefore, some positions in the ranking can surprise the reader.

Area: 541.4 km²

Opens the top 10 largest cities in Russia Samara. It stretches along the western bank of the Volga River for more than 50 km with a width of 20 km.

Area: 566.9 km²

The population of Omsk exceeded one million people back in 1979, the territory near the city is large and, according to the Soviet tradition, the city had to acquire a metro. However, the nineties broke out, and construction has been going on neither shaky nor rolls since then, but in general nothing at all. There is not even enough money for conservation.

Area: 596.51 km²

Voronezh became a million-plus city quite recently - in 2013. Some areas in it are almost exclusively a private sector - houses, from comfortable cottages to village ones, garages, vegetable gardens.

Area: 614.16 km²

Thanks to the historically established radial-ring building Kazan is a fairly compact city with a convenient layout. Despite its size, the capital of Tatarstan is the only one millionaire in Russia that fully recycles its waste and has managed to maintain a more or less favorable environmental situation.

Area: 621 km²

The only regional city that is not an administrative center and a millionaire, Orsk seems to have been included in this rating by mistake. Its population is only 230 thousand people, which occupy an area of ​​621 km2, with a very low density (only 370 people per km2). The reason for such a vast territory with a small number of inhabitants is a large number of industrial enterprises within the city.

Area: 707.93 km²

Residents of Ufa live spaciously - each has 698 m2 of the total area of ​​the city. At the same time, Ufa has the lowest density of the street network among Russian megacities, which often manifests itself in huge multi-kilometer traffic jams.

Area: 799.68 km²

Perm became a millionaire in 1979, then in the nineties, due to a general decline in the population, it lost this status for more than 20 years. Only in 2012 was it possible to return it. Permians live freely (population density is not too high, 1310 people per km2) and green - the total area of ​​green spaces is more than a third of the citywide.

Area: 859.4 km²

Although Volgograd became a million-plus city relatively recently - in 1991, however, in terms of the size of the territory, it has long been one of the top three. The reason is the historically developed uneven urban development, where apartment buildings, village houses with plots and empty steppe spaces alternate with each other.

Area: 1439 km²

Unlike the compact radial-beam "old" Moscow, St. Petersburg is freely spread out at the mouth of the Neva. The length of the city is more than 90 km. One of the features of the city is the abundance of water spaces, occupying 7% of the entire territory.

1. Moscow

Area: 2561.5 km²

And unconditional first place among the largest cities in Russia is given to Moscow. Its area is 1.5 times larger than the area of ​​the second place in the rating, St. Petersburg. True, until 2012 the territory of Moscow was not so impressive - only 1100 km2. So it has grown significantly due to the annexation of the southwestern territories, the total area of ​​​​which reaches 1480 km2.

Hello, dear readers of the site "I and the World"! We are glad to welcome you again! What do you think is the largest city in the world and what is its name? In our new article, we want to talk about cities and present the top 10 largest in the world in terms of area and population.

10th place - New York - 1214.4 sq. km

America starts the list. If you look at the population for 2017, then the city is small - 8,405,837 people. Quite young, about 400 years old.

In what is now New York there were Indian tribes. Arrows, dishes and other Indian attributes are found here. Throughout the 19th century, emigrants from different countries came here, due to which it grew. It includes several islands, the largest of them is Manhattan. People of almost all religions live in it, but Christians predominate.

We give 9th place to Mexico City - 1485 sq. km

The population of the capital of Mexico is 9,100,000 people. Mexico City was founded by the Aztecs in 1325. According to legend, the God of the Sun commanded them to come to this place.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Mexico City was the most beautiful in the Western Hemisphere until it was destroyed during the reign of Cortes, but soon rebuilt again. It is located at an altitude of more than 2000 km above sea level and is surrounded by mountains.

London is in 8th place - 1572 sq. km

London is the capital of Great Britain and the largest city in the country. It was founded in 43 AD. e. There are now 8,600,000 people living in London.

