Difference between revisions of "Edinburgh" - New World Encyclopedia

City of Edinburgh
	City of Edinburgh; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann; Scots: Edinburgh
	— Unitary authority & city —
	City of Edinburgh
	View of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat
	Nickname: "Auld Reekie," "Athens of the North," "Edina," "Dunedin"
	Motto: "Nisi Dominus Frustra" "Except the Lord in vain" associated with Edinburgh since 1647, it is a normal heraldic contraction of a verse from the 127th Psalm, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain"
	; City of Edinburgh Location in Scotland
Coordinates: 55°57′N 3°11′W
Founded	prior to the 7th century
Burgh Charter	1125
City status	1889
	Government
- Type	Unitary Authority, City
- Governing body	The City of Edinburgh Council
- Lord Provost	George Grubb
- MSPs	6
- MPs:	5
	Area
- Unitary authority & city	100.00 sq mi (259 km²)
	Population (2010)
- Unitary authority & city	486,120
- Urban	817,800
- Urban Density	4,776/sq mi (1,844/km²)
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode	EH
Area code(s)	0131
ISO 3166-2	GB-EDH
ONS code	00QP
OS grid reference	NT275735
NUTS 3	UKM25
	Website: www.edinburgh.gov.uk (Official Council site); www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com (Visitor-facing site)

Latest revision as of 18:11, 12 February 2024

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish city after Glasgow. It has been the capitol of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the Scottish Parliament. The city was a center of the Enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh, earning it the nickname Athens of the North.

Located in the southeast of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of the Central Belt, along the Firth of Forth, near the North Sea. Owing to its rugged setting and vast collection of Medieval and Georgian architecture, including numerous stone tenements, it is often considered one of the most picturesque cities in Europe.

The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. They display a "remarkable juxtaposition" between districts carefully planned and built centuries apart which "exerted a major influence on the development of urban architecture and town planning throughout Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries." Edinburgh is one of Europe's foremost tourist destinations, attracting one million visitors a year. It is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.

Geography

The origin of the city's name inEnglish is understood to come from the Brythonic Din Eidyn (Fort of Eidyn) from the time when it was a Gododdin hillfort. It came to be known to the English, the Bernician Angles, as Edin-burh. The burgh means "fortress" or "walled group of buildings," while Edin is untranslated.

The city is affectionately nicknamed Auld Reekie (Scots for Old Smoky), because of smoke from coal and wood fires. 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."

Edinburgh occupies seven miles (11 km) of the north-facing slope on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, which is an arm of the North Sea reaching west into the Scottish Lowlands. Much of the city lies among craggy upthrusts of lava and hills—the valleys between were scoured by Pleistocene Epoch glacial action.

Arthur’s Seat has an elevation of 823 feet (251 meters), while Castle Rock, a basalt plug sealing an extinct volcano, stands 250 feet (76 meters) above the valley floor and is crowned by the famous Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh has a temperate maritime climate, which is relatively mild despite its northerly latitude. Winters are especially mild, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 43.2°F (6.2°C), rising to an average maximum of around 65.8°F (18.8°C) in July. The proximity of the city to the sea mitigates any extremes of climate. Edinburgh is renowned as a windy city. Mean annual precipitation is 26.3 inches (668 mm).

The historic center of Edinburgh is divided by the broad green swathe of Princes Street Gardens. To the south is Edinburgh Castle, perched atop the extinct volcanic crag, and the long sweep of the Old Town trailing after it along the ridge. To the north lies Princes Street and the New Town. The gardens were begun in 1816 on bogland which had once been the Nor Loch. To the immediate west of the castle lies the financial district, housing insurance and banking buildings.


Looking northeast across part of Princes Street Gardens.	View over Auld Reekie, with the Dugald Stewart Monument in the foreground.

History

Detail of the Hereford Mappa Mundi, Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this T and O map of the British isles from c. 1300

An 1802 illustration of Edinburgh from the West.

A nineteenth century view of Holyrood Palace from Calton Hill.

The remains of Holyrood Abbey

Edinburgh Castle, as viewed from Princes St.

The Mound, Edinburgh.

Evidence of human settlement on the shores of the Firth of Forth dates to 7000 B.C.E., while archaeological excavations reveal that the Castle Rock has been occupied since about 1000 B.C.E.

Roman forts were built at Cramond and Inveresk on the western and eastern margins of the present-day city during the second century C.E. A Celtic tribe known as the Votadini was based at Traprain Law, a hill about 20 miles (30 km) east of the modern city at that time, and moved to Castle Rock around 500, after the Romans departed.

In 580, when a military campaign started in Edinburgh (Din Etin) (commemorated in the Welsh poem Y Gododdin) most of the inhabitants of southern Scotland spoke British, the ancestor of modern Welsh. Around 638, Edinburgh was besieged, possibly marking the passing of control of the fort of Din Etin from the Gododdin to the Northumbrian English, led at this time by Oswald of Northumbria (604-642).

However, in the seventh century, Edwin of Northumbria (586-633), an Angle of Deira (the southern part of the Kingdom of Northumbria, captured this location and named it Eiden's burgh (burgh being an old word for "fort"). Edwin made Edinburgh his capital and from it carved out a kingdom, which stretched to the river Humber in England, known as Northumbria/Bernicia.

By 731, Edinburgh was firmly within the kingdom of Northumbria at the time of Bede (672-735), who completed his History in that year. Around 960, Scots captured Edinburgh during the reign of Illulb mac Custantin (954-62). King David I (1085-1153) granted Edinburgh the status of a Royal burgh in 1125, which promoted the manufacture of cloth and trade in the city.

Because of Edinburgh's earlier Anglo-Saxon rule, Edinburgh and the Border counties lay in a disputed zone between England and Scotland, England claiming all Anglo-Saxon Domains as English territory, and Scotland claiming all territory as far south as Hadrians Wall. This resulted in a long series of border wars and clashes, which often left Edinburgh Castle under English control.

After the Wars of Independence (1296–1328) fought against England, Edinburgh became Scotland’s main trading center. In 1329, King Robert the Bruce (reign: 1306–1329) confirmed Edinburgh's privileges as a royal burgh and established a port at Leith. At that time, Edinburgh was renowned for its stench—domestic refuse and offal from skinners, butchers, and fishmongers were dumped on either side of the main street.

King James IV of Scotland (reign: 1488–1513) moved the Royal Court from Stirling to Holyrood, making Edinburgh Scotland's capital. James V established the Court of Session, the central civil-law court, in Edinburgh in 1532.

In 1603, following King James VI's accession to the English and Irish Thrones, James VI (1566-1625) instituted the first executive Parliament of Scotland which met in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle, later finding a home in the Tolbooth, before moving to purpose-built Parliament House, Edinburgh, which later became home to the Supreme Courts of Scotland

In 1639, disputes over the planned merger, between the Presbyterian Church and the Anglican Church, and the demands by Charles I, to reunify the divided St Giles' Cathedral, led to the Bishops Wars (1639-1640), which in turn led to the English Civil War (1641-1653), and the eventual the occupation of Edinburgh by Commonwealth forces of Oliver Cromwell. In the 1670s, King Charles II commissioned the rebuilding of Holyrood Palace.

In 1707, the Act of Union, which joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland (previously separate states) was signed in a cellar in Parliament Square, and Edinburgh lost all independent political life. A surge of building took place within the Old Town.

Edinburgh was occupied by Jacobite forces during the last Jacobite rebellion in 1746, which aimed to return descendants of the Scottish House of Stuart to the throne of England. It was subsequently occupied by British forces under the command of the Prince William, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765), leading to a long period of reprisals.

From 1772, after the draining of the Nor Loch, which had been both the city's water supply and place for dumping sewage, Edinburgh expanded beyond the Old Town. The Nor Loch area became Castle Gardens. The New Town resulted from a 1776 design competition, which created a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted well with enlightenment ideas of rationality. George Street, Frederick Street, Hanover Street, Queen Street, and Prince’s Street, the main shopping street in Edinburgh, were named in honor of the Hanoverian monarch on the English throne.

A number of Scottish intellectuals, many from Edinburgh, including political economist Adam Smith (1723-1790) and philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), felt it was a time for Scotland to modernize. They promoted the idea of Britishness, and led the British Empire into a golden age of economic and social reform and prosperity. Edinburgh became a cultural center, earning it the nickname "Athens of the North," both due to the Greco-Roman style of the New Towns' architecture, as well as the rise of the Scottish/British intellectual elite there. The creator of the historical novel, Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), was another Edinburgh native.

Excess soil from the construction of the New Town was dumped into the loch, creating what became The Mound. In the mid-nineteenth century the National Gallery of Scotland and Royal Scottish Academy Building were built on The Mound, and tunnels to Waverley Station driven through it.

From 1830 to World War I (1914-1918), Edinburgh, like many cities, industrialized, but most of this happened in Leith. Edinburgh did not grow greatly in size, but the increase in the laboring population brought overcrowding, malnutrition, and epidemics. Glasgow soon replaced it as the largest and most prosperous city in Scotland, becoming the industrial, commercial, and trade center, while Edinburgh remained Scotland's intellectual and cultural center.

Sir Patrick Geddes (1854-1932), a pioneer of urban planning, tried to revive the Old Town in the 1890s. Nationalist poet Hugh MacDiarmid (1892-1978) made Edinburgh the center of the Scottish political and literary renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s.

After World War II (1939-1945), Edinburgh developed as a center for higher education, especially in medicine and surgery, electronics, and artificial intelligence. The cultural life of the city expanded, especially through the Edinburgh International Festival, which began in 1947. The city has begun a movement to conserve its stone architecture.

A new Scottish Parliament and government was established in Edinburgh in 1999, re-establishing the city as the capital and political center of Scotland.

Government

The new Scottish Parliament Building opened in October 2004.

As part of the United Kingdom, Scotland is a liberal democracy and a constitutional monarchy. In elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the city is divided into five first-past-the-post constituencies. As capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is host to the national unicameral legislature, the Scottish Parliament, which opened in September 2004. The Scottish Parliament devolves responsibility for health, education, housing, economic development, regional transport, the environment, and agriculture. For elections to the European Parliament, Edinburgh is within the Scotland constituency.

Edinburgh constitutes one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and is represented by the City of Edinburgh Council, comprising 58 elected councillors, each representing a multi-member electoral ward, and led by the Lord Provost. Council elections are held on a four year cycle. Each of the multi-member wards elects three or four councillors by the single transferable vote system.

Economy

The Forth Bridge at night.

Waverley is located in the ravine between the Old and New Town on the drained Nor Loch.

Within the United Kingdom, Edinburgh's economy is second to London—the city's GDP per capita was measured at US$55,000 in 2004, compared with London's US$72,500 in 2005. The city's economy is centered around banking, financial services, higher education, tourism, and government, as well as its legal system.

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. The city's financial services industry, particularly insurance and investment, has caused Edinburgh to emerge as Europe's sixth largest financial center. The Royal Bank of Scotland is the fifth largest in the world by market capitalization.

Tourism is an important economic mainstay, enhanced by the city's status as a World Heritage Site, and the annual Edinburgh Festivals, which generates in excess of £100-million for the city.

Manufacturing has never had as strong a presence in Edinburgh as Glasgow. However, brewing, publishing, and electronics have maintained a foothold. Unemployment in Edinburgh was low at 2.2 percent in 2007, below the Scottish average.

Edinburgh is a transport hub, with arterial road and rail routes that connect the city to the rest of Scotland and with England. The Forth Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge are both engineering feats. A bus service provides most public transport. Construction began in 2007 on a light rail tram line to connect Edinburgh Airport and Granton via the city center and Leith Walk.

Leith is the port of Edinburgh and retains a separate identity. Redevelopment attracted the business of a number of companies which provide cruises to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. Leith has the decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia. Large parts of the port have been redeveloped into retail and residential buildings. Edinburgh is served by Edinburgh Airport, located about eight miles (13 km) to the west of the city.

Demographics

St Giles' Cathedral.

The University of Edinburgh's Old College, home of its Law School.

The City of Edinburgh council area had an estimated population of 463,510 in 2006.^[2] The population of the greater Edinburgh area was 1.25 million and was projected to grow to 1.33 million by 2020. Though Edinburgh's population is aging, there is a large and transient population of around 100,000 young students.^[3]

Edinburgh is a cosmopolitan city. The main ethnic groups are: Scottish (including those of mixed English and Scottish descent and those born in Scotland of full English descent) 82 percent, English 13 percent, Polish two percent, Chinese one percent, Indian one percent, and Pakistani one percent. The other two percent includes French, Spanish, Lithuanians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Chileans, Malaysians, and Africans.

The primary languages are Scottish English, (Lowland) Scots, and Scottish Gaelic.

The Church of Scotland claims the largest membership. Its most important and historical church is Saint Giles' Cathedral. The Roman Catholic Church has a sizable presence. The Free Church of Scotland (Reformed and Presbyterian) has congregations on the Royal Mile and Crosscauseway. The Scottish Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion. Independent churches include Destiny Church, Charlotte Chapel, Carrubbers Christian Centre and Bellevue Chapel.

Edinburgh's main mosque and Islamic Centre was opened in the late 1990s, largely financed by a gift from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. A Jewish community in the city dates to the late 17th century. Edinburgh's Orthodox synagogue was opened in 1932. A Liberal congregation also meets in the city. There is also a Sikh Gurdwara and Hindu Mandir in the Leith district.

