Berlin

I

Introduction

Berlin, state, north-eastern Germany, entirely encompassed by the state of Brandenburg. The city of Berlin (Greater Berlin) is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany and comprises almost all of the state. The territory has an area of 890 sq km (344 sq mi).

II

Physical Geography

The state of Berlin measures a maximum 38 km (24 mi) from north to south and 45 km (28 mi) from east to west; its borders stretch for 234 km (145 mi). Berlin lies on the flatlands of the North German Plain, on sandy soils of the glacial valley of the River Spree. Apart from the Spree, the River Havel is also significant; the most important canals are the Teltow (29 km/18 mi) and the Landwehr (12 km/7.5 mi), and largest lakes include the Grosser Müggelsee (766 hectares/1,893 acres), the Tegeler See (380 hectares/939 acres), the Langer See (300 hectares/741 acres), the Grosser Wannsee (274 hectares/677 acres), and the Seddinsee (269 hectares/665 acres). Müggelberge and Teufelsberg, both at 115 m (377 ft), are the highest elevations within the state.

III

Population

In 2004 the state’s population was an estimated 3,388,000, with a population density of 3,800 people per sq km (9,842 per sq mi). The city of Greater Berlin had an estimated population of 3,387,800 in 2005.

IV

Education and Culture

The University of Berlin, known as Humboldt University; the Free University; and the Technical University are the leading institutes of higher learning.

Berlin has a state archive and a state library (the Berlin Central and Provincial Library), and is also the site of the German Music Archive, founded in 1970, which, together with the German Library in Leipzig and the German Library in Frankfurt, acts as a deposit library for Germany. UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites located in Berlin include the palaces and parks in Berlin-Zehlendorf along the River Havel and Lake Glienicke (inscribed in 1990 and including also the palaces and parks of Potsdam, capital of Brandenburg), and the Museum Island (named in 1999), encompassing the Old Museum (1830), the New Museum (1843-1859), the Old National Gallery (1866-1876), the Bode Museum (1898-1904), and the Pergamon Museum (1930). The German Historical Museum and the State Museum for Berlin’s Culture and History are among the many museums and galleries of the city-state.