The terrible plague of the 17th century claimed about 70,000 lives. This is a place of remarkable historical and architectural monuments: the Tower, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral and others.

We put Tokyo in 7th place - 2188.6 sq. km

But the population is quite large - 13,742,906 people. Tokyo is one of the modern cities and the capital of Japan. Even after living here for a month, you will not see all the sights.

The main part is solid concrete and wires. Tokyo has been inhabited by human tribes since the Stone Age. For several years from 1703 to 2011, Tokyo suffered many earthquakes, and as a result of one of them, 142,000 people died at once.

On the 6th place - Moscow - 2561.5 sq. km

Moscow is the capital of the Russian Federation, located between the Oka and Volga rivers. 12,500,123 people live here. In terms of length, Moscow is quite long - 112 km. It is an important tourist center of Russia.

The age of the city is still not exactly known, but there are facts that the first settlements appeared on this territory around 8 thousand years BC. e.

Middle of the top - Sydney - 12144 sq. km

The development and history of Australia began from a small settlement. The navigator Cook landed here 200 years ago. Sydney is the largest metropolis and the capital of the state of New South Wales.

4,500,000 people live in the capital. The city is spread in one of the most beautiful bays in the world, where business skyscrapers coexist with cozy beaches, which are always full of tourists.

On the 4th place - Beijing - 16808 sq. km

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China. Huge and bustling, it has a population of 21,500,000 inhabitants.

In the 13th century, it was almost completely burned by Genghis Khan, but rebuilt 43 years later in a different place. Here is a famous architectural monument - the Forbidden City - the residence of the rulers.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was occupied by the Japanese. After Russia's victory in World War II and the fall of Japan, the capital became free again.

We give 3rd place to Hangzhou - 16847 sq. km

The city has 8,750,000 inhabitants. The metropolis is famous for its tea plantations and the beauty of nature.

Previously, it was the capital of China, and now a major religious center. In the 19th century, as a result of an uprising, it was partially destroyed and restored in the 50s, where industry began to flourish.

The weaving of folk products, the collection of tea leaves and the production of bamboo products are still manual.

In second place - Chongqing - 82300 square meters. km

Chongqing is the largest city in the world in terms of population - about 32 million people live here. The largest population density is 600 people per sq. km. km.

The metropolis arose 3,000 years ago and at that time was the capital of the kingdom of Ba. Now it is a huge industrial center. There is a large base for the production of cars - 5 factories and 400 - for the production of parts for cars. Real estate construction here is proceeding at such a rapid pace that 10 years of construction for Moscow is 1 year for Chongqing. Old buildings are being demolished very actively, in place of which skyscrapers appear. It is more business than architectural. And the main attraction is the flyovers that entangled the whole city.

We give 1st place to the unusual city of Ordos - 86752 sq. km

Ordos is a ghost town. Where is the strange metropolis, the largest in terms of territory, but empty? In China, they began to build it 20 years ago for people involved in the extraction and sale of coal.

A large city was built with museums, theaters, a stadium. There is everything for the life of a city dweller. But almost no one wanted to move here. Over the past few years, people have increased to 300,000. In a huge settlement, there are so few inhabitants that even in broad daylight, the streets are completely empty.

Beautiful, abandoned houses, museums, cinemas. There are even unfinished buildings - there is no one to build for anyone. Everywhere is clean and tidy. And silence! A metropolis inhabited by "ghosts". There are several in China.

Also, there are cities beyond the Arctic Circle and living there is quite cold. The largest "cold" city is located in Russia - this is Murmansk - 154.4 square meters. km. It is quite small in size and has a population of 298,096 people.

We have shown you a rating of major cities in the world in the photo and with a description. Ten different megacities, with different numbers of inhabitants, with different lengths and architecture. 2018 will be a new year for everyone and everything, and our ranking may change. In the meantime, if you liked the information, share it with your friends.