facts and figures

Land area: 890 sq km

Population: 3.4m
Languages: German

Public holidays 2006:

Jan 1st - New Year’s Day
Apr 14th - Good Friday
Apr 17th - Easter Monday
May 1st - Labour Day
May 25th - Ascension Day
Jun 5th - Whit Monday
Oct 3rd - German Unity Day
Dec 25th - Christmas Day
Dec 26th - Boxing Day

Telephone codes:
Country code: +49
Berlin area code: (0) 30
To make an international call from Germany: 00 + country code

Currency:

On January 1st 2002, the euro (€) replaced the Deutschemark. The euro is divided into 100 cents. Notes come in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins come in denominations of €2 and €1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

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Business hours:

Most offices in Berlin are open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, with one hour’s lunch break. Banks are open Mon & Wed 9am-3pm, Tues & Thurs 9am-6pm, Fri 9am-1pm. Most shops open Mon-Fri 9/10am-8pm and close at 8pm on Saturdays. Shops are legally required to close on Sundays, with occasional exceptions.

Economic profile:

Since the Wall came down in 1989, Berlin has undergone an extraordinary economic transformation. Once-important industries such as food-processing (in the west) and electronics products (in the east) have receded, as many firms, no longer subsidised, have been forced to close down or relocate. In the meantime, Berlin’s service-sector has grown.

The city’s new status as Germany’s seat of government, together with its mammoth facelift, have lent international prestige. Construction and investment have been particularly beneficial to the Mitte area in the east, where much of the new government is based.

But the building boom, and the legacy of heavy subsidy on both sides of the Berlin Wall, have pounded Berlin's finances. Berlin's GDP has been flat for nearly a decade and unemployment stands at almost 20%. By early 2005 the city-state was €55 billion in debt, thanks to losses stemming from the Bankgesellschaft Berlin collapse and lavish spending on culture and social services. The government is making deep cuts in transit, culture and social programmes, and price rises are expected.

If there is a silver lining, it is the slow but steady influx of multinational firms, particularly in the media, music and entertainment sectors. Tourism is another positive, with 2004 levels of domestic and international visitors reaching record highs. Compared with the previous year, 2004 saw an 18.8% increase in arrivals and 16.1% growth in overnight stays. British tourists lead the pack, making up 48.9% of the number of overnight stays (the United States accounts for 19.1%). In 2004, Berlin's hotel-bed capacity rose by 10,400 to a total of 79,600.