LOCATION

Berlin (/bɜːrˈlɪn/; German pronunciation: [bɛɐɐˈliːn]) is the capital and largest city of Germany by
both area and population. Its 3,723,914 (2018)[1] inhabitants make it the second most populous
city proper of the European Union after London.[4] The city is one of Germany's 16 federal states.
It is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg, and contiguous with its capital, Potsdam. The two
cities are at the center of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, which is, with 6,004,857
(2015)[5] inhabitants and an area of 30,370 square km, Germany's third-largest metropolitan
region after the Rhine-Ruhr and Rhine-Main regions.

Berlin straddles the banks of the River Spree, which flows into the River Havel (a tributary of the
River Elbe) in the western borough of Spandau. Among the city's main topographical features are
the many lakes in the western and southeastern boroughs formed by the Spree, Havel, and
Dahme rivers (the largest of which is Lake Müggelsee). Due to its location in the European
Plain, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. About one-third of the city's area is
composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers, canals and lakes. [6] The city lies in the Central
German dialect area, the Berlin dialect being a variant of the Lusatian-New Marchian dialects.

Climate
The outskirts of Berlin are covered with woodlands and numerous lakes.

Berlin has a "marine west coast" (Cfb) climate according to the Köppen climate classification
system. This type of climate features moderate summer temperatures and mild winters.[59] There
are significant continental climate influences due to its inland position, with frosts being
common in winter and there being larger temperature differences between seasons than typical
for many oceanic climates. Furthermore, Berlin is classified as a temperate continental climate
(Dc) under the Trewartha climate scheme.
 Culture

The Alte Nationalgalerie is part of the Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Berlinale is the largest international spectator film festival.

Berlin is known for its numerous cultural institutions, many of which enjoy international
reputation.[18][155] The diversity and vivacity of the metropolis led to a trendsetting atmosphere. [156]
An innovative music, dance and art scene has developed in the 21st century.

Young people, international artists and entrepreneurs continued to settle in the city and made
Berlin a popular entertainment center in the world.[157]

The expanding cultural performance of the city was underscored by the relocation of the
Universal Music Group who decided to move their headquarters to the banks of the River Spree.
[158]
In 2005, Berlin was named "City of Design" by UNESCO and has been part of the Creative
Cities Network ever since.[159][16]

The Jewish Museum presents two millennia of German–Jewish history

As of 2011 Berlin is home to 138 museums and more than 400 art galleries. [114] [160] The ensemble
on the Museum Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is situated in the northern part of
the Spree Island between the Spree and the Kupfergraben. [18] As early as 1841 it was designated a
"district dedicated to art and antiquities" by a royal decree. Subsequently, the Altes Museum was
built in the Lustgarten. The Neues Museum, which displays the bust of Queen Nefertiti,[161] Alte
Nationalgalerie, Pergamon Museum, and Bode Museum were built there.

Carnival of Cultures Berlin, 2012.

Berlin has a long history of gay culture, and is an important birthplace of the LGBT rights
movement. Same-sex bars and dance halls operated freely as early as the 1880s, and the first gay
magazine, Der Eigene, started in 1896. By the 1920s, gays and lesbians had an unprecedented
visibility.[171][172] Today, in addition to a positive atmosphere in the wider club scene, the city
again has a huge number of queer clubs and festivals. The most famous and largest are Berlin
Pride, the Christopher Street Day,[173] the Lesbian and Gay City Festival in Berlin-Schöneberg,
the Kreuzberg Pride and Hustlaball.

The annual Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) with around 500,000 admissions is
considered to be the largest publicly attended film festival in the world. [174][175] The Karneval der
Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures), a multi-ethnic street parade, is celebrated every Pentecost
weekend.[176] Berlin is also well known for the cultural festival, Berliner Festspiele, which
includes the jazz festival JazzFest Berlin. Several technology and media art festivals and
conferences are held in the city, including Transmediale and Chaos Communication Congress.
The annual Berlin Festival focuses on indie rock, electronic music and synthpop and is part of
the International Berlin Music Week.[177][178] Every year Berlin hosts one of the largest New Year's
Eve celebrations in the world, attended by well over a million people. The focal point is the
Brandenburg Gate, where midnight fireworks are centred, but various private fireworks displays
take place throughout the entire city. Partygoers in Germany often toast the New Year with a
glass of sparkling wine.
 PEOPLE AND NATIONALITIES

National and international migration into the city has a long history. In 1685, following the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes in France, the city responded with the Edict of Potsdam, which
guaranteed religious freedom and tax-free status to French Huguenot refugees for ten years. The
Greater Berlin Act in 1920 incorporated many suburbs and surrounding cities of Berlin. It
formed most of the territory that comprises modern Berlin and increased the population from
1.9 million to 4 million.

