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Land and local government Berlin is both a city and state ( Land ), one of 16 federal states that make up Germany. The state of Berlin has a government, the Senate, led by a Governing Mayor. Each of 12 boroughs of the city of Berlin elects its own assembly and office.

FAST FACTS BERLIN STATUS Capital of the Federal Republic of Germany; one of the country’s 16 Länder AREA 343 square miles (889 sq km) POPULATION 3.5 million GOVERNING BODY Land government and mayor; borough assemblies and mayors CLIMATE Temperatures average 34°F (-1 °C) in January and 64°F (18°C) in July TIME ZONE Central European Time CURRENCY

This building is The Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus), where Berlin’s Governing Mayor and Senate Chancellery work. It used to be the home of the East Berlin government.

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Berlin–Brandenburg The federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg have a special relationship. The state governments work together to develop regional social structures such as health care and education that benefit local people. The two governments also work together to build infrastructure such as the Berlin Brandenburg Airport that benefits the local economy.

1 Euro (€) = 100 eurocents OFFICIAL LANGUAGE German

Capital city Following reunification , the

Bundestag (the national legislature) of the new Germany voted to re- establish Berlin as the federal capital. Since 1999 the Bundestag has met in the historic Reichstag building. Since 2000 the Bundesrat (the legislature that represents the states) has also met in Berlin (see page 42).

Long ago people hunted bears in the woods around Berlin. Now the bear is the symbol of the city and appears on its flag. ⌂

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BERLIN