The Royal High School that traces its roots to 1128, is considered to be the oldest school in Scotland.

The University of Edinburgh was founded by Royal Charter in 1583,^[4] and is the fourth oldest university in Scotland. The Old College on South Bridge opened in the 1820s. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh were established by Royal Charter, in 1506 and 1681 respectively. The Trustees Drawing Academy of Edinburgh was established in 1760, an institution that became the Edinburgh College of Art in 1907.

Heriot-Watt University and Napier Technical College were established in the 1960s. Other colleges include Telford College, opened in 1968, and Stevenson College, opened in 1970. Basil Paterson College offers courses in languages and teaching. The Scottish Agricultural College also has a campus in south Edinburgh.

Society and culture

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a native of Edinburgh.

The Royal Mile in the Old Town during the Edinburgh Festival.

Mary King's Close.

Famous authors of the city include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series of crime thrillers, J. K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, who wrote her first book in an Edinburgh coffee shop and Adam Smith, economist, born in Kirkcaldy, and author of The Wealth of Nations.

On the more sinister side, famous criminals from Edinburgh's history include Deacon Brodie, pillar of society by day and burglar by night, who is said to have influenced Robert Louis Stevenson's story, the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; the murderers Burke and Hare, who provided fresh corpses for anatomical dissection; and Major Weir a notorious warlock.

Scotland has a rich history of science and Edinburgh has its fair share of famous names. James Clerk Maxwell, the founder of the modern theory of electromagnetism, was born there and educated at the Edinburgh Academy, as was the telephone pioneer Alexander Graham Bell.^[5] Other names connected to the city include Max Born, physicist and Nobel laureate; Charles Darwin, the biologist who discovered natural selection; David Hume a philosopher, economist and historian; James Hutton, regarded as the "Father of Geology"; John Napier inventor of logarithms;^[6] and Ian Wilmut the geneticist involved in the cloning of Dolly the sheep just outside Edinburgh. The stuffed carcass of Dolly the sheep is now on display in the National Museum of Scotland.

Edinburgh has two professional football clubs: Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian. The Scotland national rugby union team plays at Murrayfield Stadium, the Scottish cricket team play home matches at The Grange, and the Edinburgh Capitals are the latest of a succession of ice hockey clubs to represent the Scottish capital. In April 2008, Mark Beaumont, from New Town, Edinburgh, broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle, completing his ride in only 194 days and 17 hours.

The Edinburgh Festival is a collection of festivals held annually over four weeks from early August, and include the Edinburgh Fringe, the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. The Hogmanay street party takes place on December 31, Burns Night on January 25, St Andrew's Day on November 30, and the Beltane Fire Festival on April 30.

Places of interest

Edinburgh is home to a large number of museums and libraries, including the Museum of Scotland, the Royal Museum, the National Library of Scotland, National War Museum of Scotland, the Museum of Edinburgh, the Museum of Childhood, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Buildings and sites of interest include:

Edinburgh Castle, in which the oldest existing building is Saint Margaret's chapel, built in the early twelfth century.

The Royal Mile, which is part of the Old Town, refers to the succession of streets which runs between Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle Rock down to Holyrood Abbey. Minor streets or alleyways (called closes or wynds) lead downhill on either side of the main spine in a herringbone pattern. Large squares mark the location of markets or surround public buildings such as Saint Giles Cathedral and the Law Courts.

Mary King's Close, named after a sixteenth century Edinburgh merchant, consists of a number of closes which were originally narrow streets with tenement houses on either side, stretching to seven storys high. Space restrictions in the Old Town gave rise to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings, known as lands, with 10 and 11 stories being typical. Additionally, numerous vaults below street level were inhabited to accommodate the influx of (mainly Irish) immigrants during the Industrial Revolution. These continue to fuel legends of an underground city.^[7]

Holyrood Abbey, which is a ruined Augustinian Abbey sited in the grounds of the Royal Palace of Holyroodhouse, which it predates, and was built in 1128 at the order of King David I of Scotland.

Holyrood House, officially the Palace of Holyrood, which is situated at the bottom of the Royal Mile, and date largely from the reign of Charles II (c. 1649-1685). The Holyrood Abbey precinct remained a debtors' sanctuary until the 19th century, long after the abbey itself had fallen into disrepair.

Parliament House, which is located on the Royal Mile, and was built between 1632 and 1639. Since the union of the Scottish and English parliaments in 1707 the building has been used by the Court of Session, the highest court of law in Scotland.

Edinburgh Zoo, located on the Corstorphine Hill, and was built in 1913, receives over 600,000 visitors a year, which makes it Scotland's second most popular paid-for tourist attraction, after Edinburgh Castle.

Looking to the future

As a center of the Enlightenment, an intellectual center, arguably the birthplace of capitalism, and the location of a centuries-long financial tradition, Edinburgh offers a rich legacy that transcends the curiosities of Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and the 4,500 heritage buildings listed there. With a GDP second to London, as the location of the Scottish Parliament and with one million visitors a year, Edinburgh's financial future would seem assured.

Panorama of the Old Town and Southside of Edinburgh from the Nelson monument. The term Panorama was originally coined by the Irish painter Robert Barker to describe his panoramic paintings of Edinburgh.

Notes

↑ Population - Vital Statistics Retrieved April 17, 2012.
↑ General Register Office for Scotland, Mid Year Population Estimates, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
↑ "Napier University Edinburgh," Graduate Prospects.
↑ University of Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh Historical Tour. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
↑ Library and Archives Canada, Alexander Graham Bell. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
↑ J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, John Napier, University of St Andrews. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
↑ Donald Campbell, Edinburgh: A Cultural and Literary History (Oxford: Signal Books, 2003, ISBN 1902669738).

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Campbell, Donald. Edinburgh: A Cultural and Literary History. Cities of the imagination. New York: Interlink Books, 2004. ISBN 978-1566565158
Davies, Norman. The Isles: A History. London: Macmillan, 1999. ISBN 0333692837
Harris, Nathaniel. Heritage of Scotland: A Cultural History of Scotland & Its People. New York: Checkmark Books, 2000. ISBN 978-0816041367
Magnusson, Magnus. Scotland: The Story of a Nation. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0871137982

External links

All links retrieved February 12, 2024.

Credits

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Edinburgh ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

History of "Edinburgh"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.

[1] Population - Vital Statistics Retrieved April 17, 2012.

[2] General Register Office for Scotland, Mid Year Population Estimates, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2008.

[3] "Napier University Edinburgh," Graduate Prospects.

[4] University of Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh Historical Tour. Retrieved October 19, 2008.

[5] Library and Archives Canada, Alexander Graham Bell. Retrieved October 19, 2008.

[6] J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, John Napier, University of St Andrews. Retrieved October 19, 2008.

[7] Donald Campbell, Edinburgh: A Cultural and Literary History (Oxford: Signal Books, 2003, ISBN 1902669738).

