Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, (also known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and Leningrad (1924–1991), is a major city in Russia and former Imperial capital city.
History
Founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27 May 1703 to be his "window to Europe", it was capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1712-1728, 1732-1918). St. Petersburg ceased being the capital in 1918 after the Russian Revolution of 1917. It is Russia's second largest and Europe's third largest city (by city limit) after Moscow and London (excluding Istanbul, which some consider to be "European") with Berlin coming in fourth. At latitude 59°56′N, Saint Petersburg is the world's largest city north of Moscow (55°45′N). The city had a population of 5,601,911 residents as of 2021, with more than 6.4 million people living in the metropolitan area.. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and important Russian port on the Baltic Sea. The city, as federal subject, has a total area of 1439 square km.
St. Petersburg enjoys the image of being the most European city of Russia. Among cities of the world with over one million people, Saint Petersburg is the northernmost. The historic center of St. Petersburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Russia's political and cultural center for 200 years, the city is impressive, and is sometimes referred to in Russia as "the Northern Capital".
