The largest cities in Russia by population. The largest and largest cities in Russia by population, area. List of Russian cities by population

or the largest cities in the world by area they occupy in square kilometers

What is a city?

The encyclopedic dictionary gives the following interpretation: « City- a settlement whose residents are usually employed outside of agriculture. The classification of a settlement as a “city” is formalized by law; At the same time, the criterion for the city's population varies - from 200 people in Iceland before 30 thousand people in Japan......In Russia, a city must have at least 12 thousand inhabitants and at least 85% of the population employed outside agriculture".

Moreover, from the general rules there are always exceptions, in particular in Russia until now smallest in population and wherein with city status is a new city Innopolis, with a population at the time of receiving city status in 2012 of only 10 people, and as of January 1, 2016 with a population of 96 people.

What territory is included in the concept of “largest city”?

The main sources of data on the size of urban areas are statistical authorities, and for statistical purposes, each city is primarily an administrative unit (municipal entity).

In other words - territory controlled by the city administration and is called a city or urban district.

This is where situations arise when in 1st place among largest cities in the world by territory is a Chinese city Chongqing, in which most of the territory is agricultural land, around the former city border. In this case, the expansion of the administrative boundaries of the city is associated with the desire of the administration to urbanize rural areas, increasing population density.

Therefore, in the list of the largest cities in terms of the area occupied by the territory one can find very small cities with a population of 20,000 - 30,000 people, and at the same time the territory occupied by them is comparable to multimillion-dollar cities- the only difference is that in cities with a population of millions there is a high population density over the entire or most of the city’s territory, and in cities with a small population, this is usually the area around the main building with a low population density.

What is included in the city territory. Examples.

The largest cities in the world by area in square kilometers may include within their administrative boundaries, in addition to land territory, Also water area. This is most typical for cities on the water, in particular in the American New York, where the area of ​​water is more than 35% of the total area of ​​the city.

Also a frequent option for large cities, but with a small population, are cities with one main source of income (mining coal, ore and other minerals), when a relatively large mining area, where few people live, is included in administrative boundaries of the city.

A similar example is mountain ranges, territories of nature reserves, natural parks adjacent to the territory of the city, as well as cities in which residents live mainly in private houses and, accordingly, have a low population density, typical for cities Australia.

Russia is a country with a fairly high level of urbanization. Today there are 15 million-plus cities in our country. Which Russian cities are currently leading in terms of population? You will find the answer to this question in this fascinating article.

Urbanization and Russia

Is urbanization an achievement or a scourge of our time? It's difficult to answer this question. After all, this process is characterized by enormous inconsistency, provoking both positive and negative consequences.

This concept in a broad sense understands the growing role of the city in human life. This process, having burst into our lives in the twentieth century, fundamentally changed not only the reality around us, but also the person himself.

In mathematical terms, urbanization is an indicator that marks the proportion of the urban population of a country or region. Countries in which this indicator exceeds 65% are considered highly urbanized. In the Russian Federation, about 73% of the population lives in cities. A list of cities in Russia can be found below.

It should be noted that the processes of urbanization in Russia took place (and are taking place) in two aspects:

1. The emergence of new cities that covered new areas of the country.
2. Expansion of existing cities and the formation of large agglomerations.

History of Russian cities

In 1897, within modern Russia, the All-Russian Council counted 430 cities. Most of them were small towns; at that time there were only seven large ones. And all of them were located up to the line of the Ural Mountains. But in Irkutsk - the current center of Siberia - there were barely 50 thousand inhabitants.

A century later, the situation with cities in Russia has changed dramatically. It is quite possible that the main reason for this was the completely reasonable regional policy pursued by the Soviet authorities in the twentieth century. One way or another, by 1997 the number of cities in the country had increased to 1087, and the share of the urban population had grown to 73 percent. At the same time, the number of cities increased twenty-three times! And today almost 50% of the total population of Russia lives in them.

Thus, only a hundred years have passed, and Russia has transformed from a country of villages into a state of big cities.

Russia is a country of megacities

The largest cities in Russia in terms of population are distributed quite unevenly across its territory. Most of them are located in the most populated part of the country. Moreover, in Russia there is a steady trend towards the formation of agglomerations. It is they who form the framework network (socio-economic and cultural) on which the entire settlement system, as well as the country’s economy, is strung.

850 cities (out of 1087) are located within European Russia and the Urals. In terms of area, this is only 25% of the state's territory. But in the vast Siberian and Far Eastern expanses there are only 250 cities. This nuance extremely complicates the process of development of the Asian part of Russia: the shortage of large megacities is felt especially acutely here. After all, there are colossal mineral deposits here. However, there is simply no one to develop them.

The Russian North also cannot boast of a dense network of large cities. This region is also characterized by focal population distribution. The same can be said about the south of the country, where only lonely and brave daredevil cities “survive” in the mountainous and foothill regions.

So can Russia be called a country of big cities? Of course. Nevertheless, in this country, with its vast expanses and colossal natural resources, there is still a shortage of large cities.