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+|footnotes =
 }}
-'''Edinburgh''' ({{audio2|En-uk-edinburgh.ogg}}, {{pronEng|ˈɛdɪnb(ə)rə}}; {{lang-gd|'''Dùn Èideann'''}}), located in the south-east of Scotland, is the [[capital]] of [[Scotland]] and is its second largest [[City status in the United Kingdom|city]] after [[Glasgow]].
+'''Edinburgh''' is the [[capital]] city of [[Scotland]]. It is the seventh largest city in the [[United Kingdom]] and the second largest Scottish city after [[Glasgow]]. It has been the capitol of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the [[Scottish Parliament]]. The city was a center of [[Age of Enlightenment|the Enlightenment]], led by the [[University of Edinburgh]], earning it the nickname ''Athens of the North''.
-Owing to its rugged setting and vast collection of Medieval and [[Georgian architecture]], including numerous stone [[tenements]], it is often considered one of the most [[picturesque]] cities in Europe.
+Located in the southeast of Scotland, Edinburgh lies on the east coast of the [[Central Belt]], along the [[Firth of Forth]], near the [[North Sea]]. Owing to its rugged setting and vast collection of [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] and [[Georgian architecture]], including numerous stone [[tenements]], it is often considered one of the most [[picturesque]] cities in [[Europe]].
+{{toc}}
-It forms the ''City of Edinburgh'' [[council area]]; the [[City of Edinburgh Council|city council area]] includes urban Edinburgh and a 30-square-mile (78&nbsp;km²) rural area.
+The [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]] and [[New Town of Edinburgh|New Town]] districts of Edinburgh were listed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1995. They display a "remarkable juxtaposition" between districts carefully planned and built centuries apart which "exerted a major influence on the development of urban [[architecture]] and town planning throughout [[Europe]] in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries." Edinburgh is one of Europe's foremost [[tourism|tourist]] destinations, attracting one million visitors a year. It is the second most visited tourist destination in the [[United Kingdom]], after [[London]].
-It has been capital of Scotland since 1437 (replacing [[Scone, Scotland|Scone]]) and is the seat of the [[Scottish Parliament]]. The city was one of the major centres of [[Age of Enlightenment|the Enlightenment]], led by the [[University of Edinburgh]], earning it the nickname ''Athens of the North''. The [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]] and [[New Town of Edinburgh|New Town]] districts of Edinburgh were listed as a [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1995. There are over 4500 [[listed buildings]] within the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Environment/Planning_buildings_i_i_/Built_heritage/CEC_conservation_in_edinburgh_ |title=Conservation in Edinburgh |accessdate=2007-05-20 |publisher=The City of Edinburgh Council }}</ref> In the [[UK census 2001|census of 2001]], Edinburgh had a total resident population of 448,625.
-The city is one of Europe's major [[Tourism in Scotland|tourist]] destinations, attracting 1 million visitors a year, and is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/Images/TopTowns2005_tcm12-24666.pdf |title=Overseas Visitors to the UK - Top Towns Visited 2005 |accessdate=2007-01-28 |publisher=VisitBritain }}</ref>
 ==Geography==
-[[Image:Edinburgh from the West.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An 1802 illustration of Edinburgh from the West.]]
+The origin of the city's name in[[ English language|English]] is understood to come from the [[Brythonic languages|Brythonic]] ''Din Eidyn'' (Fort of Eidyn) from the time when it was a [[Gododdin]] [[hillfort]]. It came to be known to the English, the [[Bernicia]]n [[Angles]], as ''Edin-burh''. The ''[[burgh]]'' means "fortress" or "walled group of buildings," while ''Edin'' is untranslated.
-The origin of the city's name in English is understood to come from the [[Brythonic languages|Brythonic]] ''Din Eidyn'' (Fort of Eidyn) from the time when it was a [[Gododdin]] [[hillfort]].<ref name=gododdin>Gardens of the 'Gododdin' Craig Cessford Garden History, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Summer, 1994), pp. 114-115 doi:10.2307/1587005</ref> In the 1st century the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] recorded the [[Votadini]] as a [[Brython]]ic tribe in the area, and about [[Anno Domini|AD]]&nbsp;600 the poem [[Y Gododdin]], using the Brythonic form of that name, describes warriors feasting "in Eidin's great hall".<ref name=gododdin/>
-It came to be known to the English, the [[Bernicia]]n [[Angles]], as ''Edin-burh'', which some people once believed derived from the [[Old English]] for "Edwin's fort", with a reference to the 7th century king [[Edwin of Northumbria]]. However, since the name apparently predates King Edwin, this is highly unlikely. The ''[[burgh]]'' element means "fortress" or "walled group of buildings", i.e. a town or city and is akin to the [[German language|German]] ''burg'', [[Latin]] ''parcus'', [[Greek language|Greek]] ''πύργος'' (pyrgos) etc. ''Burh'' is simply a translation of Brythonic ''Din''; ''Edin'' is untranslated.
-Edinburgh lies on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, , which is an arm of the North Sea that thrusts west into the Scottish Lowlands. Much of the city lies among crags and hills.
-Elevation
-Edinburgh has a [[temperate]] [[maritime climate]], which is relatively mild despite its northerly [[latitude]]. Winters are especially mild, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 43.2°F (6.2°C), rising to an average maximum of around 65.8°F (18.8°C) in July. The proximity of the city to the sea mitigates any large variations in temperature or extremes of climate. Edinburgh 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]]. Mean annual precipitation is 26.3 inches (668mm).
-[[Image:Edinburgh climate graph.png|500px|center]]
-Rivers and canals
-Size – land area, size comparison
-Environmental issues
-Districts
-==History==
-See [[Timeline of Edinburgh history]]
-{{Expand|date=February 2008}}
-Edinburgh started as a fort named Castle Rock (an easily defended position).  However, in the 7th century, [[Edwin of Northumbria]], a [[Angle]] of [[Deira]] (the southern part of what became the [[Kingdom of Northumbria]], captured this location and named it Eiden's burgh (burgh being an old word for fort).
-Edwin made Edinburgh his capital and from it carved out a [[kingdom]], which would come to stretch as far south as [[river Humber]] in Modern day England, known as [[Northumbria]]/[[Bernicia]].
-After the murder of [[St. Oswald]] King of [[Northumbria]], Edinburgh fell under the control of the [[Danelaw]]. In the 10th century, with the collapse of the [[Danelaw]] the Scots & [[Picts]] again recaptured this position.
-Then in the 12th century a small town flourished at the base of the castle known as Edinburgh, along side which another community rose up to the East around the [[Abbey of Holyrood]], known as Holyrood, together in the 13th century these became [[Royal Burgh]]s.
-In consequence to Edinburgh's earlier Anglo-Saxon rule, Edinburgh and the Border counties lay in a disputed zone between [[England]] and [[Scotland]], England claiming all Anglo-Saxon [[Domains]] as English territory, and Scotland claiming all territory as far south as [[Hadrians Wall]], the result being a long series of border wars and clashes, which often left [[Edinburgh Castle]] under [[England|English]] control.
-It was not until the 15th century when Edinburgh remained for the most firmly under Scottish control, that [[King James IV of Scotland]] undertook, to move the [[Royal Court]] from [[Stirling]] to [[Holyrood]], making Edinburgh by proxy Scotland's capital.
-As Edinburgh remained under Scottish Rule, with the nearby port and [[Royal Burgh]] of [[Leith]], Edinburgh flourished both economically and culturally.
-In 1603, following [[King James VI]]'s [[accession]] to the English and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Irish]] Thrones, James VI instituted the first executive [[Parliament of Scotland]] which met in the Great Hall of [[Edinburgh Castle]], later finding a home in the [[Tolbooth]], before moving to purpose-built [[Parliament House, Edinburgh]], which is now home to the [[College of Justice| Supreme Courts of Scotland]]{{Fact|date=August 2008}}.
-In 1639 disputes over the planned merger, between the [[Presbyterian Church]] and the [[Anglican Church]], and the demands by [[Charles I]], to reunify the divided [[St. Giles' Cathedral]], led to the [[Bishops Wars]], which in turn led to the [[English Civil War]], and the eventual the occupation of Edinburgh by [[Commonwealth]] forces of [[Oliver Cromwell]].
-In the 1670s [[King Charles II]] commissioned the rebuilding of [[Holyrood Palace]].
-During the last [[Jacobite]] rebellion Edinburgh was occupied by Jacobite forces, after the retreat of Jacobite forces from [[Derby]] it was re-occupied by British forces under the command of the [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]]. Following the defeat of Jacobites there was a long period of reprisals and [[pacification]].
-At this time, the Hanoverian Monarch wished to stamp his identity on Edinburgh and new developments to the North of the castle were named in honour of the King and his Family; George Street, Frederick Street, Hanover Street, Queen Street, Prince’s Street, Castle Street and with control of the ‘Rose’ of England and the ‘Thistle’ of Scotland these names were also allocated to Streets. The original plan for this build was to be constructed in the form of King James IV’s Union Flag and this shape can be detected when viewing the layout of the aforementioned streets from above.
-Out of the mess left behind by the consequences of the Jacobite rebellion came a number of Scottish Intellectuals, many from Edinburgh, including [[Adam Smith]], who felt it was time to put the history of the [[Clans of Scotland]] behind them and that this was a time for [[Scotland]] to modernise. They promoted the idea of [[Britishness]], and led [[Great Britain]] and the [[British Empire]] into a golden age of [[economic]] and [[social]] reform and prosperity.
-It was during this period, that Edinburgh expanded beyond the limits of its city walls, with the creation of the New Town, following the draining of the [[Nor Loch]], which has since become [[Castle Gardens]].
-Edinburgh became a major cultural centre, earning it the nickname "Athens of the North", both due to the [[Greco-Roman]] style of the New Towns' architecture, as well as the rise of the Scottish/British intellectual elite in the city, who were increasingly leading both British and European intellectual thought.
-In the 19th century Edinburgh like many cities [[industrialised]], but most of this was undertaken in [[Leith]], which meant that Edinburgh as a whole did not grow greatly in size. [[Glasgow]] soon replaced it as the largest and most prosperous city in Scotland, becoming the industrial, commercial and trade centre, whilst Edinburgh remained almost purely Scotland's intellectual and cultural centre, which it remains to this day as one of the greatest cultural centres of the [[UK]].
-==Government==
-{{Main|Politics of the City of Edinburgh council area}}
-[[Image:Edinburgh-coa.png|thumb|[[Coat of arms]] of Edinburgh]]
-As [[capital]] of Scotland, Edinburgh is host to the national [[unicameral]] [[legislature]], the [[Scottish Parliament]]. The [[Scottish Parliament Building]], in the [[Holyrood, Edinburgh|Holyrood]] area of Edinburgh, opened in September 2004.
-The [[devolved]] [[Scottish Government]] has offices at [[St Andrew's House]] on [[Calton Hill, Edinburgh|Calton Hill]] in the city centre, and Victoria Quay in [[Leith]]. [[Bute House]] on [[Charlotte Square]] is the official residence of the [[First Minister of Scotland]].
-The city has hosted a number of international events, such as [[CHOGM|Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting]] and the [[Council of Europe]].
-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 United Kingdom|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. For elections to the [[European Parliament]], Edinburgh is within the [[Scotland (European Parliament constituency)|Scotland constituency]].
-===Local government===
-:''see also [[List of Lord Provosts of Edinburgh]]''
-[[Image:Butehouse.jpg|left|thumb|[[Bute House]] in [[Charlotte Square]], official residence of the [[First Minister of Scotland]]]]
-Edinburgh constitutes one of the 32 [[council areas of Scotland]] and, as such, is represented by the [[City of Edinburgh Council]], a local authority composed of 58 elected [[councillor]]s, each representing a [[Wards of the United Kingdom|multi-member electoral ward]] in the city. The council is led by the [[Lord Provost]].
-The [[Scottish Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrats]] and [[Scottish National Party]] jointly run the council in a coalition. The [[Lord Provost of Edinburgh]], [[George Grubb]] (who replaced [[Lesley Hinds]] on May 16, 2007), and the Leader of the Council, Jenny Dawe, are both Liberal Democrat Party members.
-Elections to the council are held on a four year cycle, the last on 3 May 2007. Councillors are elected from multi-member wards, each electing three or four councillors by the [[single transferable vote]] system, to produce a form of [[proportional representation]].
-Boundaries date from [[Scottish local elections, 2007|2007]].
-===Scottish Parliament===
-[[Image:Edinburgh Scottish Parliament01 2006-04-29.jpg|thumb|right|The new [[Scottish Parliament Building]] opened in October 2004.]]
-In elections to the [[Scottish Parliament]] ([[Scottish Parliament Building|Holyrood]]), the city area is divided between six of the nine [[United Kingdom constituencies|constituencies]] in the [[Lothians (Scottish Parliamentary Electoral Area)|Lothians]] [[Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions|electoral region]]. Each constituency elects one [[Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)]] by the [[first past the post]] system of election, and the region elects seven [[Aditional member system|additional MSPs]], to produce a form of [[proportional representation]].
-Five of the six Edinburgh constituencies, [[Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh North and Leith]], [[Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh Central]], [[Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh Pentlands]], [[Edinburgh South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South]] and [[Edinburgh West (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh West]], are entirely within the city area. [[Musselburgh]], in [[East Lothian]], is included in the sixth, [[Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh East and Musselburgh]].
-Boundaries date from [[Scottish Parliament election, 1999|1999]], and the creation of the Scottish Parliament itself.
-===Parliament of the United Kingdom===
-In elections to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] ([[Westminster Palace|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 (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South]], [[Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh West]], [[Edinburgh South West (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South West]], [[Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh North and Leith]], and [[Edinburgh East (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh East]].
-[[Image:Edinburgh-Princesstreet.jpg|thumb|right|[[Princes Street]], one of the main thoroughfares in the [[City of Edinburgh]].]]
-Boundaries date from [[United Kingdom general election, 2005|2005]].
-===Other names===
-The city is affectionately nicknamed ''Auld Reekie''<ref>[http://www.firstfoot.com/scottish_dictionary/glossword/index.php?a=term&t=52ad5c605eaa5661C.E. Scottish Vernacular Dictionary]</ref> ([[Scots language|Scots]] for ''Old Smoky''), because when buildings were heated by [[coal]] and wood fires, chimneys would spew thick columns of smoke into the air. It has also been known as "Embra" or "Embro"<ref>[http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/embro/ Embro, Embro - the hidden history of Edinburgh in its music<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref> as in [[Robert Garioch]]'s ''Embro to the Ploy''<ref>[http://www.edinburghliterarypubtour.co.uk/makars/garioch/embro.html Makars Literary Tour | Robert Garioch<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
