The Moscow uezd extended on either side of the river Moskva roughly from the point where the Istra joins the Moskva in the west to the confluence of the Otra in the east. Thus, the area did not include the whole length of the Moskva; the upper reaches of the river were blocked by the Zvenigorod lands, the lower by Kolomna. The uezd, however, included on the south a major tributary, the Pakhra, together with its tributaries, the Desna and the Mocha; this basin was the early southern limit. The northern part included the Istra, Vskhodnya and Yauza, and extended over the upper reaches of the Klyaz'ma and its tributary, the Vorya.

The soils of the region are mainly turfy podzols. The eastern part of the uezd has sandy loams, while in the south-east to the right of the Moskva there are clays; left of the Moskva are sands. The region has few lakes. Marshes occur mainly along the Yauza and the Pekhorka. It is likely that before much forest had been cleared the water-table was higher and the lakes and marshes were, therefore, somewhat more extensive than at present. From the area of Ryazan', to the south-east, a tongue of more fertile grey forest soils stretches out towards Moscow and crosses the Oka; these soils are of reasonable quality for cultivation. This is a region of mixed woods, broad-leaf varieties and spruce and, where clearances have been made, with secondary woods, mainly birch or mixed trees.