Germany is one of the leading countries of the modern European Union. Its economic power and political stability have a significant impact on the life of not only the Old World, but also other states of our densely populated world. This is largely due to the mentality of the Germans themselves and, of course, the population of Berlin also plays an important role in this matter. This city, multifaceted in all respects, deserves our closest attention. And therefore, in this article, everything about the population of Berlin will be told as much as possible.
General information
The capital of Germany is the absolute leader of the country in terms of area and number of people living. In addition, Berlin, with a population of 3,496,293 in 2015, ranks second in the EU in terms of this indicator and fifth in terms of its territorial size. Rivers such as the Spree and the Havel flow through the city. The settlement is considered one of the world's cultural centers, as well as the largest transport hub, from which you can easily get not only to anywhere in Europe, but also to other continents.
Historical background
The city was founded in 1307, which is already very far from us. Initially, there was a merger of a pair of cities - Cologne and Berlin. In honor of this, a common municipal town hall was erected. And from 1415 to 1918, Berlin was the capital of the Hohenzollerns.
In 1933, after Nazi Hitler came to power, the city became the center of the Third Reich. However, after the crushing defeat of the Nazis in World War II, the capital was divided into four sectors, one of which belonged to the Soviet Union (GDR) for a long time. The population of West Berlin (FRG), in turn, was subordinate to the leaders of the capitalist countries. Germany during the Cold War became a model settlement, while in the GDR a rebellion was suppressed and people lived in constant fear. The merger of the FRG and the GDR took place only in 1990 after the fall of the so-called Berlin Wall.
Administrative features
The population of Berlin lives in twelve administrative districts, which are divided into 95 districts. Each district has its own personal identification number, consisting of four digits. In addition, the German capital is additionally divided into statistical territories with three-digit numbers, which are, in fact, the usual residential areas familiar to us.
Ethnic composition
The population of Berlin, as of January 1, 2016, is about 3,326,002 people. At the same time, the number of living females prevails over males. The average age of a city dweller is 41.3 years. About half of the people in the capital do not have their own family, and some of those who are still officially married, for a number of reasons, prefer to live separately from their legal halves. In Berlin society, it is not considered something reprehensible and wrong to live together with a stranger in order to spend less money on rent and utilities.
Representatives of 185 states of our planet live in Berlin. Moreover, foreigners make up 14% of the total population of the capital. For example, only about 119 thousand people from Turkey live in the city, while the number of Poles is 36 thousand. In fact, the Turkish diaspora in Berlin is the largest of all foreign representatives. 60% of the Turks of Berlin are German citizens, living compactly in an area called Kreuzberg. Russian-speaking citizens make up 30% of all people living in the districts of Marzahn and Hellersdorf. Also, the heirs of the first waves of emigration from the former Soviet Union settled in Charlottenburg and Wilmersdorf, two districts located in old West Berlin.
Representatives of creative professions and the elite live in areas called Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. The industrial center of the capital, in which such giants as Siemens, Osram, BMW are located, is Spandau. A fairly large number of the population of Berlin lives in the most expensive area of the capital, referred to as Grunewald. In fact, this is a huge private sector,located in the city and in contact with the Kurfürstendamm street.
The main visitors of numerous bakeries and cafes are older people - pensioners. Also, this age category is served by insurance at home or in specially created nursing homes. At the same time, these organizations are in constant competition with each other and strive to improve their service. Each employee of any such structure is very polite and courteous to the client and values the reputation of his company.
Attitude towards religion
Population of Berlin in the majority (about 60%) adheres to atheistic views on the existence of God. 22% identify themselves as evangelical Christians, 9% as Catholics, and 6% as Muslims. There are four Orthodox churches in the capital.
Conclusion
Today, answer exactly the question: "How many people are there in Berlin?" extremely difficult. This is largely due to the colossal influx of refugees from Syria, which literally flooded not only the capital, but also many other cities in Germany. The demographic situation in Berlin also leaves much to be desired, also because this city, despite all its economic power, is dying out, as can be seen from regularly updated statistics.