-Some have called Edinburgh the ''Athens of the North'' and ''Auld Greekie''  for its intellectual history, and for its topography, with the Old Town of Edinburgh performing a similar role to the [[Athens|Athenian]] [[Acropolis, Athens|Acropolis]].<ref>Stoppard, Tom. ''Jumpers'', Grove Press, 1972, p. 69.</ref> Edinburgh is also known by several Latin names; ''Aneda'' or ''Edinensis'', the latter can be seen inscribed on many educational buildings.<ref>[http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/orblata.html ORBIS LATINUS: Letter A<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref><ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_place_names_in_the_British_Isles</ref><ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivas_Schola_Regia</ref><ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_High_School_(Edinburgh)</ref><ref>[http://www.herbdatanz.com/pharmaceutical_latin_abbreviations.htm Pharmaceutical Latin Abbreviations<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
-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 Scots poets [[Robert Burns]] and [[Robert Fergusson]] sometimes used the city's Latin name, ''Edina''. [[Ben Jonson]] described it as ''Britain's other eye'',<ref>[http://cco.cambridge.org/extract?id=ccol0521641136_CCOL0521641136A003 The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson], retrieved 17 April 2007</ref> and [[Sir Walter Scott]] referred to the city as ''yon Empress of the North''.<ref>[http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/w-scott/marmion.pdf Marmion A Tale of Flodden Field by Walter Scott], retrieved 17 April 2007</ref>
-[[Image:Edinburgh-panoramic.jpg|thumb|centre|800px|[[Panorama]] of the Old Town and Southside of Edinburgh from the Nelson monument. ''Panorama'' was originally coined by the Irish painter Robert Barker to describe his panoramic paintings of Edinburgh.]]
-==Areas==
-[[Image:Edinburgh map.png|thumb|Map of the city, showing [[New Town, Edinburgh|New]] and [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old]] Towns]]
-{{main|Areas of Edinburgh}}
-===Areas of the centre===
-The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided into two by the broad green swath of [[Princes Street Gardens]]. To the south the view is dominated by [[Edinburgh Castle]], perched atop the extinct volcanic crag, and the long sweep of the [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]] trailing after it along the ridge. To the north lies [[Princes Street]] and the [[New Town, Edinburgh|New Town]]. The gardens were begun in 1816 on [[bog]]land which had once been the [[Nor Loch]].
-[[Image:Holyrood from Calton Hill by James Valentine. 1878 or earlier..jpg|thumb||left|A 19th century view of [[Holyrood Palace]] from [[Calton Hill]].]]
-To the immediate west of the castle lies the financial district, housing insurance and banking buildings. Probably the most noticeable building here is the circular sandstone building that is the [[Edinburgh International Conference Centre]].
-===Old Town===
-{{main|Old Town, Edinburgh}}
-[[Image:Princes Street Gardens.jpg|thumb|Looking northeast across part of [[Princes Street Gardens]]]]
-The Old Town has preserved its [[medieval]] plan and many [[Scottish Reformation|Reformation]]-era buildings. One end is closed by the castle and the main artery, the [[Royal Mile]], leads away from it; minor streets (called ''closes'' or ''wynds'') lead downhill on either side of the main spine in a herringbone pattern. Large squares mark the location of markets or surround public buildings such as [[St Giles Cathedral]] and the [[Courts of Scotland|Law Courts]]. Other notable places nearby include the [[Royal Museum of Scotland]], Surgeons' Hall and McEwan Hall. The street layout is typical of the old quarters of many northern European cities, and where the castle perches on top of a rocky crag (the remnants of an extinct volcano) the Royal Mile runs down the crest of a ridge from it.
-[[Image:Edinburgh Royal Mile01.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Royal Mile]] in the Old Town during the [[Edinburgh Festival]]]]
-Due to space restrictions imposed by the narrowness of the "tail", the Old Town became home to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings. Multi-storey dwellings known as ''lands'' were the norm from the 1500s onwards with ten and eleven stories being typical and one even reaching fourteen stories. Additionally, numerous vaults below street level were inhabited to accommodate the influx of (mainly Irish) immigrants during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. These continue to fuel legends of an [[underground city]] to this day. Today there are tours of Edinburgh which take you into the underground city, which is being excavated.<ref>{{cite book
-|author=Donald Campbell
-|year=2003
-|title=Edinburgh: A cultural and literary history
-|location=Oxford
-|publisher=Signal Books
-|isbn=1-902669-73-8
-}}</ref>
-===New Town===
-{{main|New Town, Edinburgh}}
-[[Image:EdinburghFromCaltonHill.jpg|thumb|View over ''Auld Reekie'', with the [[Dugald Stewart Monument]] in the foreground]]
-The New Town was an 18th century solution to the problem of an increasingly crowded Old Town. The city had remained incredibly compact, confined to the ridge running down from the castle. In 1766 a competition to design the New Town was won by [[James Craig (architect)|James Craig]], a 22-year-old architect. The plan that was built created a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted well with [[Age of Enlightenment|enlightenment]] ideas of rationality. The principal street was to be [[George Street, Edinburgh|George Street]], which follows the natural ridge to the north of the Old Town. Either side of it are the other main streets of [[Princes Street]] and Queen Street. Princes Street has since become the main shopping street in Edinburgh, and few [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] buildings survive on it. Linking these streets were a series of perpendicular streets. At the east and west ends are [[St. Andrew Square]] and [[Charlotte Square]] respectively. The latter was designed by [[Robert Adam]] and is often considered one of the finest Georgian squares in the world. [[Bute House]], the official residence of the [[First Minister of Scotland]], is on the north side of Charlotte Square.
-Sitting in the [[glen]] between the Old and New Towns was the Nor' Loch, which had been both the city's water supply and place for dumping [[sewage]]. By the 1820s it was drained. Some plans show that a [[canal]] was intended{{Fact|date=June 2008}}, but [[Princes Street Gardens]] were created instead. Excess soil from the construction of the buildings was dumped into the [[loch]], creating what is now [[The Mound]]. In the mid-19th century the [[National Gallery of Scotland]] and [[Royal Scottish Academy Building]] were built on The Mound, and tunnels to [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley Station]] driven through it.
-[[Image:Bank of Scotland HQ.jpg|thumb|right|The Mound, Edinburgh]]
-The New Town was so successful that it was extended greatly. The grid pattern was not maintained, but rather a more picturesque layout was created. Today the New Town is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of [[Georgian architecture]] and planning in the world.
-===South side===
-A popular residential part of the city is its south side, comprising a number of areas including [[Saint Leonards]], [[Marchmont]], [[Haymarket, Edinburgh|Haymarket]], [[Polwarth, Edinburgh|Polwarth]], [[Newington, Edinburgh|Newington]], [[Sciennes]], [[The Grange, Edinburgh|The Grange]], [[Bruntsfield]], [[Morningside, Edinburgh|Morningside]], and [[Merchiston]]. "South side" is broadly analogous to the area covered by the [[Burgh Muir]], and grew in popularity as a residential area following the opening of the [[South Bridge]]. These areas are particularly popular with families (many well-regarded{{Fact|date=April 2008}} state and private schools are located here), students (the central University of Edinburgh campus is based around George Square just north of Marchmont and [[the Meadows]], and Napier University has major campuses around Merchiston & Morningside), and with festival-goers. These areas are also the subject of fictional work: [[Ian Rankin]]'s Inspector Rebus lives in Marchmont and worked in St Leonards; and Morningside is the home of [[Muriel Spark]]'s Miss Jean Brodie. Today, the literary connection continues, with the area being home to the authors [[J. K. Rowling]], [[Ian Rankin]], and [[Alexander McCall Smith]].
-[[Image:Bb-forthroadbridge.jpg|thumb|left|Forth Road Bridge]]
-===Leith===
-{{main|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<ref>[http://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/33.htm The Story of Leith XXXIII. How Leith was Governed]</ref> into the [[Counties of Scotland|county of]] Edinburgh. Even today the parliamentary seat is known as 'Edinburgh North ''and'' Leith'. With the redevelopment of Leith, Edinburgh has gained the business of a number of [[cruise liner]] companies which now provide cruises to [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], Germany and the Netherlands. Leith also has the [[Royal Yacht Britannia]], berthed behind the [[Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh|Ocean Terminal]] and [[Easter Road]], the home ground of [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]].
-==Viewpoints==
-[[Image:Scott Monument, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|The [[Scott Monument]]]]
-[[Image:Scott Monument Perspective.jpg|thumb|The [[Scott Monument]] seen from the first level.]]
-The varied [[terrain]] 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, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat]], overlooking [[Holyroodhouse]] and the Old Town beside it. The crag is a collection of side vents of the main volcano on which Edinburgh is built. The volcano slipped and tipped sideways, leaving these vents as the highest points for kilometres around. Arthur's Seat is now part of [[Holyrood Park]], originally owned by the monarch and part of the grounds of the [[Palace of Holyroodhouse]]. It contains the United Kingdom's largest concentration of [[geology|geological]] [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|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 not surprising that it was in Edinburgh that [[James Hutton]] revolutionised scientific geology.
-To the northeast, overlooking the New Town, is [[Calton Hill, Edinburgh|Calton Hill]]. Recently shortlisted as one of the best views in Britain, it is topped by an assortment of buildings and monuments: two [[Observatory|observatories]], [[Nelson's Monument]] (a tower dedicated to Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]), the old [[Royal High School (Edinburgh)|Royal High School]] (once almost the home of a devolved [[Scottish Assembly]]), and the unfinished [[National Monument, Edinburgh|National Monument]], which is modelled on the [[Parthenon]] from the [[Athens|Athenian]] [[Acropolis]] and is nicknamed "Edinburgh's Disgrace". The nickname of the city, "Athens of the North", also hails partly from this monument. Calton Hill plays host to the [[Beltane Fire Festival]] on April 30 each year.
-The [[Royal Observatory, Edinburgh|Royal Observatory]] rests on [[Blackford Hill]], the third and Southernmost viewpoint of the city.
-===Demographics===
-[[Image:Portobello Beach.jpg|thumb|right|[[Portobello, Edinburgh|Portobello Beach]]]]
-As of 2006, the [[General Register Office for Scotland]] estimated that the City of Edinburgh council area had a resident population of 463,510.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/press/2007-news/scotlands-mid-year-population-estimates.html |title=Mid Year Population Estimates, 2006 |accessdate=2008-01-19 |publisher=General Register Office for Scotland, 2006 }}</ref> The [[2001 UK census]] reported the population to be 448,624, making the city the seventh largest in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://download.edinburgh.gov.uk/Census_2001_City_Comparisons/CCTable1Population.pdf |title=City Comparisons Table |accessdate=2007-01-28 |publisher=Edinburgh City Council }}</ref> The General Register Office also reported that this resident population was split between 220,094 males and 237,736 females.
-Edinburgh is a cosmopolitan city. It has many immigrants from all corners of the world. From walking the streets, English, Gaelic, Polish, Chinese, French, Spanish, Hindi and many others can be heard.
+The city is affectionately nicknamed ''Auld Reekie'' ([[Scots language|Scots]] for ''Old Smoky''), because of smoke from [[coal]] and wood fires. 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 main ethnic groups are:
+Edinburgh occupies seven miles (11 km) of the north-facing slope on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, which is an arm of the [[North Sea]] reaching west into the Scottish Lowlands. Much of the city lies among craggy upthrusts of [[lava]] and hills—the valleys between were scoured by [[Pleistocene]] Epoch glacial action.
-# Scottish (including those of mixed English and Scottish descent and those born in Scotland of full English descent): 82%
-# English: 13%
-# Polish: 2%
-# Chinese (including Chinese Hong Kong): 1%
-# Indian: 1%
-# Pakistani: 1%
-The other 2% includes French, Spanish, Lithuanians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Chileans, Malaysians and Africans from all parts of Africa.
+Arthur’s Seat has an elevation of 823 feet (251 meters), while Castle Rock, a [[basalt]] plug sealing an extinct [[volcano]], stands 250 feet (76 meters) above the valley floor and is crowned by the famous [[Edinburgh Castle]].
-Certain districts of the city have a very cosmopolitan atmosphere. Leith Walk, Leith, Tollcross and the Southside have many Polish, Chinese and South Asian immigrants. In these areas there are many food stores and both Leith and the Southside each have a mosque. Stockbridge has many wealthy English immigrants. Edinburgh is considered the least Scottish of Scottish locations by the majority of Scots.
+Edinburgh has a [[temperate]] [[maritime climate]], which is relatively mild despite its northerly [[latitude]]. [[Winter]]s are especially mild, with the average maximum daytime temperature in January of 43.2°F (6.2°C), rising to an average maximum of around 65.8°F (18.8°C) in July. The proximity of the city to the sea mitigates any extremes of climate. Edinburgh is renowned as a windy city. Mean annual precipitation is 26.3 inches (668 mm).
-Though Edinburgh's population is ageing, a very large and transient population of young students studying at the city universities has helped to offset this [[demographic]] problem. There are estimated to be around 100,000 students studying at the various institutions of [[higher education]] in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Featured_institutions/Profile_display/p!epmikfF?mode=View&profileNo=48&from=H  |title=Napier University Edinburgh |accessdate=2007-03-23 |publisher=Graduate Prospects }}</ref>
+The historic center of Edinburgh is divided by the broad green swathe of [[Princes Street Gardens]]. To the south is [[Edinburgh Castle]], perched atop the extinct volcanic crag, and the long sweep of the [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]] trailing after it along the ridge. To the north lies [[Princes Street]] and the [[New Town, Edinburgh|New Town]]. The gardens were begun in 1816 on [[bog]]land which had once been the [[Nor Loch]]. To the immediate west of the castle lies the financial district, housing insurance and banking buildings.
-The population of the greater Edinburgh area (including parts of Fife and the Scottish Borders) is 1.25 million and is projected to grow to 1.33 million by 2020. City of Edinburgh Council hopes this will continue to grow to 1.5 million by 2040, which is in line with the current average population of the three leading city regions in northern Europe: Stockholm, Helsinki and Oslo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Attachments/Internet/Environment/2040_Vision.pdf |title=A Vision for Capital Growth |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=2006 |publisher=City of Edinburgh Council }}</ref>
