Moscow proper had a population (1999 estimate) of 8,297,900. The city's annual growth rate slowed significantly between 1970 and 1990—from 1.21 percent to .26 percent—in part because of declining birthrates. The influx of people from other parts of Russia, and to a lesser extent from the adjoining successor states of the former Soviet Union, now accounts for most of the city's growth. Moscow attracts people in search of jobs, better living conditions, and the excitement of the city; it also serves as a stopover point for many of those leaving the country.
Russians are the largest ethnic group in Moscow. There are also sizable numbers of Jews (considered both an ethnic and religious group in Russia), Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Tatars, as well as increasing numbers of non-Russian refugees and other immigrants from Afghanistan, Caucasia, the Baltic States, and Central Asia. Orthodox Christianity is the predominant religion in Moscow. The city also has communities of Protestants, Muslims, Jews, and Roman Catholics. Russian is the first language of most Muscovites, or residents of Moscow.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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