The Moscow Region is located in the basin of the Volga, Oka, Klyazma, and Moscow rivers and covers an area of 46 000 square km, which is considerably larger than Denmark, Switzerland, or Belgium.

Forests cover a third of the territory of Moscow Region. They are home to elk [the European moose], wild boar, deer, foxes, weasels, lynx, and martens, as well as all kinds of birds.

Moscow climate is continental, though mild. There are no severe frosts or excessive heat, although deviations from normal seasonal temperatures are quite frequent. December, for example, might bring along long-run thaws. In summer, periods of heat might be alternated with the sudden cold weather and protracted rains. On average Moscow has 194 days of above-zero and 103 days of below-zero temperature every year.

As the city grew, the differences in climate between Moscow and Moscow Region became more distinctive. During clear frosty nights it is usually colder in the country than in the city (the difference might reach 4-5 degrees centigrade, while 10-12 years ago it didn’t exceed 1-2 degrees).

As the result of global warming, average temperatures of the first half of the year (January - June) in Moscow have recently gone up (average temperatures in January - March during the last 12 years are 2.3 degrees higher than the average temperature during previous 30-year period), while such months as November and December are growing colder (average decrease of temperature is 0.5 degrees).

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