+<center>
-{{-}}
+{|
-{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;width:100%;border:0px;text-align:center;line-height:120%;"
+|+
-! style="background: #99CCCC; color: #000080" height="17" | Year
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1755
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1791
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1811
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1831
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1851
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1871
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1891
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1911
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1931
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1951
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1971
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 1991
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 2001
-! style="background: #FFFFFF; color:#000080;" | 2006
 |-
-! style="background: #99CCCC; color: #000080" height="17" | Population
+| valign="top"|
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 57,195
+[[Image:Princes Street Gardens.jpg|thumb|150px|Looking northeast across part of [[Princes Street Gardens]].]]
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 81,865
+| valign="top"|
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 82,624
+[[Image:EdinburghFromCaltonHill.jpg|thumb|150px|View over ''Auld Reekie'', with the [[Dugald Stewart Monument]] in the foreground.]]
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 136,054
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 160,511
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 196,979
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 261,225
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 320,318
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 439,010
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 466,761
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 453,575
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 418,914
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 448,624
-| style="background: #FFFFFF; color: black;" | 463,510
 |-
-| colspan="15" style="text-align:center;font-size:90%;"|<small>'''Source: '''[http://download.edinburgh.gov.uk/Census_City_Trends/Citytrends.pdf City of Edinburgh Council] and [http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1_edin/1_edinburgh_history_-_dates_population.htm Edinphoto]</small>
 |}
+</center>
-===Geology===
+==History==
-[[Image:Edinburgh Castle princes.jpg|thumb|right|[[Edinburgh Castle]], as viewed from [[Princes Street]]]]
+[[Image:Hereford Mappa Mundi detail Britain.jpg|thumb|right|210px|Detail of the [[Hereford Mappa Mundi]], Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this [[T and O map]] of the British isles from c. 1300]]
-Some 350 and 400 million years ago, the cores of several [[volcanic vent]]s in the area cooled and solidified to form tough [[basalt]] [[volcanic plug]]s. Later, during the [[Wisconsin glaciation|last ice age]], [[glacier]]s moving from west to east eroded the area to its current conformation. [[Louis Agassiz]], who first proposed the scientific theory of ice ages, used evidence from Blackford Glen to support the theory.
+[[Image:Edinburgh from the West.jpg|thumb|right|210px|An 1802 illustration of Edinburgh from the West.]]
+[[Image:Holyrood from Calton Hill by James Valentine. 1878 or earlier..jpg|thumb||right|210px|A nineteenth century view of [[Holyrood Palace]] from [[Calton Hill]].]]
+[[Image:HolyroodAbbeyRuin200411 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The remains of [[Holyrood Abbey]]]]
+[[Image:Edinburgh Castle princes.jpg|thumb|right|210px|[[Edinburgh Castle]], as viewed from Princes St.]]
+[[Image:Bank of Scotland HQ.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The Mound, Edinburgh.]]
+Evidence of human settlement on the shores of the Firth of Forth dates to 7000 B.C.E., while [[archaeology|archaeological]] excavations reveal that the Castle Rock has been occupied since about 1000 B.C.E..
-====Old Town====
+Roman forts were built at Cramond and Inveresk on the western and eastern margins of the present-day city during the second century C.E. A Celtic tribe known as the Votadini was based at Traprain Law, a hill about 20 miles (30 km) east of the modern city at that time, and moved to Castle Rock around 500, after the Romans departed.
-[[Castle Rock, Edinburgh|Castle Rock]] is one such plug, which during ice ages sheltered the softer rock to the east forming a mile-long tail of material to the east, creating a distinctive [[crag and tail]] formation. This structure, along with a ravine to the south and a swampy valley to the north, formed an ideal natural [[fortress]] and recent excavations found material dating back to the [[Late Bronze Age]], around 850&nbsp;BC.<ref>''Excavations within Edinburgh Castle'' by Stephen T. Driscoll & Peter Yeoman, [[Society of Antiquaries of Scotland]] Monograph Series no.12 1997</ref>
-Over the last few hundred years, the area occupied by this geological feature has come to be known as the [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]]. [[Edinburgh Castle]] stands on the crag, and the [[Royal Mile]] follows the narrow crest of the steep-sided tail, descending from the castle to meet general ground level at [[Holyrood Palace]]. The [[Grassmarket]] and [[Cowgate]] run east–west through the ravine to the south, while the swamp of the [[Nor Loch]] has now been drained to form [[Princes Street Gardens]], and accommodates [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station]].
+In 580, when a military campaign started in Edinburgh ''(Din Etin)'' (commemorated in the Welsh poem ''[[Y Gododdin]]'') most of the inhabitants of southern [[Scotland]] spoke British, the ancestor of modern [[Welsh]]. Around 638, Edinburgh was besieged, possibly marking the passing of control of the fort of Din Etin from the [[Gododdin]] to the Northumbrian English, led at this time by [[Oswald of Northumbria]] (604-642).
-====Arthur's Seat====
+However, in the seventh century, [[Edwin of Northumbria]] (586-633), an [[Angle]] of [[Deira]] (the southern part of the [[Kingdom of Northumbria]], captured this location and named it Eiden's burgh (burgh being an old word for "fort"). Edwin made Edinburgh his capital and from it carved out a [[kingdom]], which stretched to the river Humber in England, known as [[Northumbria]]/[[Bernicia]].
-{{main|Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh}}
-Like the castle rock on which Edinburgh Castle is built, [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat]] was formed by an extinct [[volcano]] system of the [[Carboniferous period]], which was eroded by a [[glacier]] moving from west to east during the Quaternary, exposing rocky [[crag]]s to the west and leaving a tail of material swept to the east.<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Stuart Piggott]] |title=Scotland before History |publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |year=1982 |id=ISBN 0-85224-470-3}}</ref> This is how the [[Salisbury Crags]] formed and became [[Theralite#Teschenites|teschenite]] cliffs between Arthur's Seat and the city centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/arthurseat/geology/geology.html |title=Holyrood Park Geology |accessdate=2007-07-20 |publisher=Department of Geography, University of Edinburgh}}</ref>
-[[Image:Edinburgh wiki.jpg|thumb|800px|center|Panoramic view of Edinburgh from the top of [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat]]]]
+By 731, Edinburgh was firmly within the kingdom of Northumbria at the time of [[Bede]] (672-735), who completed his ''History'' in that year. Around 960, Scots captured Edinburgh during the reign of [[Illulb mac Custantin]] (954-62). [[King David I]] (1085-1153) granted Edinburgh the status of a Royal burgh in 1125, which promoted the manufacture of cloth and trade in the city.
-==Culture==
+Because of Edinburgh's earlier Anglo-Saxon rule, Edinburgh and the Border counties lay in a disputed zone between [[England]] and [[Scotland]], England claiming all Anglo-Saxon [[Domains]] as English territory, and Scotland claiming all territory as far south as [[Hadrians Wall]]. This resulted in a long series of border wars and clashes, which often left [[Edinburgh Castle]] under English control.
-===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 longest established festival is the [[Edinburgh International Festival]], which first ran in 1947. The International Festival centres on a programme of high-profile theatre productions and classical music performances, featuring international directors, conductors, theatre companies and orchestras.
-The International Festival has since been taken over in both size and popularity by the [[Edinburgh Fringe]]. What began as a programme of marginal acts has become the largest arts festival in the world, with 1867 different shows being staged in 2006, in 261 venues. Comedy is now one of the mainstays of the Fringe, with numerous notable comedians getting their 'break' here, often through receipt of the [[if.comedy|Perrier Award]].
+After the Wars of Independence (1296–1328) fought against England, Edinburgh became Scotland’s main trading center. In 1329, King [[Robert the Bruce]] (reign: 1306–1329) confirmed Edinburgh's privileges as a royal burgh and established a port at Leith. At that time, Edinburgh was renowned for its stench—domestic refuse and offal from skinners, butchers, and fishmongers were dumped on either side of the main street.
-In 2008 comedy on the [[Edinburgh Fringe]] was launched as a festival within a festival, and labelled the [[Edinburgh Comedy Festival]]. Already at its inception it was the largest comedy festival in the world.<ref name=edcomfest>{{cite web |url=http://www.edcomfest.com/index.aspx|title=Edinburgh Comedy Festival 2008 Introduction |accessdate= 2008-02-04  |work= Official site of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival }}</ref>
+[[King James IV of Scotland]] (reign: 1488–1513) moved the [[Royal Court]] from [[Stirling]] to [[Holyrood]], making Edinburgh Scotland's capital. [[James V]] established the Court of Session, the central civil-law court, in Edinburgh in 1532.
-[[Image:Wellington Statue.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Iron Duke]] in bronze by [[John Steell]] outside the [[Balmoral Hotel]]]]
-Alongside these major festivals, there is also the Edinburgh Art Festival, [[Edinburgh International Film Festival]], the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, and the [[Edinburgh International Book Festival]]. [[The Edge Festival]] (formerly known as T on the Fringe), a popular music offshoot of the Fringe, began in 2000, replacing the smaller Flux and Planet Pop series of shows. Tigerfest is an independent music festival which ran concurrently with the Fringe in 2004 and 2005 before moving to a May slot in 2006.
-Running concurrently with the summer festivals, the [[Edinburgh Military Tattoo]] occupies the Castle Esplanade every night, with massed [[bagpipes|pipers]] and fireworks.
+In 1603, following [[King James VI]]'s accession to the English and [[Kingdom of Ireland|Irish]] Thrones, James VI (1566-1625) instituted the first executive [[Parliament of Scotland]] which met in the Great Hall of [[Edinburgh Castle]], later finding a home in the [[Tolbooth]], before moving to purpose-built [[Parliament House, Edinburgh]], which later became home to the [[College of Justice| Supreme Courts of Scotland]]
-The [[Edinburgh International Science Festival]] is held annually in April and is one of the most popular science festivals in the world.
+In 1639, disputes over the planned merger, between the [[Presbyterian Church]] and the [[Anglican Church]], and the demands by [[Charles I]], to reunify the divided [[St Giles' Cathedral]], led to the [[Bishops Wars]] (1639-1640), which in turn led to the [[English Civil War]] (1641-1653), and the eventual the occupation of Edinburgh by [[Commonwealth]] forces of [[Oliver Cromwell]]. In the 1670s, [[King Charles II]] commissioned the rebuilding of [[Holyrood Palace]].
-===Celebrations===
+In 1707, the [[Act of Union]], which joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland (previously separate states) was signed in a cellar in Parliament Square, and Edinburgh lost all independent political life. A surge of building took place within the Old Town.
-[[Image:Edinburgh Hogmanay Longship.jpg|thumb|A Viking longship being burnt during Edinburgh's annual [[Hogmanay]] celebrations.]]
-Equally famous is the annual [[Hogmanay]] celebration. Originally simply a street party held on [[Princes Street]] and the [[Royal Mile]], the Hogmanay event has been officially organised since 1993. In 1996, over 300,000 people attended, leading to ticketing of the main street party in later years, with a limit of 100,000 tickets. Hogmanay now covers four days of processions, concerts and fireworks, with the actual street party commencing on New Years Eve. During the street party Princes Street is accessible only by ticket holders, and tickets are available for a £5 administration fee. This ticket allows access into Princes Street where there are live bands playing, food and drink stalls, and a clear view of the castle and fireworks. Alternative tickets are available for entrance into the Princes Street Gardens concert and Ceilidh for around £40, where well known artists perform live and ticket holders are invited to participate in some traditional Scottish Ceilidh dancing. The event attracts thousands of people from all over the world.
-On the night of 30 April, the [[Beltane Fire Festival]] takes place on Edinburgh's [[Calton Hill, Edinburgh|Calton Hill]]. The festival involves a procession followed by the re-enactment of scenes inspired by [[Paganism|pagan]] spring fertility celebrations.
-===Museums and libraries===
+Edinburgh was occupied by Jacobite forces during the last [[Jacobite]] rebellion in 1746, which aimed to return descendants of the Scottish [[House of Stuart]] to the throne of England. It was subsequently occupied by British forces under the command of the [[Prince William, Duke of Cumberland]] (1721-1765), leading to a long period of reprisals.
-Edinburgh is home to a large number of museums and libraries, especially ones that are considered the main national institutions, the most important are the [[Museum of Scotland]], the [[Royal Museum]], the [[National Library of Scotland]], [[National War Museum of Scotland]], the [[Museum of Edinburgh]], [[Museum of Childhood (Edinburgh)|Museum of Childhood]] and the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]].
-===Literature and philosophy===
+From 1772, after the draining of the [[Nor Loch]], which had been both the city's water supply and place for dumping [[sewage]], Edinburgh expanded beyond the Old Town. The Nor Loch area became [[Castle Gardens]]. The New Town resulted from a 1776 design competition, which created a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted well with [[Age of Enlightenment|enlightenment]] ideas of rationality. George Street, Frederick Street, Hanover Street, Queen Street, and Prince’s Street, the main shopping street in Edinburgh, were named in honor of the Hanoverian monarch on the English throne.
-Edinburgh has a long literary tradition, going back to the [[Scottish Enlightenment]]. Edinburgh's Enlightenment produced philosopher [[David Hume]] and the pioneer of economics, [[Adam Smith]]. Writers such as [[James Boswell]], [[Robert Louis Stevenson]], Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], and Sir [[Walter Scott]] all lived and worked in Edinburgh. [[J K Rowling]], author of the [[Harry Potter]] novels, is a resident of Edinburgh. Edinburgh has also 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 language|Scots]]. Edinburgh is also home to [[Alexander McCall Smith]] and a number of his book series. Edinburgh has also been declared the first [[UNESCO]] City of Literature.
