MOSCOW

Population: 10,446,000.

Area of City :339 sq. mi./879 sq. km.

Province/State: Moscow is in its own administrative region.

Time Zone: Moscow is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time in the US. and Canada, eight hours behind the time in Sydney. When it's noon in Moscow, it's 5 am in New York City, 10 am in London and 8 PM in Sydney. Daylight Saving Time is observed.

Telephone:
 Country code for Russia is 7, city code for Moscow is 095. You must dial 8 (and wait for new dial tone) to call outside the city. To call St. Petersburg from Moscow, dial 8, then 812 and the number. Note Russian businesses (stores, theaters, etc.) are generally loath to answer the phone. Nonetheless, we have provided phone numbers throughout this profile. On the streets, use the phone booths.

Emergency Numbers The police number is 02, but the police understand only Russian. To reach the US Embassy, call 252-2451 or 252-2459; the Canadian, 956-6666 or 956-6158, the British, 956-7200, the Australian, 956-6070. For medical emergencies, you can dial 03, but it's best to contact a Western medical firm. The American Medical Center number is 956-3366; the Canadian Mediclub, 931-5018; the International Medical Clinic, 280-7138 or 280-8374 or 280-7177; the European Medical Center, 251-6099.

Health Advisories 
  City authorities recommend boiling tap water for at least five minutes before drinking it or using it in food preparation; locals often boil it even longer. The better hotels often have their own water filtration systems, but elsewhere it's best to use bottled or boiled water for brushing your teeth. Avoid ice in your drink. Fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly with bottled or boiled water. Food sold by street vendors or from kiosks can be suspect. Avoid other street food, especially kebabs, and be careful with meat in cheaper restaurants and cafes. For further information, call (in the US and Canada) the Centers for Disease Control at (404) 332-4559; the Australian Travelers' Health Line, 06-269-7815; or the London School of Hygiene's Medical Advisory Service, (0891) 224-100.

Crime Despite justifiable alarm at this city's crime rates, Moscow is no more dangerous for tourists than New York or London. In fact, crimes against foreigners are down 14% from 1995. Take the same precautions you would in any large city. Be aware that Gorky Park (the large park and amusement center southwest of the Kremlin) is unsavory after dark, and that pedestrian underpasses are often badly lit.  For an advisory about public safety, you may want to call the Australian Travel Advisory Line, 06-261-2093; the British Travel Service, 037-500-900; the Canadian Travel Advisory Line, (800) 267-6788; or the US State Department's Citizen's Emergency Center at (202) 647-5225.

Dress Suits for men and women are the norm for business. Women planning to visit Russian Orthodox churches should (officially) wear skirts that cover their knees and take scarves to cover their heads, but this is really required only in more provincial parts of Russia. Most Russians dress up for an evening at the theater or symphony. When just walking around town, dress down to attract less attention. Warm, waterproof boots are a must from February through April.

Tipping Tipping is not customary outside of Westernized hotels. At restaurants, tip 10% at most. Do not tip taxi drivers.

Business Hours Most businesses are open Monday-Friday from 9 or 10 am to 5 or 6 PM and briefly on Saturday. Most close for an hour's break, but this period varies from place to place. Post offices and museums are open on Sunday.