Moscow region. West

Moscow region is a part of the Central federal district. It has got its name from the city of Moscow which, however, isn't a member of the region.

The region was formed in 1929 from the Moscow governorate. The government authorities are situated in Moscow and Krasnogorsk.

The Moscow region ranks first in population density among regions of Russia. With a total number of population in 7 092.9 thousand persons (2010), the part of urban population makes 80.1%. Moscow region counts 135 cities; the largest of them are Balashikha (215.3 thousand citizens), Khimki (186.2 thousand citizens) and Podolsk (182.4 thousand citizens). The smallest city of the region is Vereya located in Naro-Fominsk district.

Moscow region is a large industrial center of the country. Such branches of industry as light, food and chemical industry, as well as mechanical engineering and metal working are strongly developed here. The traffic network having a radial-ring structure is also well developed; the highways have 10 radial directions. The largest in Russia railway junction is located in Moscow region. The water transport is also used extensively. Besides that, four international airports, the Sheremetyevo-1, the Sheremetyevo-2, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, are located in Moscow region.