Lesson video

Hello, my name is Miss Gilyeat and I'm going to be your geography teacher for today.

In today's lesson, we are going to be learning about Moscow, which is a city in Russia.

So our lesson outcome for today is that you can describe what Moscow is like using the six features that interact to make a place.

So we've got three keywords.

The first one is demography, which is the study of populations.

The second is GDP per capita, which is the total value of goods and services produced in a country, its gross domestic product or GDP, in a year, divided by the population to give an amount per person.

And a place is a location with meaning, shaped by its physical and human characteristics and how people perceive, experience, and give value to it.

These keywords are in bold throughout the lesson if you need to refer back to them.

So we've got three learning cycles.

First of all, we're going to look at the physical geography and the built environment in Moscow.

Then we're going to look at the demography, society, and culture.

And finally, we're going to look at the economy and politics.

So geographers study features that interact to make a place, okay? And some of the key features that we look at are demography, the built environment, physical geography, the economy, politics, and society and culture.

Okay, so when we are trying to study the place of Moscow, we're going to look at different things, okay? So we're going to think about its society and culture.

We're going to think about its politics, the demography, so the people there, the built environment, the physical geography, and the economy.

Now, Moscow is not representative of all of Russia.

Life in other regions can be very, very different.

Okay, out of Jacob, Aisha, and Jun, who is correct? Jun is correct.

So understanding what Moscow is like does not mean you understand what life is like in all of Russia.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, Moscow is Russia's capital city and its economic, political, and cultural centre.

So to start off with studying the place, we're going to look at the built environment and the physical geography of Moscow.

Okay, so Moscow's latitude is 55 degrees north of the equator, putting it on a similar line of latitude to Glasgow, okay? And it's located in western Russia.

Moscow has an average altitude of around 120 metres above the sea level.

So we can see on that map there, I've highlighted the line of latitude to show how similar Moscow and Glasgow are in terms of latitude.

Moscow is situated on the East European Plain, so that's to the west of the Ural Mountains.

And the River Moskva flows through the city.

So we can see that located on the map there, some lovely meanders.

And we can also see an actual photograph of the Moskva flowing through the city at night there.

Moscow's climate is a product of its continental position.

It is 2,500 kilometres away from the nearest coastline.

So it's got a continental climate.

Now that means that it's got quite extreme temperatures.

So the average January temperature is very cold, at minus eight degrees Celsius, whereas the average July temperature is quite warm, at 20 degrees Celsius, okay? And we can see that the average annual precipitation there is 713 millimetres, okay? So it's got a continental climate, it's very cold in winter, but it's pretty hot in summer as well.

Okay, let's check what we've just learned.

So what I'd like you to do is complete the facts about Moscow's physical environment by filling in those gaps.

So it might be worth pausing the video to do this.

Okay, let's go through some answers.

So Moscow's latitude is 55 degrees north, putting it on a similar line of latitude to Glasgow.

The River Moskva flows through the city.

And the difference between average January and July temperatures is 28 degrees C.

Well done if you got that right.

So we're going to look at the built environment.

Now, the first mention of a settlement on the site of Moscow was in the 12th century.

Moscow's modern day circular layout is a result of its historical expansion.

So if you have a look at the map here, we can see that the roads around the city go in circles.

And that's because over time, that is how the city has expanded.

The city grew outward in rings of fortifications built to protect the Kremlin, which is home to the Russian government.

On the slide here, we've got some of the significant locations within Moscow.

So within the very centre, we've got the central business district where you can see lots of high-rise buildings.

You've got the Kremlin, where the Russian government is located.

St.

Basil's Cathedral, which is in an area called the Red Square.

And you've also got Gorky Park.

Now, there's lots of different types of housing in Moscow.

Now, the most common type of housing where people live is in apartment blocks from the 1960s and '70s, okay? And a lot of these were built within the Soviet Union, okay? So they look quite similar.

