In the Russian Federation, a city of federal importance[1][2] (Russian: город федерального значения, romanized: gorod federalnogo znacheniya), also known as a federal city, is a city that has a status of both an inhabited locality and a constituent federal subject. Russia claims three federal cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sevastopol,[3] which was annexed in 2014 and remains internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.[4]
Moscow and Saint Petersburg are the largest cities in the country: Moscow is the national capital and Saint Petersburg is a former Russian capital and an important port city by the Baltic Sea.[5] Currently, Sevastopol houses the Sevastopol Naval Base, the main port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Map # | Code | ISO code | Name | Flag | Coat of arms | Federal district | Economic region | Area (km2)[6] | Population (2017 est.)[7] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 77 | RU-MOW | Moscow | ![]() |
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Central | Central | 2,561.5 | 12,506,468 |
2 | 78 | RU-SPE | Saint Petersburg | ![]() |
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Northwestern | Northwestern | 1,439 | 5,351,935 |
3 | 92 | UA-40 | Sevastopol[a] | ![]() |
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Southern | North Caucasus | 864[8] | 436,670[8] |