
Berlin is the capital of Germany, a spread-out city on the River Spree in the north-east of the country.
The city stands on a flat, sandy lowland laced with canals, rivers and lakes, and takes in large parks such as the Tiergarten. Split by the Berlin Wall from 1961 to 1989, it carries visible traces of twentieth-century history beside a busy contemporary art and music scene. Landmarks include the Brandenburg Gate, the glass-domed Reichstag, the East Side Gallery and Museum Island.