Some people live in traditional housing, and now more and more people are living in modern luxury living, okay? And that's become more popular amongst the wealthy inhabitants.

Now, Moscow is a transport hub and has well-developed infrastructure.

So there's lots of different types of public transport.

There are trams, there is metro underground, there are river ferries along the River Moskva, and there's also buses as well.

Okay, let's check what we've just learnt.

The most dominant housing type in Moscow is.

Apartment blocks.

Well done if you got that correct.

Transport infrastructure in Moscow includes trams, buses, river ferries, and.

The metro.

Well done if you got that one.

Okay, so we're on to our first task for the lesson.

Now, you are going to create a mind map about Moscow throughout the lesson, and you're going to add different parts to it throughout, okay? So to start off with, we're going to add information about the physical geography and the built environment of Moscow, okay? So you're going to write Moscow in the middle of your page or paper, then a section that comes off which says built environment and then off that, a section which has a bit on the physical geography.

Okay, now to help you out, I've just put one of the branches off here.

So you could have a section which talks about transport.

So for example, you could put information about the well-developed public transport, including trams, metro, buses, and river ferries, okay? And then you're going to think about some of the categories for the other branches, okay? Add details to each branch and use further branches for further details.

Okay, so pause the video and get going with your mind map.

Okay, let's have a look at what I've got here as an example.

So for built environment, I've put here the development of the circular layout as a result of its historical expansion.

Housing, 1960s and '70 built apartments dominate some traditional housing, but there's also some modern luxury developments as well.

And transport is well-developed, including trams, metro, buses, and river ferries.

And then for the physical geography.

So its location, the latitude is 55 degrees north of the equator, and its altitude is 120 metres above sea level.

And the climate of Moscow is a continental climate.

So the average January temperature is minus eight degrees C.

Average July temperature is 20 degrees C.

And the average annual precipitation is 713 millimetres per year.

And the River Moskva runs through the city.

Okay, we are now moving on to our second learning cycle, looking at the demography, society, and culture in Moscow.

Now, Moscow is Russia's capital city and its economic, political, and cultural centre.

So we're going to look at the society and culture and the demography of the city.

Moscow's population has grown from 5.

35 million in 1950 to over 12 million in 2015, and estimated at over 13 million in 2022.

Moscow is Russia and Europe's largest city, okay? So we can see here on the slide a line graph which shows how the city's population has changed from 1950 to 2020.

Okay, so here we've got a population pyramid of Moscow, okay? Now, Moscow has an ageing population, a gender imbalance, and a working age majority.

So what I'd like you to do is look at that population pyramid and have a think, how does the population pyramid show those different features? Okay, so let's have a look at this then.

Now, first of all, we can see at the base of the population pyramid, it is quite narrow.

Now, this suggests there is an ageing population because there is not a large proportion of people under the age of 20, okay, because it's got a narrow base.

We can also see that the majority of Moscow are aged between 24 and 54, okay? And that means that the majority of the population is within the working age.

So they are at work, they are independent.

Also, looking at this, we can see there is a gender imbalance within the country, okay? So there are more females than males living in the city.

Now, the reason for this, Moscow has more females than males primarily because Russian men have higher mortality rates and lower life expectancies.

Okay, let's check what we've just learned.

Which of the following is not correct about Moscow's demography? Moscow has a large proportion of young people.

Well done if you spotted that.

Okay, so we're going to have a think about Moscow's culture and how that has been shaped by centuries of diverse influences.

Okay, so religion has influenced holidays.

So the Kremlin has a fair at Christmas.

Migration has influenced food.

So lavash bread from Armenia is quite popular in Moscow.

And also political systems have influenced buildings.

So as I said earlier, the majority of people live in apartment flats, and a lot of these were built within the Soviet Union period, okay? What I would like you to do is read the paragraph and see if you can figure out what the missing words are.

So pause the video and have a go at that.

Okay, so Moscow's society and culture has been shaped by centuries of diverse influences such as religion, migration, and political systems. These influences can be seen in ways such as holidays, building style, and food.

