Berlin

Berlin's landscape emerged during the last Ice Age. 20,000 years ago, the city area was under a 100-meter-thick layer of Scandinavian land ice. When the glacier melted 18,000 years ago, its outflow created the hollows that define Berlin's river system.

The historic city center lies at the thinnest point of this glacial outflow, which became the east-west flowing Spree. In the western district of Spandau, it joins Hafel, which flows in a north-south direction. The Tegeler See and the Wansee are extensions of the Hafel.

The city has a moderate climate. The average annual temperature is 8.9°C, and the rainfall level is 581 mm. The warmest months are July and August, when the average temperature reaches 18.5 and 17.7 °C, respectively.