-===Music, theatre and film===
+A number of Scottish intellectuals, many from Edinburgh, including political economist [[Adam Smith]] (1723-1790) and philosopher [[David Hume]] (1711-1776), felt it was a time for [[Scotland]] to modernize. They promoted the idea of [[Britishness]], and led the [[British Empire]] into a golden age of [[economics|economic]] and [[social]] reform and prosperity. Edinburgh became a cultural center, earning it the nickname "Athens of the North," both due to the [[Greco-Roman]] style of the New Towns' [[architecture]], as well as the rise of the Scottish/British intellectual elite there. The creator of the historical novel, [[Sir Walter Scott]] (1771-1832), was another Edinburgh native.
-[[Image:Royal mile edinburgh.jpg|thumb|The [[Royal Mile]]]]
-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 [[Traverse Theatre]] presents a more contemporary programme of plays. [[Edinburgh amateur theatre|Amateur theatre companies]] productions are staged at the [[Bedlam Theatre]], Church Hill Theatre, and the [[King's Theatre, Edinburgh|King's Theatre]] amongst others. [[Youth Music Theatre: UK]] has a Regional Office in the city.
-The [[Usher Hall]] is Edinburgh's premier venue for classical music, as well as the occasional prestige popular music gig. Other halls staging music and theatre include [[The Hub (Edinburgh)|The Hub]], the [[Assembly Rooms]] and the [[Queen's Hall]]. The [[Scottish Chamber Orchestra]] is based in Edinburgh.
+Excess soil from the construction of the New Town was dumped into the [[loch]], creating what became [[The Mound]]. In the mid-nineteenth century the [[National Gallery of Scotland]] and [[Royal Scottish Academy Building]] were built on The Mound, and tunnels to [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley Station]] driven through it.
-Edinburgh has two [[repertory]] cinemas, the Edinburgh Filmhouse, and the [[The Cameo, Edinburgh|Cameo]], and the independent Dominion Cinema, as well as the usual range of [[multiplex]]es.
+From 1830 to [[World War I]] (1914-1918), Edinburgh, like many cities, [[industrialization|industrialized]], but most of this happened in [[Leith]]. Edinburgh did not grow greatly in size, but the increase in the laboring population brought overcrowding, malnutrition, and [[epidemic]]s. [[Glasgow]] soon replaced it as the largest and most prosperous city in Scotland, becoming the industrial, commercial, and trade center, while Edinburgh remained Scotland's intellectual and cultural center.
-Edinburgh has a healthy popular music scene. Occasional large gigs are staged at [[Murrayfield Stadium|Murrayfield]], The Liquid Room, [[Meadowbank Stadium|Meadowbank]], and the Edinburgh Corn Exchange.
+[[Sir Patrick Geddes]] (1854-1932), a pioneer of urban planning, tried to revive the Old Town in the 1890s. Nationalist poet [[Hugh MacDiarmid]] (1892-1978) made Edinburgh the center of the Scottish political and literary renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s.
-Edinburgh is also home to a flourishing group of contemporary composers such as Nigel Osborne, Peter Nelson, Lyell Cresswell, Haflidi Hallgrimsson, Edward Harper, Robert Crawford, Robert Dow, and John McLeod<ref>[http://www.johnmcleod.uk.com John McLeod: Composer<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref> whose music is also heard regularly on BBC Radio 3 and throughout the UK.
+After [[World War II]] (1939-1945), Edinburgh developed as a center for higher [[education]], especially in medicine and surgery, electronics, and artificial intelligence. The cultural life of the city expanded, especially through the Edinburgh International Festival, which began in 1947. The city has begun a movement to conserve its stone architecture.
-Edinburgh's underground music scene is also vibrant with many creative bands and solo electronica artists experimenting with new sounds and rhythms such as digitalTRAFFIC (http://www.digitaltraffic.biz).
+A new Scottish Parliament and government was established in Edinburgh in 1999, re-establishing the city as the capital and political center of Scotland.
-===Visual arts===
+==Government==
-[[Image:National Gallery of Scotland 2005-08-07.jpg|thumb|The [[National Gallery of Scotland]]]]
+[[Image:Edinburgh Scottish Parliament01 2006-04-29.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The new [[Scottish Parliament Building]] opened in October 2004.]]
-Edinburgh is home to Scotland's five [[National Galleries of Scotland|National Galleries]]. The national collection is housed in the [[National Gallery of Scotland]], located on the Mound, and now linked to the [[Royal Scottish Academy]], which holds regular major exhibitions of painting. The contemporary collections are shown in the [[Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art]], and the nearby [[Dean Gallery]]. The [[Scottish National Portrait Gallery]] focuses on portraits and photography.
-The council-owned City Arts Centre shows regular art exhibitions. Across the road, The [[Fruitmarket Gallery]] offers world class exhibitions of contemporary art, featuring work by British and international artists with both emerging and established international reputations.
-[[Image:Nelson's Monument.jpg|thumb|left|[[Nelson's Monument]] on top of [[Calton Hill, Edinburgh|Calton Hill]]]] Edinburgh is also home to several of Scotland's galleries and organisations dedicated to contemporary visual art. Significant strands of this infrastructure include: The [[Scottish Arts Council]], Inverleith House, Edinburgh College of Art, Talbot Rice Gallery (University of Edinburgh), The Travelling Gallery, Edinburgh Printmakers, WASPS, Artlink, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Doggerfisher, Stills, Collective Gallery, Out of the Blue, The Embassy, Magnifitat, Sleeper, Total Kunst, OneZero, Standby, Portfolio Magazine, MAP magazine, Edinburgh's One O'Clock Gun Periodical and Product magazine and the [[Edinburgh Annuale]].
-===Nightlife===
-[[Image:Edinburgh from the Illustrated London News 1868.jpg|thumb|400px|A panorama of Edinburgh published by the ''[[Illustrated London News]]'' in 1868]]
-Edinburgh has a large number of pubs, clubs and restaurants. The traditional areas were the [[Grassmarket]], [[Lothian Road]] and surrounding streets, [[Rose Street]] and its surrounds and the Bridges. In recent years [[George Street]] in the [[New Town]] has grown in prominence, with a large number of new, upmarket public houses and nightclubs opening, along with a number on the parallel [[Queen Street]]. [[Stockbridge]] and the waterfront at [[Leith]] are also increasingly fashionable areas, with a number of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
-Like many other cities in the UK, Edinburgh has numerous nightclubs that play popular and chart music. The underground nightclub scene playing music such as Techno, House, Electronica and Drum & Bass however has suffered in recent years with the closure of Wilkie House, The Venue, La Belle Angele (burned in a fire) and The Honeycomb. Cabaret Voltaire, Luna, The Liquid Room and Studio 24 are now the main nightclub venues in the city.
-There are two dedicated gay clubs in Edinburgh, CC Blooms and GHQ; several other club venues have LGBT nights.
-A fortnightly publication, [[The List (magazine)|The List]], is dedicated to life in Edinburgh and around, and contains listings of all Nightclubs, as well as music, theatrical and other events. The List also regularly produces specialist guides such as its Food and Drink guide and its guide to the [[Edinburgh Festival]]s. There are also many competing magazines that can be found for free such as Flash Edinburgh, Gig Guide and The Skinny.
-===Edinburgh Zoo===
-[[Image:Jaguar at Edinburgh Zoo.jpg|thumb|A female [[Jaguar]]]]
-[[Edinburgh Zoo]] is a [[Non-profit organization|non-profit]] [[zoological park]] located in [[Corstorphine]]. The land lies on the [[Corstorphine Hill]], provides extensive views of the city. Built in 1913, and owned by the [[Royal Zoological Society of Scotland]], it receives over 600,000 visitors a year, which makes it Scotland's second most popular paid-for tourist attraction, after [[Edinburgh Castle]].<ref name=begin>{{cite web |title=Zoo Beginnings |publisher=Edinburgh Zoo website |url=http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/SnippetAccess.aspx?id=349&pid=79&pageIndex=4 |accessdate=2007-06-15 }}</ref> As well as catering to tourists and locals, the Zoo is involved in many scientific pursuits, such as [[captive breeding]] of endangered animals, researching into [[animal behaviour]], and active participation in various [[conservation movement|conservation programs]] around the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Animals & Conservation |publisher=Edinburgh Zoo website |url=http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/PageAccess.aspx?id=23 |accessdate=2008-01-03 }}</ref> The Zoo is the only zoo in Britain to house [[polar bear]]s and [[koala]]s, as well as being the first zoo in the world to house and to breed [[penguin]]s.
-===Shopping===
-[[Image:Princes Street, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|left|Princes Street - still the main shopping area in Edinburgh]]
-Edinburgh has a wide variety of shops, from upmarket department stores to a vast array of charity shops in the West End and [[Stockbridge]]. Princes Street plays host to an extremely wide range of stores, from Scottish souvenir shops to [[Jenners]]. Most of the national-level chain stores such as [[Boots the Chemist|Boots]] and [[New Look]] are located in the "uptown" district of Princes Street. [[Multrees Walk]] makes up the upmarket shopping district in Edinburgh- with [[Harvey Nichols]] anchoring the development. [[Multrees Walk]] includes brands such as [[Louis Vuitton]], [[Emporio Armani]], [[Mulberry]] and [[Calvin Klein]]. Further upmarket shopping is located on [[George Street, Edinburgh|George Street]]. The street leads on to the [[St. James Centre]], which caters in discount clothing, homewares and books as well as hosting the Edinburgh branch of the upscale department store chain, [[John Lewis]].
-==Sport==
-===Football===
-Edinburgh has two professional [[football (soccer)|football]] clubs: [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] and [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Heart of Midlothian]]. They are known locally as Hibs and Hearts and both teams currently play in the [[Scottish Premier League]]. Hibs play at [[Easter Road Stadium]], which straddles the former boundary between Edinburgh and [[Leith]], while Hearts play at [[Tynecastle Stadium]] in [[Gorgie]].
-Edinburgh was also home to senior sides [[St Bernard's F.C.|St Bernard's]], [[Ferranti Thistle F.C.|Ferranti Thistle]] and [[Leith Athletic F.C.|Leith Athletic]]. Most recently, [[Meadowbank Thistle F.C.|Meadowbank Thistle]] played at [[Meadowbank Stadium]] until 1995, when the club moved to [[Livingston, West Lothian|Livingston]], shedding their old name and becoming [[Livingston F.C.]]. The [[Scotland national football team|Scottish national team]] has sometimes played at Easter Road and Tynecastle.
-Non-league sides include [[Spartans F.C.|Spartans]] and [[Edinburgh City F.C.|Edinburgh City]], who play in the [[East of Scotland League]] along with [[Civil Service Strollers F.C.]], [[Lothian Thistle F.C.]], [[Edinburgh University A.F.C.]], [[Edinburgh Athletic F.C.]], [[Tynecastle F.C.]], [[Craigroyston F.C.]] and [[Heriot-Watt University F.C.]]. [[Edinburgh United F.C.]] plays in the [[Scottish Junior Football Association, East Region]].
-===Other sports===
-The [[Scotland national rugby union team]] plays at [[Murrayfield Stadium]], which is owned by the [[Scottish Rugby Union]] and is also used as a venue for other events, including music concerts. Edinburgh's professional rugby team, [[Edinburgh Rugby]], play in the [[Celtic League (Rugby Union)|Celtic League]] at Murrayfield. It is the largest capacity stadium in [[Scotland]].
-[[Raeburn Place]] is notable for holding the first rugby international game between Scotland and England.
-Murrayfield Stadium, due to its size, the surrounding green space, and its reasonable proximity to the city centre, has been chosen as the host of the 2009 [[Millennium Magic|Super League Magic Weekend]] ahead of the previous host, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
-The [[Scottish cricket team]], who represent Scotland at [[cricket]] internationally and in the [[C&G Trophy]], play their home matches at [[The Grange, Edinburgh (cricket and sports club)|The Grange]].
-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. The club play their home games at the [[Murrayfield Ice Rink]] and are the sole Scottish representative in the [[Elite Ice Hockey League]].
-[[Image:HeartOfMidlothian 2004 SeanMcClean.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile)|Heart of Midlothian]]]]
-The [[Edinburgh Diamond Devils]] is a baseball club claiming its first Scottish Championship in 1991 as the "Reivers." 1992 saw the team repeat as national champions, becoming the first team to do so in league history and saw the start of the club's first youth team, the [[Blue Jays]]. The name of the club was changed in 1999.
-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. For the Games in 1970 the city built major [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] standard venues and facilities including the [[Royal Commonwealth Pool]] and the [[Meadowbank Stadium]].
-In [[American football]], the [[Scottish Claymores]] played [[World League of American Football|WLAF]]/[[NFL Europe]] games at Murrayfield, including their [[World Bowl IV|World Bowl 96]] victory. From 1995 to 1997 they played all their games there, from 1998 to 2000 they split their home matches between Murrayfield and Glasgow's Hampden Park, then moved to Glasgow full-time, with one final Murrayfield appearance in 2002. The city's most successful non-professional team are the [[Edinburgh Wolves]] who currently play at Meadowbank Stadium.
-The [[Edinburgh Marathon]] has been held in the city since 1999 with more than 13,000 taking part annually.
-Edinburgh has a speedway team, the Edinburgh Monarchs, which currently is based at the Lothian Arena in [[Armadale, West Lothian]]. They have operated there since 1997. Speedway was introduced to Edinburgh at the Marine Gardens Stadium in Seafield Road and it operated 1928–31 and 1938–39. The Edinburgh team of 1930 operated in the Northern League. In 1948 speedway returned to the city at Old Meadowbank. The Monarchs operated there 1948–54 as members of the National League Division Two. Training events were staged at Old Meadowbank occasionally from 1957–59. Two Students Charities events were staged one in 1959 and the other in 1960. Between 1960–67 the Monarchs were members of the Provincial League and from 1965 members of the British League. Following a 10-year gap the Monarchs returned to Powderhall Stadium and raced there 1977–95. A training track operated at the Gyle in the late 1960s. Between 1949 and 1951 Edinburgh was the home track of Australian rider Jack Young who won the World Championship in 1951.
+As part of the [[United Kingdom]], [[Scotland]] is a [[democracy|liberal democracy]] and a [[constitutional monarchy]]. In elections to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the city is divided into five first-past-the-post constituencies. As [[capital]] of Scotland, Edinburgh is host to the national [[unicameral]] [[legislature]], the [[Scottish Parliament]], which opened in September 2004. The Scottish Parliament devolves  responsibility for health, education, housing, economic development, regional transport, the environment, and agriculture. For elections to the [[European Parliament]], Edinburgh is within the [[Scotland (European Parliament constituency)|Scotland constituency]].
-The Honourable Society of Edinburgh Boaters, Scotland's only [[punt (boat)|punting]] society, used to ply the waters of the Union Canal from a base at Hermiston House. The Society staged several regattas and engaged in the annual Scottish Boat Race against Cambridge University Dampers Club with mixed success.
+Edinburgh constitutes one of the 32 [[council areas of Scotland]] and is represented by the [[City of Edinburgh Council]], comprising 58 elected [[councillor]]s, each representing a multi-member electoral ward, and led by the [[Lord Provost]]. Council elections are held on a four year cycle. Each of the multi-member wards elects three or four councillors by the [[single transferable vote]] system.
