Berlin (City)

Berlin (city), city in north-east Germany, capital of a united Germany from 1871 to 1945 and again since 1990. It lies on the flatlands of the North German Plain at the confluence of several rivers and among many lakes. Its name probably comes from a word for island; its slight elevation made it a site for human settlement even in prehistoric times. The city has an area of approximately 889 sq km (343 sq mi).