Editing Bern (section)

=== Topography ===
{{Further|List of parks in Bern}}
[[File:Bern luftaufnahme.png|thumb|Aerial view of the [[Old City of Bern]] and the [[Aare]]]]
[[File:Bern 2.jpg|thumb|The Old City with the Minster and its platform above the lower ''Matte'' quarter and the [[Aare]]]]
[[File:Aareschlaufe Bern-East.svg|thumb|The Aare flows in a wide loop around the Old City.]]
[[File:Bern, Switzerland.JPG|thumb|View of Bern from the [[International Space Station|ISS]]. The Old City is on the lower right-hand side.]]
Bern lies on the [[Swiss plateau]] in the canton of Bern, slightly west of the centre of Switzerland and {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of the [[Bernese Alps]]. The countryside around Bern was formed by glaciers during the most recent [[ice age]]. The two mountains closest to Bern are [[Gurten (mountain)|Gurten]] with a height of {{convert|864|m|0|abbr=on}} and [[Bantiger]] with a height of {{convert|947|m|0|abbr=on}}. The site of the old observatory in Bern is the point of origin of the [[Swiss coordinate system|CH1903 coordinate system]] at {{Coord|46|57|08.66|N|7|26|22.50|E|region:CH_type:landmark}}.

The city was originally built on a hilly [[peninsula]] surrounded by the river [[Aare]], but outgrew natural boundaries by the 19th century. A [[List of Aar bridges in Bern|number of bridges]] have been built to allow the city to expand beyond the Aare.

Bern is built on very uneven ground. An elevation difference of up to 60 metres exists between the inner city districts on the Aare ([[Mattequartier|Matte]], [[Marzili, Bern|Marzili]]) and the higher ones (Kirchenfeld, Länggasse).

Bern has an area, {{as of|2013|lc=on}}, of {{convert|51.62|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. Of this area, {{convert|9.42|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 18.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while {{convert|17.21|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 33.3% is forested. Of the rest of the land, {{convert|23.76|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 46.0% is settled (buildings or roads), {{convert|1.08|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 2.1% is either rivers or lakes, and {{convert|0.14|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} or 0.3% is unproductive land.<ref name="BFS_land">{{Cite web |title=Swiss Federal Statistical Office-Land Use Statistics |url=https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/raum-umwelt/bodennutzung-bedeckung/gesamtspektrum-regionalen-stufen/gemeinden.assetdetail.11007176.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231014063002/https://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/de/home/statistiken/raum-umwelt/bodennutzung-bedeckung/gesamtspektrum-regionalen-stufen/gemeinden.assetdetail.11007176.html |archive-date=2023-10-14 |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.bfs.admin.ch}}</ref>

Of the developed area of Bern, 3.1% consists of industrial buildings, 22.3% housing and other buildings, and 12.9% is devoted to transport infrastructure. Power and water infrastructure, as well as other special developed areas, made up 1.2% of the city, while another 6.5% consists of parks, green belts, and sports fields.

Of Bern's total land area, 32.8% is heavily forested. Of the agricultural land, 13.3% is used for growing crops and 4.4% is designated to be used as pasture. Local rivers and streams provide all the water in the municipality.<ref name=BFS_land/>

[[File:ETH-BIB-Bern, Münster-Bern-Inlandflüge-LBS MH01-000191.tif|thumb|Aerial view by [[Walter Mittelholzer]] (1919)]]