55°57N 3°13W, pop (2000e) 445 400. Capital of Scotland; in EC Scotland, UK, between Pentland Hills and S shore of Firth of Forth; port facilities at Leith; castle built by Malcolm Canmore (11th-c); charter granted by Robert Bruce, 1392; capital of Scotland, 1482; in the 1760s, New Town area designed by James Craig (174495), but the business centre remained in the Old Town; Nor' Loch separating old and new towns was drained and laid out as gardens (Princes Street Gardens); much of the historic old town destroyed by fire (2002); new local council status in 1996 (as City of Edinburgh); airport; railway; Edinburgh University (1583); Heriot-Watt University (1966); Napier University (1992, formerly Polytechnic); commercial, business, legal, and cultural centre; brewing, distilling, finance, tourism, printing, publishing, trade in grain; Edinburgh Castle (oldest part, St Margaret's Chapel, 12th-c); Royal Mile from castle to Palace of Holyroodhouse, official residence of the Queen in Scotland; Holyrood Park, containing Arthur's Seat, extinct volcano; Scott Monument (1844), 61 m/200 ft high; observatory on Calton Hill, with unfinished reproduction of the Parthenon; Royal Observatory on Blackford Hill; Gladstone's Land (6-storey tenement, 1620), house of John Knox (15th-c), St Giles Cathedral (15th-c), National Gallery of Scotland, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Royal Museum of Scotland, Museum of Childhood, Wax Museum, Royal Botanic Garden (Queen Mother Memorial Garden opened 2006), zoo, Meadowbank Stadium sports complex, artificial ski slope; folk festival (Mar), Royal Highland Agricultural Show (Jun), Military Tattoo (Aug); International, Fringe, Jazz, Book, and Film Festivals, and Highland Games (AugSep); location of the 1970 British Commonwealth Games; named the world's first City of Literature by UNESCO in 2004.
| Edinburgh | |
|---|---|
| Gaelic: | Dùn Èideann |
| Scots: | Embra, Embro or Edinburrie; poetic, Edina, Dunedin |
| Location | |
| OS grid reference: | NT275735 |
| Statistics | |
| Population: | 457,380 (according to the 2005 census) |
| Administration | |
| Council area: | City of Edinburgh |
| Constituent country: | Scotland |
| Sovereign state: | United Kingdom |
| Other | |
| Police force: | Lothian and Borders Police |
| Lieutenancy area: | Edinburgh |
| Former county: | City of Edinburgh |
| Post office and telephone | |
| Post town: | EDINBURGH |
| Postal district: | EH1-EH13; EH15-EH17 |
| Dialling code: | 0131 |
| Politics | |
| Scottish Parliament: |
Edinburgh North and Leith Edinburgh Central Edinburgh East and Musselburgh Edinburgh Pentlands Edinburgh South Edinburgh West Lothians |
| UK Parliament: |
Edinburgh South Edinburgh West Edinburgh South West Edinburgh North and Leith Edinburgh East |
| European Parliament: | Scotland |
Edinburgh (pronounced [ˈɛdɪnb(ə)rə]; (The city council area includes urban Edinburgh and more rural areas.) It has been the capital of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the country's devolved government. The city was one of the major centres of the enlightenment (see Scottish Enlightenment), led by the University of Edinburgh. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
Edinburgh is well-known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, actually a collection of independent festivals held annually over about four weeks from early August, when the population of the city doubles. The most famous of these events are the Edinburgh Fringe (the largest performing arts festival in the world), the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
The first evidence of the existence of the town as a separate entity from the fort lies in an early 12th century royal charter, generally thought to date from 1124, by King David I granting land to the Church of the Holy Rood of Edinburgh.
Some have called Edinburgh the Athens of the North for a variety of reasons. The earliest comparison between the two cities showed that they had a similar topography, with the Old Town of Edinburgh performing a similar role to the Athenian Acropolis.
