All about Berlin

Berlin, capital and largest city of the Federal Republic of Germany. Administratively, Berlin also constitutes one of Germany’s 16 states.

Berlin became the capital of Germany in 1871, when the numerous independent kingdoms and principalities of Germany united to form a single nation-state (see German Unification (1871)).

The city quickly developed into one of Europe’s major industrial and cultural centers and became the single most important city in Germany.

From 1945 until 1990 Berlin was a divided city. Following the defeat of the Nazi regime (see National Socialism) in World War II (1939-1945), the victorious Allied Powers—the United States, Britain, France, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)—divided Germany into four zones, each occupied by one of the Allied Powers. They also divided Berlin, which was in the Soviet sector, into similar zones.

The Soviet-controlled sector of the city became known as East Berlin, and the Western-occupied sector became known as West Berlin.

In 1949 East Berlin became the capital of the German Democratic Republic (known as East Germany), one of two successor states established in Germany after the war. That same year the capital of West Germany, the other successor state, was established in the city of Bonn.

West Berlin remained an urban island surrounded by Communist East Germany. The city became a focus of Cold War tensions between Communist countries led by the USSR and anti-Communist states led by the United States.

In 1990, following the collapse of Communism in the USSR and East Germany, Germany was reunified, and a united Berlin was declared its capital. The government gradually began moving its offices from Bonn to Berlin, a process that was largely completed by early 2000.
( Spree River )
Berlin is located in the northern European lowlands on a broad, sandy plain that surrounds the Spree River. The city’s highest hill, which rises 120 m (394 ft) above sea level, consists of rubble collected after World War II.

Berlin lies so far north that it gets dark by mid-afternoon in December but stays light until almost 10 pm in June. High temperatures average 23ºC (74ºF) in July and 2ºC (35ºF) in January. Precipitation averages 590 mm (23 in) a year.

(1) BERLIN AND IT'S METROPOLETAN AREA
(2) POPULATION
(3) EDUCATION AND CULTURE
(4) RECREATION
(5) ECONOMY
(6) GOVERNMENT
(7) HISTORY