The Eurovision Song Contest 2009

Moscow ( or /?m?sk??/ in English, , romanised: Moskva, Category: help - :IPA|IPA: ; see also Category: names of European cities in different languages - : M-P#M|other names) is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe,Thomas Brinkoff, Principal Agglomerations of the World, accessed on 2009-03-12. Data for 2009-01-01. and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a global city. It is also the seventh largest city proper in the world, a megacity. The population of Moscow (as of 1 June 2009) is 10,524,400.

It is located on the Moscow River in the Central Federal District, in the European part of Russia. Moscow sits on the junction of three geological platforms. Historically, it was the capital of the former Soviet Union, Tsardom of Russia and the Grand Duchy of Moscow. It is the site of the Moscow Kremlin, one of the World Heritage Sites in the city, which serves as the residence of the President of Russia. The Russian parliament (the State Duma and the Federation Council) and the Government of Russia also sit in Moscow.

Moscow is a major economic centre and is home to one of the largest numbers of billionaires in the world; in 2008 Moscow was named the world's most expensive city for foreign employees for the third year in a row.[http://www.mercer.com/summary.htm?idContent=1095320&originUrl=/home.jhtml Mercer's 2008 Cost of Living survey highlights] However, in 2009, Moscow moved to third after Tokyo and Osaka came in first and second, respectively.http://www.mercer.com/costoflivingpr#Top_50

It is home to many scientific and educational institutions, as well as numerous sport facilities. It possesses a complex transport system, that includes 3 international airports, 9 railroad terminals, and the world's second busiest (after Tokyo) metro system which is famous for its architecture and artwork. Its metro is the busiest single-operator subway in the world.

Over time, the city has earned a variety of nicknames, most referring to its pre-eminent status in the nation: The Third Rome (?????? ???), Whitestone (????????????), The First Throne (????????????????), The Forty Forties (????? ???????.)In old Russian the word "?????" (Forty) also meant a church administrative district, which consisted of about forty churches.

A person from Moscow is called a Muscovite in English, Moskvich in Russian.

Olympic Stadium, known locally as the Olimpiyskiy, is a large indoor arena located in Moscow, Russia. It was built for the 1980 Summer Olympics and hosted the basketball and boxing events. A part of the Olimpiyskiy Sports Complex, it makes up one architectural ensemble with another venue, constructed at the same time, the Swimming Pool. The venue is so large that up to 80,000 people can occupy its space. It has hosted the Davis Cup finals and Bandy World Championshipshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwttEMCM-Y8 on several occasions, and is the home of the Kremlin Cup tournament. The Bandy World Championships will be held in Moscow again in 2010.http://www.internationalbandy.com/viewNews.do?NewsID=0030 It was the world's 1st indoor bandy arena. When smaller indoor sports are held at the venue, such as tennis or basketball, only 1/4th of the floor space is used. Capacity at this configuration can vary between 10,000 and 16,000 people.

The arena hosted the 1999 FIBA EuroStars gameSEE YOU AT "OLYMPIJSKY" and the 2005 Euroleague Final FourFinal Four venue: Olympiysky Arena. The stadium can hold up to 16,000 people for televised events. Eurovision Song Contest Serbia 2008 | News - Svante Stockselius met 2009 organisers in Moscow