Active immigration and asylum politics in West Berlin triggered waves of immigration in the
1960s and 1970s. Currently, Berlin is home to at least 178,000 Turkish and Turkish German
residents,[76] making it the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey. In the 1990s the
Aussiedlergesetze enabled immigration to Germany of some residents from the former Soviet
Union. Today ethnic Germans from countries of the former Soviet Union make up the largest
portion of the Russian-speaking community. [77] The last decade experienced an influx from
various Western countries and some African regions.[78] A portion of the African immigrants have
settled in the Afrikanisches Viertel.[79] Young Germans, EU-Europeans and Israelis have also
settled in the city.[80]

In December 2016, there were 676,741 registered residents of foreign nationality and another
474,991 German citizens with a "migration background" (Migrationshintergrund, MH),[70]
meaning they or one of their parents immigrated to Germany after 1955. Foreign residents of
Berlin originate from approximately 190 different countries. [81] 48 percent of the residents under
the age of 15 have migration background. [82] Berlin in 2009 was estimated to have 100,000 to
250,000 non-registered inhabitants.[83] Boroughs of Berlin with a significant number of migrants
or foreign born population are Mitte, Neukölln and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.[84]

There are more than 20 non-indigenous communities with a population of at least 10,000 people,
including Turkish, Polish, Russian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Serbian, Italian, Bosnian, Vietnamese,
American, Romanian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Chinese, Austrian, Ukrainian, French, British,
Spanish, Israeli, Thai, Iranian, Egyptian and Syrian communities.
 TRADITIONAL COSTUME

Lederhosen, which means "leather trousers" in German, are the short, leather pants worn by
men. These are usually knee-length and are the historically worn by working-class German men.
The dirndl is a ruffled apron dress worn by German women that consists of a bodice, or blouse,
and a skirt. In the 19th century, the dirndl was the standard uniform of servant girls, but today it
is mostly worn in Bavaria and Austria, and like lederhosen, usually for celebration. Each of these
garments is a type of tracht, which historically was used to help identify people as members of a
certain status (social, political or otherwise).

How in the world would one accessorize such things? Let's start with shoes. For the ladies, a
soft, felt shoe with clunky heels and decorative buckles would typically accompany the dirndl.
While not exactly clogs, these shoes would work just fine for an evening of dancing. Men would
usually opt for the haferl shoe, a thick leather or rubber sole invented in Bavaria for farming.
Shoemaker Franz Schratt based the design on that of animal hooves, and the word heferl,
roughly translated, means "half a shoe." These were also easy on the feet, and men took great
pride in the care that went into handcrafting their haferl.
 TRADITION
Colors of Berlin - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Pedantry is one of the main traits of local residents. You can feel it almost everywhere. A real
German will never be late either for a business meeting or for a visit to his beloved friend. Roads
here are crossed only in right places; you may even get a little jealous of the skill and self-control
of local motorists. However, locals are very open and they are absolutely bad in deceiving or
hiding the truth.

Bristol Hotel Kempinski was the first hotel in Germany built after the war. It was finished in
1952. A unique combination of classic and modern style together with excellent service make …
It is believed that southern areas of the city are populated by more sociable and sincere people,
while northern region of the city is home to more serious and sober inhabitants. Speaking on the
national characteristics of local residents, it is worth noting their craving for holidays and public
festivals. Colorful carnivals, festivals and fairs are held literally every month in the capital of
Germany. Of course, this fact only pleases travelers. Celebrations are organized because of
numerous reasons. Of course, most large-scale trade fairs and celebrations are held on Christmas
Eve. Travelers never stop being amazed by the hospitality of the local people, their simple and
measured lifestyle, as well as positive attitude towards life and rigor and reliability that come
with it.
 RELIGION

More than 60% of Berlin residents have no registered religious affiliation. [88] Non-religious
groups that seek to represent the non-religious majority include the Humanist Association of
Germany, which has its headquarters and its largest group in Berlin. The largest religious
denomination recorded in 2010 was the Protestant regional church body – the Evangelical
Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) – a United church. EKBO is a
member of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and Union Evangelischer Kirchen
(UEK), and accounts for 18.7% of the local population.[89] The Roman Catholic Church has 9.1%
of residents registered as its members.[89] About 2.7% of the population identify with other
Christian denominations (mostly Eastern Orthodox, but also various Protestants).In 2009,
approximately 249.000 Muslims were reported to be members of Islamic religious organizations
in Berlin.[91] In 2017, more than 400,000 registered residents, about 10.8% of the total, reported
having a migration background from Islamic countries.. Furthermore, Berlin is the seat of many
Orthodox cathedrals, such as the Cathedral of St. Boris the Baptist, one of the two seats of the
Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of Western and Central Europe, and the Resurrection of Christ
Cathedral of the Diocese of Berlin (Patriarchate of Moscow). The faithful of the different
religions and denominations maintain many places of worship in Berlin. The Independent
Evangelical Lutheran Church has eight parishes of different sizes in Berlin. [95] There are 36
Baptist congregations (within Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany), 29
New Apostolic Churches, 15 United Methodist churches, eight Free Evangelical Congregations,
four Churches of Christ, Scientist (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 11th), six congregations of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an Old Catholic church, and an Anglican church in Berlin.
More than 80 mosques,[96] ten synagogues,[97] and two Buddhist temples are located in Berlin.
 ECONOMY

In 2015 the nominal GDP of the citystate Berlin totaled €124.16 (~$142) billion compared to
€117.75 in 2014,[110] an increase of about 5.4%. Berlin's economy is dominated by the service
sector, with around 84% of all companies doing business in services. In 2015, the total labour
force in Berlin was 1.85 million. The unemployment rate reached a 24-year low in November
2015 and stood at 10.0% .[111] From 2012–2015 Berlin, as a German state, had the highest annual
employment growth rate. Around 130,000 jobs were added in this period.[112]

Important economic sectors in Berlin include life sciences, transportation, information and
communication technologies, media and music, advertising and design, biotechnology,
environmental services, construction, e-commerce, retail, hotel business, and medical
engineering.[113]

Research and development have economic significance for the city. [114] Several major
corporations like Volkswagen, Pfizer, and SAP operate innovation laboratories in the city. [115] The
Science and Business Park in Adlershof is the largest technology park in Germany measured by
revenue.[116] Within the Eurozone, Berlin has become a center for business relocation and
international investments