• is the capital of Germany. Parliament and the government.
• is the largest city in Germany, both in number and area.
3,431,000 people live there (subject to Berlin-Brandenburg CBS, end 2008).
Half a million more live in surrounding communities, which are included in the so-called Greater Berlin.
In terms of population size, Berlin is second in the European Union, after London. Furthermore, in terms of an area, it is one of the largest in Europe: 891 square kilometers.
• It is not just a city but also a state. Berlin is one of the 16 states comprising the federal republic of Germany. It is one of three German cities, which are also states (the other two are Hamburg and Bremen). In terms of a number of inhabitants, Berlin is the eighth largest state in Germany. In terms of an area, only Hamburg, Bremen and smaller. The map shows that Berlin is a kind of enclave within another state, Brandenburg. Berlin is situated in eastern Germany, about an hour drive from the border with Poland.
The city is completely flat. The average height above sea level is 34 feet. The two highest places in Berlin are Teufelsberg ("Devil's Mountain") and Mueggelberg. Both are some 115 feet above sea level.
Although they are called "mountain", they could hardly be noticed. Teufelsberg is not even a real hill, but a pile of rubble and debris, which were cleared from Berlin after World War II.
Chain lakes and forests
Berlin's flat landscape was shaped after the last ice age. The melting glaciers created a shallow broad valley stretching between Berlin and Warsaw, Poland. The river Spree flows in this valley through east Berlin' and spills on the western edge of the city's second river, the Havel.
Within Berlin The Havel is a lakes' chain connected to each other. The biggest are Tegel and Wannsee. There are more chain lakes in the opposite end of Berlin, in the eastern part of the Spree. The largest is Grosser Mueggelsee. The rivers and the canals dug over the years are crossed by many bridges. Berliners proudly note their city has more bridges than Venice. Only about 43 percent of Berlin's are Built. The rest is divided as follows: 17.6% forest, 7% agriculture, 6.4% lakes and rivers and 15% roads and railways.
Population fluctuations
Berlin today is spreading rapidly. Within 600 years the area grew more than 1000 times bigger. However, the main stage of growth began only in the 19th century, thanks to industrialization and development of city transport.
When the German Empire was established in 1871 Greater Berlin's population was 825,000. 70 years later, during World War II, the number of residents of Berlin was 4.4 million.
The devastation brought by war caused a sharp turn for the worse, and the situation even worsened when the city was divided between East and West. In 1990 the population was in two parts of the city 3.4 million. Re-unification of the city resumed its rapid growth, and it became the second largest metropolitan area in Germany, after the Rhine-Ruhr cities.