Well done if you got those right.

Okay, we're on to our second part of the mind map.

So you are now going to add details about Moscow's demography, society, and culture.

So you need to think about the categories for the branches and then add details to each branch.

So pause the video and continue on with your mind map.

Okay, let's have a look at what I've put for some of these then.

So for demography, I've got the total population, Russia and Europe's largest city.

And it's grown from 5.

35 million in 1950 to over 13 million in 2023.

The structure is an ageing population, a working age majority, and there's also a gender imbalance.

There's more females than there are males.

So if we're thinking about society and culture, it's shaped by centuries of diverse influences.

Religion has influenced holidays.

So for example, Easter.

Migration has influenced food.

So for example, there's lots of lavash bread from Armenia is popular in Moscow.

And also, political systems have influenced buildings.

So for example, the Soviet architecture.

Okay, finally for this lesson, we're going to think about Moscow's economy and its politics.

Right, so let's have a look.

So for the economy, Moscow has the largest city in the economy of Russia.

It's one of the largest city economies in Europe, and more than one fifth of Russia's wealth.

Major industries in Moscow include manufacturing, science and research, and finance.

Okay, so the average GDP per capita in Moscow is amongst the highest in Russia.

Okay, so we've got a GDP map on the slide here.

So the darker regions represent higher GDPs, okay? So if we zoom in on Moscow, we can see that is the dark blue colour.

So the amount of money per person is higher than 40,000 US dollars.

Okay, so let's check what we've just learned.

How does Moscow's GDP per capita compare to the majority of Russia? It is higher.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, so finally, we're going to think about the politics in Moscow.

So as the capital city of Russia, Moscow is the centre of the political power, and Moscow is home to national government and city government, okay? Now, if we're thinking about the whole country, Russia is led by a president and a prime minister.

And the president is the most powerful person and works from the Kremlin.

If we're thinking about the city government, Moscow has a local government led by a mayor, and the mayor is in charge of things like transportation, schools, and safety in the city.

Moscow's citizens vote to choose the mayor.

Now, the Kremlin is a large fortress in the centre of Moscow.

It is the official residence of the Russian president and a symbol of Russian government and power, okay? So we can see there an image of the Kremlin.

So it's quite an impressive building right in the centre of Moscow.

Okay, let's check what we've learned.

The something is the official residence of the Russian president and a symbol of Russian government and power.

The Kremlin.

Well done if you got that right.

Now, politics affects the everyday life of residents of Moscow.

So if we're thinking about daily life, it affects how clean the city is, okay? How quickly people can get around, so thinking about the public transport.

And also thinking about if the public places such as libraries are open.

But there's also protests and opinions.

So sometimes people hold protests when they don't agree with the government.

However, speaking out about politics in Russia can be risky.

So it doesn't happen as freely as in other countries.

Okay, now finally, returning to your mind map, you are going to add details about Moscow's economy and its politics.

So pause the video and have a go at finishing off your mind map.

Okay, so if we're thinking about the economy, I've put it's a city economy.

So it's the largest city economy in Russia, one of the largest city economies in Europe.

And it holds more than one fifth of Russia's wealth.

Industries include manufacturing, finance, and science and research.

And the GDP per capita is amongst the highest in Russia.

If we're thinking about its politics, so we've got the government, we've got the national government.

Now, the Kremlin is the official resident of the Russian president, a symbol of Russian government and power.

But we've also got the city government, which is led by a mayor who is in charge of things like transportation, schools, and safety.

In daily life, protests are rare because speaking out in Russia can be risky.

And finally, we've got a summary for today's lesson.

Now, Moscow is Russia's capital city and its economic, political, and cultural centre.

Okay, so on the slide here, we have got information about the six kind of components of what makes up place in geography.

So we've got information on Moscow's demography, the built environment, physical geography, the economy, politics, and society and culture.

Right, that's it from me today, and I'll see you next time.

Bye.