Spreewald

The Spreewald Biosphere Reserve is situated 100 km south-east of Berlin. It is known for its traditional irrigation system which consists of more than 200 small channels (called "Fliesse"; total length : 1,300 km ) within the 484 km2 area. The landscape was shaped during the ice-age. Alder forests on wetlands and pine forests on sandy dry areas are characteristic for the region, however, also grasslands and fields can be found.

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About 50,000 people live in the biosphere reserve (1998). Many of them are descendants of the first settlers in the Spreewald region, the Slavic tribes of the Sorbs/Wends. Until today, they have preserved their traditional language, customs and clothing. People mostly depend on tourism. Many tourists enjoy the exploration of the Spreewald in punts. However, also agriculture, forestry and fishery are important sources of income.

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Spreewald gave its name to the following German districts:

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• Dahme-Spreewald
• Oberspreewald-Lausitz

Berlin: :This article is about the city in Germany. For other uses, see Berlin (disambiguation)....

Ice-age: An ice age is a period of long-term downturn in the temperature of Earth's climate, resulting in an expansion of the continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers ("glaciation"). Glaciologically, ice age is often used to mean a period of ice sheets in the northern and southern hemis...

Slavic: Slav, Slavic or Slavonic can refer to:...