Editing Moscow (section)

==Administrative divisions==
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Moscow}}
{| border=1 align="right" class="wikitable" style="margin-left: 1em; font-size: 95%;"
! style="padding-left:50px; background:#ccf" | Federal city of Moscow
| width="50px" | [[File:Coat of Arms of Moscow.svg|50px|Coat of arms of Moscow]]
|-
| '''City administrative divisions'''|| 12
|-
| '''City districts'''|| 125
|-
| '''City settlements'''|| 21
|}
{|
|-
|Colspan=2|Moscow is divided into '''12 administrative districts''':
|rowspan=3|[[File:Msk all districts.svg|left|320px]]
|-
|
# [[Central Administrative Okrug]]
# [[Northern Administrative Okrug]]
# [[North-Eastern Administrative Okrug]]
# [[Eastern Administrative Okrug]]
# [[South-Eastern Administrative Okrug]]
# [[Southern Administrative Okrug]]
# [[South-Western Administrative Okrug]]
# [[Western Administrative Okrug]]
# [[North-Western Administrative Okrug]]
# [[Zelenogradsky Administrative Okrug]]
# [[Novomoskovsky Administrative Okrug]]
# [[Troitsky Administrative Okrug]]
|}
[[File:Moscow territory 1922 1995.gif|thumb|Territorial change of Moscow from 1922 to 1995]]

The entire city of Moscow is headed by one mayor ([[Sergey Sobyanin]]). The city of Moscow is divided into twelve administrative okrugs and 125 districts.

The Russian capital's town-planning development began to show as early as the 12th century when the city was founded. The central part of Moscow grew by consolidating with suburbs in line with medieval principles of urban development when strong fortress walls would gradually spread along the circle streets of adjacent new settlements. The first circular defence walls set the trajectory of Moscow's rings, laying the groundwork for the future planning of the Russian capital.

The following fortifications served as the city's circular defense boundaries at some point in history: the Kremlin walls, Zemlyanoy Gorod (Earthwork Town), the Kamer-Kollezhsky Rampart, the Garden Ring, and the small railway ring. The Moscow Ring Road (MKAD) has been Moscow's boundary since 1960. Also in the form of a circle are the main Moscow subway line, the Ring Line, and the so-called Third Automobile Ring, which was completed in 2005. Hence, the characteristic radial-circle planning continues to define Moscow's further development. However, contemporary Moscow has also engulfed a number of territories outside the MKAD, such as Solntsevo, Butovo, and the town of [[Zelenograd]]. A part of [[Moscow Oblast]]'s territory was merged into Moscow on 1 July 2012; as a result, Moscow is no longer fully surrounded by Moscow Oblast and now also has a border with [[Kaluga Oblast]].<ref name="Merger">Official website of the Government of Moscow. [http://www.mos.ru/about/borders/ Draft of adopted measures of the capital and oblast governments with regards to the expansion of the borders of Moscow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821063010/http://www.mos.ru/about/borders/ |date=21 August 2011 }} {{in lang|ru }}</ref> In all, Moscow gained about {{convert|1500|km2|sp=us}} and 230,000 inhabitants. Moscow's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin lauded the expansion that will help Moscow and the neighboring region, a "mega-city" of twenty million people, to develop "harmonically".<ref name="Merger2"/>

All administrative okrugs and districts have their own [[coat of arms|coats of arms]] and flags as well as individual heads of the area.

In addition to the districts, there are Territorial Units with Special Status. These usually include areas with small or no permanent populations. Such is the case with the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, the [[Moscow Botanical Garden of Academy of Sciences|Botanical Garden]], large parks, and industrial zones. In recent years, some territories have been merged with different districts. There are no ethnic-specific regions in Moscow, as in the [[Chinatown]]s that exist in some [[North America]]n and [[East Asia]]n cities. And although districts are not designated by income, as with most cities, those areas that are closer to the city center, metro stations or green zones are considered more prestigious.<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ru:Цены на Квартиры в Москве по Административным Районам и Станциям Метро |url=http://www.metrinfo.ru/area/ |work=Metrinfo.ru |access-date=27 September 2010 |language=ru |archive-date=27 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227235220/http://www.metrinfo.ru/area/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Moscow also hosts some of the government bodies of [[Moscow Oblast]], although the city itself is not a part of the oblast.<ref name="MoscowO">According to Article 24 of the Charter of Moscow Oblast, the government bodies of the oblast are located in the city of Moscow and throughout the territory of Moscow Oblast. However, Moscow is not officially named the administrative centre of the oblast.</ref>