The largest cities in Russia by population: TOP-5

As mentioned above, in Russia as of 2015 there are 15 million-plus cities. As is known, this title is given to a locality whose population exceeds one million.

So, we list the largest cities in Russia by population:

1. Moscow (from 12 to 14 million inhabitants according to various sources).
2. St. Petersburg (5.13 million people).
3. Novosibirsk (1.54 million people).
4. Yekaterinburg (1.45 million people).
5. Nizhny Novgorod (1.27 million people).

If you carefully analyze the population (namely, its upper part), you will notice one interesting feature. We are talking about a fairly large gap in the number of residents between the first, second and third lines of this rating.

Thus, over twelve million people live in the capital, and about five million in St. Petersburg. But the third largest city in Russia - Novosibirsk - is inhabited by only one and a half million inhabitants.

Moscow is the largest metropolis on the planet

The capital of the Russian Federation is one of the largest megacities in the world. It is very difficult to say how many residents live in Moscow. Official sources talk about twelve million people, unofficial sources give other figures: from thirteen to fifteen million. Experts, in turn, predict that in the coming decades the population of Moscow may even increase to twenty million people.

Moscow is included in the list of 25 so-called “global” cities (according to Foreign Policy magazine). These are the cities that make the most significant contribution to the development of world civilization.

Moscow is not only a significant industrial, political, scientific, educational and financial center of Europe, but also a tourist center. Four sites of the Russian capital are included in the UNESCO heritage list.

Finally...

In total, approximately 25% of the country’s population lives in 15 million-plus cities in Russia. And all these cities continue to attract more and more people.

The largest cities in Russia by population are, of course, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. All of them have significant industrial, cultural, as well as scientific and educational potential.

Russia is large and multifaceted. The largest cities in Russia have always been its hearts, just as the village has been its soul. Even medieval travelers called Rus' “Gardarika” - “land of cities”.

The country, like the whole world, did not escape the process of urbanization, during which megacities appeared. Below is a list of the largest cities in Russia by population today.

The capital of the Russian Federation, Moscow, which is typical for most countries, simultaneously heads the top 10 largest cities in Russia. Officially, the city's population is slightly higher than 12 million people, but experts believe that in practice this number is much higher.

With the exception of the period 1712-1918. Moscow has always been the capital of states located on the territory of present-day Russia. Over the years of its development, Moscow has turned into a metropolis. Even after many surrounding areas became part of Moscow, the capital is the most populous city in Russia. One Moscow district in terms of population exceeds any city in the Moscow region.

The capital is a center of historical monuments, the main one of which is the Kremlin. This is the sacred center of Russia, which has seen key moments in the country’s history.

The walls of the Novodevichy Convent will not be inferior to the ancient Kremlin. Moscow museums themselves deserve a visit to the city. The life and work of the greatest Russian cultural masters are connected with Moscow, and this also enhances the historical flavor of the city.

If all Russian million-plus cities want to be called some kind of capital, then St. Petersburg is recognized as the cultural capital almost officially. However, the city, located in the north-west of the country, was also the political capital of Russia, taking the palm away from Moscow for two centuries.

The founding date of St. Petersburg was 1703, when Peter the Great founded the Peter and Paul Fortress. St. Petersburg was built for many years according to a rather primitive, but existing plan, so it still amazes with the severity of its lines, despite the difficult terrain.

The concentration of historical and architectural monuments, among which the Winter Palace and the Hermitage located in it, St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Peter and Paul Fortress stand out, has no analogues in the world.

The world's northernmost million-plus city (population 5.2 million) also attracts tourists with museums, theaters and surrounding palace complexes.

St. Petersburg is not a frozen monument. The authorities of the North-Western District of the Russian Federation are located here, heavy and light industry factories and more than a hundred universities operate there.

The former Novo-Nikolaevsk is the youngest Russian city with a population of more than a million. It was founded in 1893, and received city status ten years later. The metropolis on the Ob River owes its existence and rapid development to the Great Siberian Route.

Due to its short history, the country’s third most populous (2016) settlement cannot boast of an abundance of architectural and antique monuments. It is famous primarily as a transport, industrial and scientific center. Founded in 1957, Academy Town has become a scientific center of world significance.

There is a metro in the city, and the unique metro bridge across the Ob River is the longest in the world.

Novosibirsk is also famous for its opera and ballet theater, for which the largest building in Russia was built, and the zoo, where you can see species not preserved in nature.

The capital of the Urals stands out among cities with a population of one million for its compactness - only 15 km wide and 20 km long. Yekaterinburg was founded in 1723. Half a century later it became the most important point of communication between the European and Asian parts of Russia.

However, the Ural city of one and a half million people does not live by transport alone. After the revolution, Sverdlovsk became a powerful industrial base. Local factories produce a huge range of industrial products.

There are about 600 architectural monuments in Yekaterinburg, most of them are located in the Historical Center. Museums commemorate such historical milestones as the death of Russian Emperor Nicholas II and the beginning of the political career of the first Russian President B. Yeltsin.

Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan

Located at the confluence of the Oka and Volga, the city with a population of 1.27 million people, Nizhny Novgorod was founded back in 1221. From the walls of his Kremlin during the Great Troubles, the militia of Minin and Pozharsky left for Moscow.

After military affairs, Nizhny Novgorod residents moved on to partly peaceful affairs. Before the revolution, the local fair thundered throughout Europe, and the military factories built under the USSR made a great contribution to the Great Victory.

Now the famous GAZ, an aircraft plant, a shipbuilding plant and large enterprises in other industries operate in Nizhny Novgorod. Modern technologies are developing in the spirit of the times - the city has branches of the largest IT companies.

In addition to the Kremlin, historical attractions include the Art Museum, the A. M. Gorky House Museum and the A. Pushkin Museum. There are three academic theaters. An interesting attraction is the Chkalov Stairs. The descent, named after the pilot, is the longest in Russia and bypasses the Odessa Potemkin Stairs in terms of height difference.

Kazan divides its history almost in half into Tatar and imperial parts. Even before the conquest by Ivan the Terrible, Kazan was the capital, which is very uncharacteristic for Russian megacities. Accordingly, the appearance of Kazan combines the features of two cultures. The main attractions of Kazan, in addition to the Kremlin, are mosques and Christian churches.

Kazan is developing very dynamically. In recent years, many interesting architectural and sports structures have been built. These are the Millennium Bridge, the Pyramid entertainment complex, the Rubin stadium and a number of facilities built for the Universiade.

Chelyabinsk, Omsk

The eighth most populous Russian metropolis is located in the Urals, on the Miass River. Chelyabinsk has gone through approximately the same development path as Yekaterinburg: from a transport hub to a commercial and industrial center. Already by the end of the 19th century. it received the name “Gateway to Siberia”, becoming a powerful crossroads of trade routes.

The 20th century, despite the negative vicissitudes, continued the vector of development of the city. Not only new enterprises appeared here, but also scientific and cultural institutions. However, today's Chelyabinsk does not inspire reverence among tourists. The city looks unkempt and dirty, even in the very center. Even local authorities acknowledge problems with landscaping.

Omsk is located at the confluence of the Ob and Irtysh in the place where the Trans-Siberian Railway crosses the Irtysh. This advantageous location attracted the attention of Russian explorers, but only in 1716 was a full-fledged settlement organized here.

However, the second of the largest cities in Siberia has not received such rapid development as other advantageously located settlements. It rather remained a military settlement interspersed with civilian enterprises. Industry began to appear only during the years of Soviet power, and it later became the scourge of Omsk.

The largest oil refinery in Europe is located here, which does not add to the purity of the atmosphere, and a number of other polluting enterprises.

Nevertheless, Omsk residents also find good features in their city. They see the sun more than 300 days a year, which is comparable to Cyprus and Spain. There are as many as 10 bridges across the Irtysh in the city. The main architectural monument, the Assumption Cathedral, is very beautiful in the evening illumination.

Samara - a pearl on the Volga

At the confluence of the Samara and the Volga there is a large industrial center with a population of just over a million people. The city, founded at the end of the 16th century, is the seventh largest city in Russia by population. At first it was a district, then a provincial center.

Before the revolution, Samara developed as a place of trade and a transport hub, and under Soviet rule it became a powerful industrial center. The city (then Kuibyshev) acquired such importance that in 1941 it became the reserve capital of the USSR. Modern Samara has overcome the decline of the end of the last century. The military-industrial complex and aerospace industry enterprises are gradually being revived.

The description of the sights of Samara is replete with the definition of “the most”. Samara Station is the highest in Europe. The embankment is the longest, and Kuibyshev Square is the largest.

Architectural researchers distinguish 5 stages of development in the city, from the ancient city to the “Cosmic Kuibyshev”. Among the monuments, the memorial complex of the Soyuz rocket stands out. On this carrier, assembled in Samara, Yuri Gagarin went into space.

Rostov-on-Don closes the list of the most populated cities in Russia. The decree establishing a customs house on the current site of Rostov was signed on December 15, 1749. The port, protected by a fortress, quickly gained trade momentum. Numerous settlers came here, whose descendants still give Rostov a unique flavor.

Modern Rostov is very beautiful. In addition to the architectural monuments, of which there are almost 500, the largest zoo in Europe, many beautiful parks and fountains have been created. Embankment named after Ushakova is considered a separate attraction. The Rostov Cathedral, the building of the City Duma and the house of A. Solzhenitsyn are considered architectural monuments.

Above are the largest cities in Russia by population. There is, however, an important caveat. The number of residents is only one of the criteria for assessing the size of a city.

The largest city in the Moscow region in terms of population, Balashikha, is three times smaller in area than Khimki.

Likewise, to the general question, what is the largest city in Russia, anyone will confidently answer - Moscow. However, if you ask the average person to name the largest cities in Russia by area, then the top three, besides the usual Moscow and St. Petersburg, is unlikely to include Volgograd, which does not even fall into the top ten largest cities in Russia by population.