Edinburgh has also been known as Dunedin, deriving from the Scottish Gaelic, Dùn Èideann. Dunedin, New Zealand, was originally called "New Edinburgh" and is still nicknamed the "Edinburgh of the South".
The map co-ordinates of the centre of Edinburgh are approximately 55°57′N 3°11′W.
Parts of the city
Areas of the centre
The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided into two by the broad green swath of Princes Street Gardens.
Other notable places of interest nearby include the Royal Museum of Scotland, Surgeons' Hall, the University of Edinburgh, and numerous underground streets and vaults, relics of previous phases of construction. The street layout, typical of the old quarters of many northern European cities, is made especially picturesque in Edinburgh, where the castle perches on top of a rocky crag, the remnants of a dormant volcano, and the main street runs down the crest of a ridge from it. Princes Street has since become the main shopping street in Edinburgh, and few Georgian buildings survive on it.
Leith
Leith is the port of Edinburgh. It still retains a separate identity from Edinburgh, and it was a matter of great resentment when, in 1920, the burgh of Leith was merged into the county of Edinburgh.
See also: Granton, Newhaven
Viewpoints
The varied topography of the city includes several summits which command sweeping views over Edinburgh.
To the southeast of central Edinburgh stands the eminence known as Arthur's Seat, overlooking Holyroodhouse and the Old Town beside it. It contains the United Kingdom's largest concentration of geological SSSIs, as well as providing the people of Edinburgh with spectacular views of and from Arthur's Seat and somewhere to relax after a long day in the city. It is topped by an assortment of buildings and monuments: two observatories, Nelson's Monument (a tower dedicated to Admiral Horatio Nelson), the old Royal High School (once almost the home of a devolved Scottish Assembly), and the unfinished National Monument, which is modelled on the Parthenon from the Athenian Acropolis and is nicknamed "Edinburgh's Disgrace".
Climate
Like much of the rest of Scotland, Edinburgh has a temperate maritime climate, which is relatively mild despite its northerly latitude. Given Edinburgh's position between the coast and hills it is renowned as a windy city, with the prevailing wind direction coming from the south-west which is associated with warm, unstable air from the Gulf Stream that gives rise to rainfall.
Climate Table| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 6.2 | 6.5 | 8.7 | 11.1 | 14.2 | 17.3 | 18.8 | 18.5 | 16.2 | 13.2 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 12.1 | |
| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 5.7 | 8.7 | 10.3 | 10.2 | 8.4 | 5.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 4.8 | |
| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 57 | 42 | 51 | 41 | 51 | 51 | 57 | 65 | 67 | 65 | 63 | 58 | 668 | |
| Mean number of rain days | 17.2 | 13.6 | 16.2 | 14.0 | 14.4 | 13.3 | 13.1 | 15.2 | 16.5 | 16.7 | 16.3 | 16.3 | 182.8 | |
| Source: World Meterological Organization | ||||||||||||||
Culture
Festivals
Culturally, Edinburgh is best known for the Edinburgh Festival, although this is in fact a series of separate events, which run from the end of July until early September each year.
The International Festival has since been taken over in both size and popularity by the Edinburgh Fringe.
Alongside these major festivals, there is also the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Running concurrently with the festivals, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo occupies the Castle Esplanade every night, with massed pipers and fireworks.
Music, theatre and film
Outside festival season, Edinburgh continues to support a number of theatres and production companies. The Royal Lyceum Theatre has its own company, while the King's Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, and Edinburgh Playhouse stage large touring shows.
The Usher Hall is Edinburgh's premier venue for classical music, as well as the occasional prestige popular music gig.
Edinburgh has two repertory cinemas, the Edinburgh Filmhouse, and the Cameo, as well as the usual range of multiplexes.
Edinburgh has a healthy popular music scene, despite the recent closure of The Venue and the attempted closure of Studio 24.
Visual arts
Edinburgh is home to Scotland's five National Galleries.
The city council-owned City Arts Centre shows regular art exhibitions.
