Moscow and St. Petersburg are the only cities in the Russian Federation which are designated as political, administrative, and economic regions, as separate parts of the 89 regions or oblasts comprising the Russian Federation (Klugman, 1997). Moscow's unique economy - the location of Commonwealth, Federation and municipal governments in a central area - accounts for the largest percentage of the city's revenues, and does not exemplify other large urban capitals in the Former Soviet Union, much less any other rural or non-metropolitan area. The capital had a gross domestic product (GDP) in 1995 which was more than 13% above the Russian Federation mean and 538% above the central region average; wage levels were 27% above the federal mean and 32% above the central region mean (Munro, Regions web site, 1998). Moscow, also the major cultural center, has almost three times the number of students in higher education (520/10,000) as Russia (179/10,000). The distribution of the health-related quality of life in Moscow exemplifies not only the unique situation of the largest, wealthiest urban community in Russia and the Newly Independent States, but perhaps a model health scenario for the Russian Federation as a whole.