Rostov is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, 202 kilometers northeast of Moscow. Population: 30,406 ; 31,792 ; 34,141 ; 35,707 . While the official name of the town is Rostov, it is popularly known to Russians as Rostov Veliky to distinguish it from the much larger city of Rostov-on-Don.