Letters
Edinburgh has a long literary tradition, going back to the Scottish Enlightenment. More recently, Edinburgh has become associated with the crime novels of Ian Rankin and the work of Leith native Irvine Welsh, whose novels are mostly set in the city and are often written in colloquial Scots. Edinburgh has been declared the first UNESCO City of Literature.
Edinburgh's Enlightenment also produced philosopher David Hume and the pioneer of economics, Adam Smith.
Nightlife
Edinburgh has a large number of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
A fortnightly publication, The List, is dedicated to life in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and contains listings of all Nightclubs, as well as music, theatrical and other events.
Sports
Edinburgh has two professional football clubs: Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian. Non-league sides include Spartans and Edinburgh City. Edinburgh's professional rugby team, Edinburgh, play in the Celtic League at Murrayfield.
The Edinburgh Capitals are the latest of a succession of ice hockey clubs to represent the Scottish capital. Previously Edinburgh was represented by the Murrayfield Racers and the Edinburgh Racers.
Edinburgh has also hosted various national and international sports events including the World Student Games, the 1970 British Commonwealth Games, the 1986 Commonwealth Games and the inaugural 2000 Commonwealth Youth Games.
The Edinburgh Marathon has been held in the city since 2003 with over 13,000 taking part annually.
Demographics
Population of Edinburgh| 1755 | 1791 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57,195 | 81,865 | 82,624 | 112,235 | 136,054 | 138,182 | 160,511 | 168,121 | 196,979 | 228,357 | 261,225 | |
| 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 316,837 | 320,318 | 420,264 | 439,010 | 466,761 | 468,361 | 453,575 | 425,575 | 418,914 | 448,624 | 457,830 |
| Population of Leith included. Sources: City of Edinburgh Council and Edinphoto | ||||||||||
As of 2005, the General Register Office for Scotland estimated that the City of Edinburgh council area had a resident population of 457,830.
Whilst Edinburgh's population is ageing a very large and transient population of young students studying at the universities in the city offset this demographic problem somewhat.
Economy
The economy of Edinburgh is largely based around the services sector centred around banking, financial services and tourism.
Banking has been a part of the economic life of Edinburgh for over 300 years with the invention of capitalism in the city, with the establishment of the Bank of Scotland by an act of the original Parliament of Scotland in 1695. Today, together with the burgeoning financial services industry, with particular strengths in insurance and investment underpinned by the presence Edinburgh based firms such as Scottish Widows and Standard Life, Edinburgh has emerged as Europe’s sixth largest financial centre.
Manufacturing has never had as strong a presence in Edinburgh compared to Glasgow; This is augmented in August of each year with the presence of the Edinburgh Festivals, which bring in large numbers of visitors, generating in excess of £100m for the Edinburgh economy.
As the centre of Scotland’s devolved government, as well as its legal system, the public sector plays a central role in the economy of Edinburgh with many departments of the Scottish Executive located in the city.
Government and politics
As capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is host to the national unicameral legislature, the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Parliament Building, in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh, opened in September 2004.
The Scottish Executive, the devolved government of Scotland, has offices at St Andrew's House on Calton Hill in the city centre, and Victoria Quay in Leith.
Apart from elections to the Scottish Parliament, politics in Edinburgh are evident in elections to the City of Edinburgh Council and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Local government
Edinburgh constitutes one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and, as such, is represented by the Edinburgh City Council, a local authority composed of 58 elected councillors, each representing an electoral ward in the city.
Scottish Parliament
In elections to the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), the city area is divided between six of the nine constituencies in the Lothians electoral region.
Five of the six Edinburgh constituencies, Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh South and Edinburgh West, are entirely within the city area.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
In elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), the city area is divided between five first past the post constituencies, all entirely within the city area, and each electing one Member of Parliament (MP): Edinburgh South, Edinburgh West, Edinburgh South West, Edinburgh North and Leith, and Edinburgh East.
Transport
Edinburgh is a major transport hub in east central Scotland, with arterial road and rail routes that connect the city to the rest of Scotland and with England.
