West Berlin

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/west-berlin

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is West Berlin?Approximately 479 square kilometers (185 square miles)
2. What language do people speak in West Berlin?German
3. What was West Berlin and why was it called an island of freedom?West Berlin was a city inside East Germany that was run by the United States, United Kingdom, and France and was linked to West Germany. It was called an island of freedom because it was surrounded by East Germany but still had Western culture and politics.
4. Why was the Berlin Wall built and what did it do?East Germany built the Berlin Wall in 1961 to stop people from leaving for West Berlin. The wall was a tall concrete barrier with guard towers and a dangerous strip that kept East Germans from going to the West.

De Jure vs. De Facto: De jure means according to law, while de facto means in reality or in practice.
Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension and ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union from the mid-20th century.
German Reunification: The historical event in 1990 that united the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).