Moscow Oblast

Moscow Oblast (Russian: Моско́вская о́бласть, Moskovskaya oblast; ), or Podmoskovye (Russian: Подмоско́вье; ), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its area, at 45,900 km2 (17,700 sq mi), is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the population of 7,095,120 (2010 Census), is the second most populous federal subject. There is no official administrative center of Moscow Oblast; its public authorities are located in Moscow and across other locations in the oblast.

The oblast was founded in 1929. It borders Tver Oblast in the northwest, Yaroslavl Oblast in the north, Vladimir Oblast in the northeast and east, Ryazan Oblast in the southeast, Tula Oblast in the south, Kaluga Oblast in the southwest and Smolensk Oblast in the west. In the center stands the federal city of Moscow, which is a separate federal subject in its own right. The oblast is highly industrialized, with its main industrial branches being metallurgy, oil refining, and mechanical engineering, food, energy, and chemical industries.