Moscow's Unique Geography

 Syneclise and Cambrian Rock

Moscow, Russia is located on the East European Platform, a very stable land form made of Cambrain crystalline Continental basement rock made over 540 million years ago. The city itself is located on top of Syneclise, a 400 million-year old ancient bedrock depression containing limestone, silt, clay and sand.  more info Moscow is not only one of the top ten most populated cities (8.6 million), but it also has some unique geographical features. One geographic feature is its' famous and renowned river, The Moskva River. 

 Moskva River

 With 49 bridges stretched out across the river, there are also road systems placed in rings around Kremlin, the heart of Moscow. Because the Moskva River is the main river in the city, It is used as a main waterway for transportation and hydroelectricity. It stretches 80km (About 50 miles) from the North-West to the South-East territory of Moscow. That's a freaking long river to be in a highly populated city!

Smolensko-Moskovsky Hills

Another geographical feature is Moscow's Smolensko-Moskovsky Hills.
At 55 degrees N with a relatively cold climate the area has a history of glacial activity.  Glaciers are responsible for the higher landscape of the northwestern part of the city.  This landscape is part of a larger feature that extends 400 miles, a ridge that represents the edge of one of the region's past glaciers. In the southern part of the city there is the Moskvoretsko-Oksky Plain.  This hilly area was created by erosion from streams and rivers. Much of rock and surface landmass of the Moscow area is related to ancient glaciers, including sediments and erosion from both glacier melt and glacier movement.