Orientation

Emcompassed by the federal state of Brandenburg, the city of Berlin measures about 900 sq km while the municipal boundaries encircle 250 sq km. Despite the devastation of WW Il, the city has retained much of its natural beauty with rolling hills and quiet shorelines. About a third of the municipal area is made up of parks, forests, lakes and rivers.

Berlin is a sprawling metropolis on the banks of the Spree River. The city lies in the northeastern part of Germany, equidistant to Elbe River on the west, the Oder River to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the north. Population growth and the need for more space led, over centuries, to urban expansion and the construction of what is today a vast interconnected network of canals that serve for both transportation and drainage. The city's location makes it susceptible to rapid changes in weather as maritime air from the North and the Baltic seas intermingles with continental air from the east. Berlin has an elevation of only 110 feet. The highest point is the Teufelsberg mountain, at about 394 feet, was formed of rubble from the bombed city. It is now a grass-covered park in summer and Berlin a beautiful ski center in winter.

Two rapid-transit systems, the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn, begun late in the 19th century, made possible the development of working-class suburbs that are now in the northern, southern, and eastern quadrants of Berlin. Pervading these districts are five-story tenements with small factories operating in their inner courtyards.

The highly efficient rail system also funnels workers throughout the city. Most of the larger industrial complexes are concentrated along the Spree River and the rail line running west to Spandau. A huge Siemens electrical-equipment plant is situated just east of Spandau.

The expanding transportation system, in addition, facilitated the growth of the business district westward from Mitte. West of the green expanse of the Tiergarten park begins the dense postwar development of modern Berlin. Here, along the Kurfürstendamm and satellite streets, is the city's economic and cultural heartland, crowded with office towers, restaurants, cafés, automobile showrooms, and theaters.

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