 ==Economy==
-{{main|Economy of Edinburgh}}
+[[Image:forth bridge evening.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The [[Forth Bridge (railway)|Forth Bridge]] at night.]]
+[[Image:Edinburgh-scottm.600px.jpg|right|thumb|210px|[[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley]] is located in the ravine between the Old and New Town on the drained [[Nor Loch]].]]
+Within the [[United Kingdom]], Edinburgh's economy is second to [[London]]—the city's GDP per capita was measured at US$55,000 in 2004, compared with London's US$72,500 in 2005. The city's economy is centered around [[banking]], financial services, higher [[education]], [[tourism]], and government, as well as its [[Scots Law|legal system]].
-Edinburgh has the strongest economy of any city in the UK outside London.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} The strength of Edinburgh's economy is reflected by its GDP per capita, which was measured at £27,600 (€40,700, $55,000) in 2004. The economy of Edinburgh and its hinterland has recently been announced as one of the fastest growing [[city region]]s in Europe.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Education and health, finance and business services, retailing and tourism are the largest employers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/learningcities/s10-edin.htm |title=Edinburgh City of Learning |accessdate=2007-03-23 |publisher=Learning Towns and Cities }}</ref> The economy of Edinburgh is largely based around the services sector — centred around [[banking]], financial services, higher education, and [[Tourism in Scotland|tourism]]. [[Unemployment]] in Edinburgh is low at 2.2%, which has been consistently below the [[Scotland|Scottish]] average.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/about_se/local_enterprise_companies/edinburghandlothian/edinburgh-industry-employment-profile.htm?siblingtoggle=1 |title=Industry/employment profile |accessdate=2007-03-23 |publisher=Scottish Enterprise}}</ref> [[Image:HolyroodAbbeyRuin200411 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|left|The remains of [[Holyrood Abbey]]]]
+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. The city's financial services industry, particularly [[insurance]] and [[investment]], has caused Edinburgh to emerge as Europe's sixth largest financial center. The [[Royal Bank of Scotland]] is the fifth largest in the world by market capitalization.
-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. Their headquarters are on the Mound, overlooking Princes Street. Today, together with the burgeoning financial services industry, with particular strengths in [[insurance]] and [[investment]] underpinned by the presence of Edinburgh based firms such as [[Scottish Widows]] and [[Standard Life]], Edinburgh has emerged as Europe's sixth largest financial centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edinburghbrand.com/news/information/ |title=Information for Journalists |accessdate=2007-03-23 |publisher=Edinburgh Brand }}</ref> The [[Royal Bank of Scotland]], which is the fifth largest in the world by [[market capitalization|market capitalisation]], opened their new global headquarters at [[Gogarburn]] in the west of the city in October 2005; their [[registered office]] remains in St. Andrew Square.
-Manufacturing has never had as strong presence in Edinburgh compared with [[Glasgow]]; however [[brewing]], [[publishing]], and nowadays [[electronics]] have maintained a foothold in the city. While brewing has been in decline in recent years, with the closure of the [[McEwan's Brewery]] in 2005, [[Caledonian Brewery]] remains as the largest, with [[Scottish and Newcastle]] retaining their headquarters in the city.
+[[Tourism]] is an important economic mainstay, enhanced by the city's status as a [[World Heritage Site]], and the annual [[Edinburgh Festival]]s, which generates in excess of £100-million for the city.
-[[Tourism]] is an important economic mainstay in the city. As a [[World Heritage Site]], tourists come to visit such historical sites as [[Edinburgh Castle]], the [[Palace of Holyroodhouse]] and the Georgian [[New Town, Edinburgh|New Town]]. This is augmented in August of each year with the presence of the [[Edinburgh Festival]]s, which bring in large numbers of visitors, generating in excess of £100m for the Edinburgh economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edfringe.com/story.html?id=923 |title=2004 Festival Economic Impact Study results |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=2005-10-14 |publisher=Edinburgh Festival Fringe }}</ref>
+Manufacturing has never had as strong a presence in Edinburgh as [[Glasgow]]. However, [[brewing]], [[publishing]], and [[electronics]] have maintained a foothold. [[Unemployment]] in Edinburgh was low at 2.2 percent in 2007, below the [[Scotland|Scottish]] average.
-As the centre of Scotland's devolved government, as well as its [[Scots Law|legal system]], the public sector plays a central role in the economy of Edinburgh with many departments of the [[Scottish Government]] located in the city. Other major employers include [[NHS Scotland]] and [[local government of Scotland|local government]] administration.
+Edinburgh is a transport hub, with arterial road and rail routes that connect the [[city]] to the rest of [[Scotland]] and with [[England]]. The [[Forth Bridge (railway)|Forth Bridge]] and the [[Forth Road Bridge]] are both [[engineering]] feats. A bus service provides most public transport. Construction began in 2007 on a light rail tram line to connect [[Edinburgh Airport]] and Granton via the city center and Leith Walk.
-Edinburgh has seventy post offices, one in St. Mary's Street (in the Old Town close to Waverley Station) is "central", in that it is the only one within the EH1 1 [[postcode]] zone, but the Royal Mail sorting office at 10 Brunswick Road has the latest collection. Edinburgh's [[General Post Office]] building, in Waterloo Place, no longer houses a post office, which has been moved into the nearby St. James' Centre. The façades of the Waterloo Place building still stand, but the interior has been removed and replaced with offices.
+Leith is the port of Edinburgh and retains a separate identity. Redevelopment attracted the business of a number of companies which provide cruises to [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], [[Germany]], and the [[Netherlands]]. Leith has the decommissioned [[Royal Yacht Britannia]]. Large parts of the port have been redeveloped into retail and residential buildings. Edinburgh is served by [[Edinburgh Airport]], located about eight miles (13 km) to the west of the city.
+==Demographics==
+[[Image:St. Giles' Cathedral front.jpg|thumb|right|210px|St Giles' Cathedral.]]
+[[Image:University of Edinburgh, Old College.jpg|thumb|left|190px|The University of Edinburgh's Old College, home of its Law School.]]
+The City of Edinburgh council area had an estimated population of 463,510 in 2006.<ref>''General Register Office for Scotland,'' [http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/press/2007-news/scotlands-mid-year-population-estimates.html Mid Year Population Estimates, 2006.] Retrieved October 19, 2008. </ref> The population of the greater Edinburgh area was 1.25 million and was projected to grow to 1.33 million by 2020. Though Edinburgh's population is aging, there is a large and transient population of around 100,000 young students.<ref>"Napier University Edinburgh," ''Graduate Prospects.'' </ref>
-==Transport==
+Edinburgh is a cosmopolitan city. The main ethnic groups are: Scottish (including those of mixed English and Scottish descent and those born in Scotland of full English descent) 82 percent, English 13 percent, Polish two percent, Chinese one percent, Indian one percent, and Pakistani one percent. The other two percent includes French, Spanish, Lithuanians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Chileans, Malaysians, and Africans.
-{{Main|Transport in Edinburgh}}
-[[Image:forth bridge evening.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Forth Bridge (railway)|Forth Bridge]] at night]]
-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. It is connected to the north of Scotland by the famous feats of engineering, the [[Forth Bridge (railway)|Forth Bridge]] and the [[Forth Road Bridge]].
-===Buses===
+The primary [[language]]s are Scottish English, (Lowland) Scots, and Scottish Gaelic.
-Most public transport trips in Edinburgh are taken by [[bus]], with [[Lothian Buses]] and [[First Edinburgh|First Bus]] operating an extensive system connecting most parts of the city, suburbs and surrounding [[city region]].
-===Trams===
+The [[Church of Scotland]] claims the largest membership. Its most important and historical church is [[Saint Giles' Cathedral]]. The [[Roman Catholic Church]] has a sizable presence. The [[Free Church of Scotland]] (Reformed and Presbyterian) has congregations on the Royal Mile and Crosscauseway. The [[Scottish Episcopal Church]] is part of the Anglican Communion. Independent churches include Destiny Church, Charlotte Chapel, [[Carrubbers Christian Centre]] and [[Bellevue Chapel]].
-Following a vote in the [[Scottish Parliament]] in June 2007,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6243158.stm BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh and East | Climbdown after transport defeat<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref> preliminary construction work (such as the diversion of utilities) has now started on the [[Edinburgh Tram Network]], a [[light rail|light rapid transit]] tram line to connect [[Edinburgh Airport]] and Granton via the city centre and Leith Walk. Another loop may connect the city centre and the northern waterfront areas of [[Leith]] and [[Granton, Edinburgh|Granton]] &ndash; areas which are undergoing major regeneration and redevelopment. Despite the reservations of First Minister [[Alex Salmond]] and the SNP minority Government, the project was voted through by the other parties in the Parliament.<!-- Mentioned in [[Leith]] —>
-[[Image:Edinburgh Airport Control Tower.jpg|right|thumb|[[Edinburgh Airport]] Control Tower]]
-===Rail===
+Edinburgh's main [[mosque]] and Islamic Centre was opened in the late 1990s, largely financed by a gift from [[King Fahd]] of [[Saudi Arabia]]. A [[Jew]]ish community in the city dates to the late 17th century. Edinburgh's [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[synagogue]] was opened in 1932. A [[Liberal Judaism|Liberal]] congregation also meets in the city. There is also a [[Sikh]] [[Gurdwara]] and [[Hindu]] [[Mandir]] in the Leith district.
-[[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Edinburgh Waverley]] is the main railway station for the city. It is on the [[East Coast Main Line]] and is a through-station as well as a terminus for many services to and from [[London Kings Cross]] operated by [[National Express East Coast]] and to [[London Euston]] operated by [[Virgin Trains]] and [[First ScotRail]], as well as services from within Scotland operated by First ScotRail. [[Haymarket railway station|Haymarket Station]] is a smaller station located to the west of the city centre. The rail network in the city has expanded in recent years with the opening of Crossrail, from [[Newcraighall]] and [[Musselburgh]] in the east, to [[Curriehill]], [[Edinburgh Park]] and [[Dalmeny]] in the west. The network is set to expand further with a new parkway station being constructed at Gogar for [[Edinburgh Airport]] and the electrification of the Haymarket - Edinburgh Park/Airport section in connection with the [[Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link]]. Edinburgh and the East of Scotland's rail network are controlled from Edinburgh Signalling Centre, which with 240 route miles (470 track miles) has the largest control area in Europe. This will increase on completion of the Bathgate - Airdrie and Edinburgh - Galashiels rail lines which will also be controlled from Edinburgh.
-[[Image:Edinburgh-scottm.600px.jpg|left|thumb|[[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley]] (viewed from the [[Scott Monument]]), is located in the ravine between the Old and New Town on the drained [[Nor Loch]].]]
-===Airport===
+The [[Royal High School (Edinburgh)|Royal High School]] that traces its roots to 1128, is considered to be the oldest school in Scotland.
-Edinburgh is served by [[Edinburgh Airport]] (EDI), located about 8 miles (13 km) to the west of the city, with scheduled connections to many cities in Europe and international long-haul route network, including regular flights to New York (JFK and Newark) and summer services to [[Toronto]].
-===Cycling===
+The [[University of Edinburgh]] was founded by Royal Charter in 1583,<ref>''University of Edinburgh,'' [http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/history/ University of Edinburgh Historical Tour.] Retrieved October 19, 2008. </ref> and is the fourth oldest university in Scotland. The [[Old College, University of Edinburgh|Old College]] on South Bridge opened in the 1820s. The [[Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh]] and the [[Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh]] were established by Royal Charter, in 1506 and 1681 respectively. The Trustees Drawing Academy of Edinburgh was established in 1760, an institution that became the [[Edinburgh College of Art]] in 1907.
-Attempts to make Edinburgh more "cycle friendly" have been made, particularly by [[Spokes]], the Lothian Cycle Campaign.  Some cyclists remain unconvinced that the promise of a "Model Cycle-Friendly City"<ref>{{cite web| url=http://cyclingedinburgh.info/2007/12/31/pedestrian-and-bicycle-strategic-plan-for-e/| title=CyclingEdinburgh.info| accessdate=2008-01-01}}</ref> has been achieved. Although because of the geographical nature of the city every cycle ride is akin to a mountainbike ride.
-====World-record holder====
+[[Heriot-Watt University]] and Napier Technical College were established in the 1960s. Other [[college]]s include Telford College, opened in 1968, and Stevenson College, opened in 1970. Basil Paterson College offers courses in [[language]]s and teaching. The [[Scottish Agricultural College]] also has a campus in south Edinburgh.
-In April 2008 Mark Beaumont, from [[New Town, Edinburgh]], broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle, completing his ride in only 194 days and 17 hours.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Made-it-Scots-cyclist-Mark.3783774.jp|publisher=The Scotsman|title=Made it! Scots cyclist Mark Beaumont sets round-the-world record|date=2008-02-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.scotsman.com/11717/Roundtheworld-cyclist-plans-new-challenge.3802991.jp|title=Round-the-world cyclist plans new challenge... without the bike|publisher=The Scotsman|date=2008-02-21}}</ref> BBC Scotland produced a four part documentary titled "The Man Who Cycled The World".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/outdoors/programmes/pedalling_around/|title=Pedalling Around; the site that followed Mark Beaumont on his race around the world|publisher=BBC Scotland}}</ref>
-====Thefts====
+==Society and culture==
-Cycle thefts are common in the city, with an average of five bikes being stolen every day.<ref name="stolen">{{cite news|url=http://heritage.scotsman.com/11717/Warning-for-Edinburgh-cyclists-as.3978116.jp|publisher=The Scotsman|date=2008-04-14|title=Warning for Edinburgh cyclists as gangs steal five bikes a day|author=Alen McEwen}}</ref> Ian Maxwell, a member of [[Spokes]] Lothian Cycle Campaign, said: "We've seen a massive increase in cycling in Edinburgh over the last ten years and, unfortunately, with that trend comes an inevitable rise in thefts. Overall, though, with tens of thousands of cyclists, the numbers are still relatively low. The figures underline the problem of lack of secure parking facilities for bikes. They can be difficult to find. Cyclists need to take the appropriate precautions. These are opportunist thieves who move quickly and disappear on their newly acquired getaway vehicle."<ref name="stolen"/>
+{| align="right" width="340"