Most passenger transport trips in Edinburgh are taken by bus, with Lothian Buses and First Bus operating an extensive system connecting most parts of the city, suburbs and surrounding city region. In early 2007, construction will begin on the Edinburgh Tram Network, a light rapid transit system of trams that will connect the airport and western suburbs with the city centre.
Edinburgh Waverley is the main railway station for the city.
Edinburgh is served by Edinburgh Airport (EDI), located approximately 8 miles to the west of the city, with connections to many cities in Europe and an expanding international long-haul route network. The rise in car use in the city caused commuting trips to grow by 72% in Edinburgh between 1981 and 2001.
Education
Universities and colleges
The University of Edinburgh was founded by Royal Charter in 1583, and is the fourth oldest university in Scotland, after St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen. As the institution continued to expand, new buildings were constructed around George Square, where the heart of the university remains, and the King's Buildings campus in southern Edinburgh. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh were also established by Royal Charter, in 1506 and 1681 respectively. The Trustees Drawing Academy of Edinburgh was established in 1760, an institution that became, in 1907, Edinburgh College of Art.
Other colleges offering further education in Edinburgh include Telford College, opened in 1968, and Stevenson College, opened in 1970.
Schools
Notable schools in Edinburgh include the Royal High School, (a state run school) considered to be the oldest in Scotland, and Donaldson's College, for deaf students. Private schools include Edinburgh Academy, St George’s School for Girls, Fettes College, George Heriot's School, George Watson's College, the Mary Erskine School, Merchiston Castle School and Stewart's Melville College.
Health
Hospitals
Notable hospitals in Edinburgh include the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which includes Edinburgh University Medical School, and the Western General Hospital, which includes a large cancer treatment centre.
Places of worship
Churches
Edinburgh has a large number of churches of many different denominations.
The national Church of Scotland is numerically the largest denomination in Edinburgh; The Church of Scotland Offices are located in Edinburgh, as is the Church's Assembly Hall (used as the home of the Scottish Parliament 1999-2004) and New College on The Mound.
The second-largest church in Edinburgh (in terms of membership) is the Catholic Church.
Mosque
Edinburgh's main mosque and Islamic Centre is located on Potterow on the city's southside, near Bristo Square.
Synagogue
The first recorded presence of a Jewish community in Edinburgh dates back to the late 17th century.
Notable residents
Many famous people in the past and present have been born in Edinburgh, resident in the city or connected to it in some way, these include:
Alexander Graham Bell, telephone pioneer, was born in Edinburgh. Tony Blair, UK Prime Minister, was born in the city and attended its exclusive Fettes College high school James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish physicist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was born in the city's New Town Sir Sean Connery, actor Cushny, Arthur Robertson, physiologist Wattie Buchan, lead singer and founding member of punk band The Exploited, was born in, and still lives in Edinburgh to this day Isabella Glyn, (1823-1889) Victorian era actress David Hume, philosopher and historian James Hutton, geologist, regarded as the "Father of Geology" Shirley Manson, lead singer for the band Garbage John Napier, mathematician, mainly remembered for the invention of logarithms Max Born, Physicist and Nobel Laureate Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series of crime thrillers, attended the University of Edinburgh J. Rowling, Harry Potter author, wrote her first book in Edinburgh coffee-shop, Nicolson's. James Boyle (broadcasting), arts supremo, formerly head of BBC Radio Four and BBC Radio Scotland, and former chairman of the Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Cultural Commission, lives in Edinburgh Sir Walter Scott, (1771-1832), novelist, was born in Edinburgh.Twinned cities worldwide
Edinburgh is twinned with several cities across Europe and throughout the rest of the world. These include:
| Munich, Germany Florence, Italy Nice, France Vancouver, Canada Kiev, Ukraine | Aalborg, Denmark San Diego, U.S. Dunedin, New Zealand Kraków, Poland Xi'an, the People's Republic of China |
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