Boroughs of Berlin facts for kids
Berlin is the capital city of Germany. It is divided into 12 main areas called boroughs. In German, these are known as Bezirke. Think of them like big neighborhoods or districts within the city. Each borough has its own local government, similar to a small town. However, they are still part of the larger city of Berlin.
How Berlin's Boroughs Changed
In 2001, something important happened in Berlin. The city decided to make a big change to its boroughs. This change is called the Berlin borough reform. Before this reform, Berlin had 23 different boroughs. After the reform, the number was cut down to just 12.
The main reason for this change was to save money. By combining smaller boroughs into bigger ones, the city could reduce its administration costs. This means they needed fewer offices and staff to manage everything.
The 12 Current Berlin Boroughs
Here is a list of Berlin's 12 boroughs today. You can also see which older boroughs were combined to create them. The information in the table is from March 2004.
| New Borough Name | Old Borough Names (before 2001) | Area (square kilometers) | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Mitte | Mitte, Tiergarten, Wedding | 39.74 km2 (15.3 sq mi) | 320,420 |
| II | Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg | Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg | 20.16 km2 (7.8 sq mi) | 256,419 |
| III | Pankow | Prenzlauer Berg, Weißensee, Pankow | 103.07 km2 (39.8 sq mi) | 348,412 |
| IV | Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf | Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf | 64.72 km2 (25.0 sq mi) | 315,054 |
| V | Spandau | Spandau (unchanged) | 91.91 km2 (35.5 sq mi) | 225,856 |
| VI | Steglitz-Zehlendorf | Steglitz, Zehlendorf | 102.50 km2 (39.6 sq mi) | 288,285 |
| VII | Tempelhof-Schöneberg | Tempelhof, Schöneberg | 53.09 km2 (20.5 sq mi) | 335,171 |
| VIII | Neukölln | Neukölln (unchanged) | 44.93 km2 (17.3 sq mi) | 306,214 |
| IX | Treptow-Köpenick | Treptow, Köpenick | 168.43 km2 (65.0 sq mi) | 233,923 |
| X | Marzahn-Hellersdorf | Marzahn, Hellersdorf | 61.74 km2 (23.8 sq mi) | 252,602 |
| XI | Lichtenberg | Lichtenberg, Hohenschönhausen | 52.29 km2 (20.2 sq mi) | 258,455 |
| XII | Reinickendorf | Reinickendorf (unchanged) | 89.45 km2 (34.5 sq mi) | 246,118 |
Images for kids
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This map shows the 12 Berlin Bezirke (districts) after the 2001 reform.
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This map shows the twenty-three former boroughs of Berlin, from 1990 to 2000.
See also
In Spanish: Distritos y localidades de Berlín para niños
