The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through

western Russia European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...

. It rises about west of

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

and flows roughly east through the

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest ...

and Moscow Oblasts, passing through central Moscow. About southeast of Moscow, at the city of

Kolomna Kolomna ( rus, Колóмна, p=kɐˈlomnə) is a historical city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated at the confluence of the Moskva and Oka Rivers, (by rail) southeast of Moscow. Population: History Mentioned for the first time in 1177, Ko ...

, it flows into the Oka, itself a tributary of the

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...

, which ultimately flows into the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

History

In addition to Finnic tribes, the Moskva River is also the origin of Slavic tribes such as the

Vyatichi The Vyatichs or more properly Vyatichi or Viatichi (russian: вя́тичи) were a native tribe of Early East Slavs who inhabited regions around the Oka, Moskva and Don rivers. The Vyatichi had for a long time no princes, but the social struc ...

tribe.

Etymology

''Moskva'' and ''Moscow'' are two different renderings of the same Russian word ''Москва''. The city is named after the river. Finnic Merya and

Muroma The Volga Finns (sometimes referred to as Eastern Finns) are a historical group of indigenous peoples of Russia living in the vicinity of the Volga, who speak Uralic languages. Their modern representatives are the Mari people, the Erzya and the ...

people, who originally inhabited the area, called the river ''Mustajoki'', in English: ''Black river''. It has been suggested that the name of the city derives from this term, although several theories exist. To distinguish the river and the city, Russians usually call the river ''Moskva-reka'' (Moskva river) instead of just ''Moskva''.

Hydrology

The river is long (or ), and the area of its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

is .«Река МОСКВА»
Russian State Water Registry It has a vertical drop of (long-term average). The maximum depth is above Moscow city limits, and up to below it. Normally, it freezes in November–December and begins to thaw around late March. In Moscow, the river freezes occasionally; during an unusually warm winter in 2006–2007, ice began melting on January 25. The absolute water level in downtown Moscow is above sea level (long-term average of summer lows after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

); a historical maximum of above sea level was set by the 1908 flood.Russian: Носарев В.А., Скрябина, Т.А., "Мосты Москвы", М, "Вече", 2004, стр.194 (''Bridges of Moscow'', 2004, p.194)

Sources of water

The main tributaries of the Moskva are, from source to mouth: * Ruza (left) * Istra (left) *

Skhodnya Skhodnya (russian: Сходня) was formerly a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Skhodnya River some 12 km northwest of Moscow. On September 15, 2004, it was merged into the city of Khimki Khimki ( rus, Химки, p=ˈxʲ ...

(left) * Setun (right) * Yauza (left) *

Pakhra The Pakhra (russian: Пахра́) is a river in Moscow Oblast and the city of Moscow, Russia, a right tributary of the Moskva. It is 135 km in length. The area of its basin is 2580 km².Pekhorka The Pekhorka (russian: Пехо́рка) is a river in the Moscow Region in Russia, a left tributary of the Moskva. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .

(left) *

Nerskaya The Nerskaya (russian: Не́рская) is a river in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It is a left tributary of the Moskva. It is 92 km in length, with a drainage basin of 1,510 km².Severka (right) Sources of water are estimated as 61% thaw, 12% rain and 27% subterranean. Since completion of the

Moscow Canal The Moscow Canal (russian: Кана́л и́мени Москвы́), named the Moskva–Volga Canal until 1947, is a canal in Russia that connects the Moskva River with the Volga River. It is located in Moscow itself and in the Mosc ...

(1932–1937), the Moskva River has also collected a share of

Upper Volga The Volga Region (russian: Поволжье, ''Povolzhye'', literally: "along the Volga") is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European Rus ...

water. This has enabled reliable commercial shipping, which was previously interrupted by summer droughts (older dams built in 1785, 1836 and 1878 were not effective). The average discharge, including Volga waters, varies from near

Zvenigorod Zvenigorod (russian: Звени́город) is an old town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population: History The town's name is based either on a personal name (cf. Zvenislav, Zvenimir) or on a hydronym (cf. the Zvinech, Zvinyaka, Zveniga Rivers) ...

to at the Oka inlet. The speed of the current, depending on the season, varies from (winter, dams closed) to (May, dams open).

Cities and towns

(), the capital of Russia, is situated on its banks. The river also flows through the towns of

Mozhaysk MozhayskAlternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''. ( rus, Можа́йск, p=mɐˈʐajsk) is a town and the administrative center of Mozhaysky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to th ...

, Zhukovsky, Bronnitsy,

Voskresensk Voskresensk (russian: Воскресенск) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Modern localities ;Urban localities * Voskresensk, Moscow Oblast, a town in Voskresensky District of Moscow Oblast ;Rural localities * Voskresens ...

, and — at the confluence of the Moskva and Oka —

. As of 2007, there are 49 bridges across the Moskva River and its canals within Moscow city limits; the first stone bridge,

Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge (russian: Большой Каменный мост, ''Greater Stone Bridge'') is a steel arch bridge spanning Moskva River at the western end of the Moscow Kremlin. Its predecessor was the first permanent stone bridge in ...

, was erected in 1692. Within the city, the river is wide, the narrowest point being under the Kremlin walls. Drinking water for the city of Moscow is collected from five stations on the Moskva River and from the Upper Volga reservoirs (north and north-west of the city).

Islands

Canals, built within

city limits, have created a number of islands. Some of them have names in Russian, some have none. Major, permanent islands (west to east) are: *

Serebryany Bor Serebryany Bor (russian: Серебряный Бор) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Serebryany Bor, Sakha Republic, an urban-type settlement in Neryungrinsky District of the Sakha Republic ;Rural loca ...

. Separated from the mainland in the 1930s. * Tatarskaya Poyma, commonly known as ''Mnyovniki''. Separated from the mainland in the 1930s * Balchug Island, also known as Bolotny Ostrov, lying just opposite the Kremlin. The island was formed by the construction of the

Vodootvodny Canal Vodootvodny Canal (russian: Водоотводный канал, "water bypass canal") is a 4 kilometre long, 30-60 metre wide canal in downtown Moscow, Russia. It was built in the 1780s on the old riverbed of the Moskva River to control floods ...

in the 1780s, and has no official name in Russian. Moscow residents informally call it "Bolotny Ostrov" (Bog Island) while members of Moscow's English-speaking community refer to it as ''Balchug''. *One uninhabited island north of Nagatino. *Three uninhabited islands east of Nagatino, connected by the Pererva

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

and

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

system.

Recreation

There is a fleet of river ice-breaker cruisers which ply routes from moorings at the

Hotel Ukraine Hotel Ukraine ( ua, Готель Україна), also referred to as Hotel Ukrayina, is a four-star hotel located in central Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It was built in 1961 as the Hotel "Moscow" in a location which originally was occupied by ...

and Gorky Park to the

Novospassky Monastery Novospassky Monastery (''New Monastery of the Savior'', russian: Новоспасский монастырь) is one of the fortified monasteries surrounding Moscow from the south-east. Like all medieval Russian monasteries, it was built by the Ru ...

and back. Duration of trips ranges from 1.5 to 3 hours.

References

External links

{{Authority control Rivers of Moscow Oblast Rivers of Smolensk Oblast Rivers of Moscow