+| [[Image:Conan doyle.jpg|thumb|145px|right|Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], a native of Edinburgh.]]
-====Safety====
+|}
-Lothian's roads are the most dangerous in Scotland for cyclists, with 165 cyclists a year being hospitalised.<ref name="injuries">{{cite news|url=http://news.scotsman.com/11717/Six-cyclists-suffer-head-injuries.3996959.jp|title=Six cyclists suffer head injuries each month in Lothians|date=2008-04-18|publisher=The Scotsman}}</ref> One common complaint is that cycle lanes are often placed inside bus lanes on some of the major roads in central Edinburgh, such as [[Princes Street]] and [[Lothian Road]].<ref name="buses">{{cite news|url=http://business.scotsman.com/firstgroup/Bus-drivers-put-lives-at.3339308.jp|title=Bus drivers 'put lives at risk'|date=2007-01-19|author=Alan Roden|publisher=The Scotsman}}</ref> This irritates bus drivers, who are limited by the slow speed of cyclists, and therefore feel compelled to perform unsafe vehicle manoeuvres like [[tailgating]] only inches behind cyclists, and overtaking when the outer lane is occupied so the bus cannot actually move around the cyclist safely, thus squeezing the cyclist between the bus and pavement.<ref name="buses"/> It is also common for cars and other vehicles to be parked in cycle lanes, forcing cyclists to weave in and out of lanes of traffic, to the irritation of other drivers.
+[[Image:Edinburgh Royal Mile01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Royal Mile]] in the Old Town during the [[Edinburgh Festival]].]]
+[[Image:Marykingsclose006.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mary King's Close.]]
-Several cyclists have been killed in Edinburgh. In September 2004, a 28 year old man was killed by the driver of a Vauxhall Vectra at the junction of Marchmont Road and Melville Drive.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Lothian and Borders Police|url=http://www.lbp.police.uk/press_release/articles/2004%5CSeptember%5C08%5C3.htm|title=CYCLIST DIES IN ROAD ACCIDENT, EDINBURGH |date=2004-09-08}}</ref> In April 2008, a male cyclist was killed in a collision with a truck on the junction between West Richmond Street and Nicolson Street.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7372906.stm|title=Cyclist dies in truck collision|publisher=BBC News|date=2008-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Cyclist-dragged-under-wheels-of.4031109.jp|title=Cyclist dragged under wheels of lorry dies in horror accident|publisher=The Scotsman|date=2008-04-29|authors=CHARLOTTE BAILEY and CHRIS MARSHALL}}</ref> The deceased was identified as Dr Iain Wilson, 35 years old, and an award winning [[neuroscientist]] who worked at the [[University of Edinburgh]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7380814.stm|title=Family tribute to 'kind' cyclist|publisher=BBC News|date=2008-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Family-of-tragic-cyclist-pays.4046494.jp|title=Family of tragic cyclist pays tribute to 'fantastic guy'|publisher=Edinburgh Evening News|date=2008-05-02}}</ref> A female student cyclist was killed in a collision with a bus on Marchmont Road in the late 90s.
-====Disputes====
-[[Pedicabs]] are a common form of transport for weekend revellers, with the number operating in Edinburgh growing from only 2 in 2000 to 60 by 2008.<ref name="tx">{{cite news|url=http://www.tollcross.org/Article518.htm|publisher=Tollcross Online|title=Rickshaw driver 'hit by cabbie'|date=2007-12-06}}</ref> This has led to a growing number of complaints from taxi cab drivers, who resent the competition. In one dispute, a pedicab cyclist was reported to have been attacked by a group of three taxi drivers, who kicked and headbutted him.<ref name="tx"/> In other cases, taxi drivers have thrown cigarette butts at pedicab cyclists, and in one case, threatened a cyclist with a [[Taser]] stun gun (possession of such a device is illegal in Scotland).<ref name="tx"/>
-Cycling in certain public parks, like walkways across [[the Meadows]], is currently illegal.<ref name="meadows">{{cite news|url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/11717/Meadows-ban-on-cyclists-39is.3919368.jp|title=Meadows ban on cyclists 'is illegal'|date=2008-03-27|author=Alan Roden|publisher=Edinburgh Evening News}}</ref> Under the Land Reform Act of 2003, park paths may be opened up to cyclists, but concerns have been expressed that cyclists may run pedestrians over. Peng Lee Yap, chairman of Friends of the Meadows, said "While this is clearly a difficult issue, it was felt that the positive way forward is the approach of Spokes to improve cyclists' behaviour."<ref name="meadows"/> In late 2007 Spokes Lothian group launched their "Bike Polite" campaign to encourage cyclists to be more considerate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7073037.stm|publisher=BBC News|title='Be polite' message to cyclists|date=2007-11-01}}</ref>
+Famous authors of the city include [[Arthur Conan Doyle|Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]], the creator of ''[[Sherlock Holmes]],'' [[Ian Rankin]], author of the ''Inspector Rebus'' series of crime thrillers, [[J. K. Rowling]], the author of ''[[Harry Potter]],'' who wrote her first book in an Edinburgh coffee shop and [[Adam Smith]], economist, born in [[Kirkcaldy]], and author of ''[[The Wealth of Nations]]''.
-===Park and Ride===
+On the more sinister side, famous criminals from Edinburgh's history include [[Deacon Brodie]], pillar of society by day and burglar by night, who is said to have influenced [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s story, the ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]];'' the murderers [[Burke and Hare]], who provided fresh corpses for anatomical dissection; and [[Major Weir]] a notorious [[warlock]].
-A new [[park and ride]] site was opened on February 3, 2008 at [[Sheriffhall]], in addition to facilities at [[Ingliston]], [[Riccarton, Edinburgh|Riccarton]], [[Fife]] and [[Newcraighall]].<br>For all other park and ride information visit: [http://www.parkandride.net/edinburgh/edinburgh_frameset.shtml The National Park and Ride Directory]
-The newest development in Scotland is now the tram system. Many problems have arisen with transport to and from the airport and the set up of the trams aims to tackle this among other things. However, the roadworks for the set up of the tram have been very disruptive, leading to hold ups and redirection of traffic.
+Scotland has a rich history of [[science]] and Edinburgh has its fair share of famous names. [[James Clerk Maxwell]], the founder of the modern theory of [[electromagnetism]], was born there and educated at the [[Edinburgh Academy]], as was the telephone pioneer [[Alexander Graham Bell]].<ref> ''Library and Archives Canada,'' [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=42027 Alexander Graham Bell.] Retrieved October 19, 2008. </ref> Other names connected to the city include [[Max Born]], physicist and [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Nobel laureate]]; [[Charles Darwin]], the biologist who discovered [[natural selection]];  [[David Hume]] a philosopher, economist and historian; [[James Hutton]], regarded as the "Father of [[Geology]]"; [[John Napier]] inventor of [[logarithm]]s;<ref> J J O'Connor and E F Robertson, [http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Napier.html John Napier,] ''University of St Andrews.'' Retrieved October 19, 2008. </ref> and [[Ian Wilmut]] the [[genetics|geneticist]] involved in the cloning of [[Dolly (sheep)|Dolly the sheep]] just outside Edinburgh. The stuffed carcass of Dolly the sheep is now on display in the [[National Museum of Scotland]].
-==Education==
+Edinburgh has two professional [[football (soccer)|football]] clubs: [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]] and [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Heart of Midlothian]]. The [[Scotland national rugby union team]] plays at [[Murrayfield Stadium]], the [[Scottish cricket team]] play home matches at The Grange, and the [[Edinburgh Capitals]] are the latest of a succession of [[ice hockey]] clubs to represent the Scottish capital. In April 2008, Mark Beaumont, from [[New Town, Edinburgh]], broke the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by [[bicycle]], completing his ride in only 194 days and 17 hours.
-===Universities and colleges===
-[[Image:University of Edinburgh, Old College.jpg|thumb|The [[University of Edinburgh]]'s [[Robert Adam]]-designed [[Old College, University of Edinburgh|Old College]] building, home of its [[University of Edinburgh School of Law|Law School]]]]
-The [[University of Edinburgh]] was founded by Royal Charter in 1583,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ed.ac.uk/explore/history/| title=University of Edinburgh Historical Tour| accessdate=2007-04-21}}</ref> and is the fourth oldest [[university in Scotland]], after [[University of St Andrews|St Andrews]], [[University of Glasgow|Glasgow]] and [[University of Aberdeen|Aberdeen]]. The [[Old College, University of Edinburgh|Old College]] on South Bridge opened in the 1820s.<!-- again mentioned in article itself —> 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. A third campus at [[Little France]] was established in 2002. Development of the University's estate continues on all three campuses in the 21st century.
-The [[Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh]] and the [[Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh]] were established by Royal Charter, in 1506 and 1681 respectively. The Trustees Drawing Academy of Edinburgh was established in 1760,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.gashe.ac.uk:443/isaar/C1267.html| title=Trustees Academy School of Art, Edinburgh| accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref> an institution that became the [[Edinburgh College of Art]] in 1907.
+The [[Edinburgh Festival]] is a collection of festivals held annually over four weeks from early August, and include the [[Edinburgh Fringe]], the [[Edinburgh Comedy Festival]], the [[Edinburgh International Festival]], the [[Edinburgh Military Tattoo]], and the [[Edinburgh International Book Festival]]. The [[Hogmanay]] street party takes place on December 31, [[Burns Night]] on January 25, [[St Andrew's Day]] on November 30, and the [[Beltane Fire Festival]] on April 30.
-In the 1960s [[Heriot-Watt University]] and Napier Technical College were established. Heriot-Watt traces its origins to 1821, when a school for technical education of the [[working classes]] was opened. Heriot-Watt continues to have a strong reputation in [[engineering]], and is based at [[Riccarton, Edinburgh|Riccarton]], in the west of the city.
+===Places of interest===
+Edinburgh is home to a large number of [[museum]]s and [[library|libraries]], including the [[Museum of Scotland]], the [[Royal Museum]], the [[National Library of Scotland]], [[National War Museum of Scotland]], the [[Museum of Edinburgh]], the Museum of Childhood, and the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]]. Buildings and sites of interest include:
-Napier College, renamed Napier Polytechnic in 1986, gained university status in 1992. [[Napier University]] has several campuses in the south and west of the city, including the former [[Craiglockhart Hydropathic]] (of [[Siegfried Sassoon]] and [[Wilfred Owen]] fame) and [[Merchiston Castle|Merchiston Tower]] (the family home of [[John Napier]]). The University contains several specialised research centres (including the [[Centre for Timber Engineering]], the [[International Teledemocracy Centre]] and a large [[business school]]. In 2005 the University secured Skillset Screen Academy status for its film courses and now operates (in conjunction with Edinburgh College of Art) the [[Screen Academy Scotland]], one of six accredited centres in the UK.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.skillset.org/film/training_and_events/screen_academies/| title=Skillset Screen Academy Network| accessdate=2007-04-21}}</ref>
+* Edinburgh Castle, in which the oldest existing building is Saint Margaret's chapel, built in the early twelfth century.
-[[Queen Margaret University]] was founded in 1875 as a women's college, and today specialises in healthcare, theatre, media, hospitality and business.
+* The Royal Mile, which is part of the Old Town, refers to the succession of streets which runs between [[Edinburgh Castle]] at the top of the [[Castle Rock, Edinburgh|Castle Rock]] down to [[Holyrood Abbey]]. Minor streets or alleyways (called ''closes'' or ''wynds'') lead downhill on either side of the main spine in a herringbone pattern. Large squares mark the location of markets or surround public buildings such as [[Saint Giles Cathedral]] and the [[Courts of Scotland|Law Courts]].
-Other colleges offering further education in Edinburgh include [[Edinburgh's Telford College|Telford College]], opened in 1968, and [[Stevenson College, Edinburgh|Stevenson College]], opened in 1970. Basil Paterson College offers courses in languages and teaching. The [[Scottish Agricultural College]] also has a campus in south Edinburgh.
+* Mary King's Close, named after a sixteenth century Edinburgh merchant, consists of a number of closes which were originally narrow streets with [[tenement]] houses on either side, stretching to seven storys high. Space restrictions in the Old Town gave rise to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings, known as ''lands'', with 10 and 11 stories being typical. Additionally, numerous vaults below street level were inhabited to accommodate the influx of (mainly Irish) immigrants during the [[Industrial Revolution]]. These continue to fuel legends of an [[underground city]].<ref> Donald Campbell, ''Edinburgh: A Cultural and Literary History'' (Oxford: Signal Books, 2003, ISBN 1902669738).</ref>
-===Schools===
+* Holyrood Abbey, which is a ruined [[Augustinian]] [[Abbey]] sited in the grounds of the Royal [[Palace of Holyroodhouse]], which it predates, and was built in 1128 at the order of King [[David I of Scotland]].
-{{seealso|List of Edinburgh Schools}}
-Edinburgh schools include [[Donaldson's College]] and the Royal Blind School, Scotland's national residential and day schools for deaf and blind students, both of which serve Scotland and the north east of England. The [[Royal High School (Edinburgh)|Royal High School]] is considered to be the oldest school in Scotland.
-Edinburgh also has several independent schools including: [[Stewart's Melville College]], [[The Mary Erskine School]], [[George Heriot's School]], [[Merchiston Castle School]], [[George Watson's College]], [[St. George's School, Edinburgh|St George's School For Girls]], [[St Margaret's School]], [[Edinburgh Academy]], and [[Fettes College]].
+* Holyrood House, officially the Palace of Holyrood, which is situated at the bottom of the Royal Mile, and date largely from the reign of [[Charles II]] (c. 1649-1685). The Holyrood Abbey precinct remained a debtors' sanctuary until the 19th century, long after the abbey itself had fallen into disrepair.
-==Hospitals==
+* Parliament House, which is located on the Royal Mile, and was built between 1632 and 1639. Since the union of the Scottish and English parliaments in 1707 the building has been used by the Court of Session, the highest court of law in Scotland.
-[[Image:Palmhouse.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh|Royal Botanic Gardens]] Palm House]]
-{{seealso|List of hospitals in Scotland#City of Edinburgh|l1=List of hospitals in Edinburgh}}
-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. There is one private hospital, Murrayfield Hospital, owned by [[Spire Healthcare]]. The Royal Infirmary is the main Accident & Emergency hospital not just for Edinburgh but also Midlothian and East Lothian, and is the headquarters of NHS Lothian, making it a centric focus for Edinburgh and its hinterland. The [[Royal Edinburgh Hospital]] specialises in mental health, it is situated in Morningside. The Royal Hospital for Sick Children is located in Sciennes Road; it is popularly known as the 'Sick Kids'.
-==Religious communities==
+* [[Edinburgh Zoo]], located on the [[Corstorphine Hill]], and was built in 1913, receives over 600,000 visitors a year, which makes it Scotland's second most popular paid-for tourist attraction, after [[Edinburgh Castle]].
-[[Image:St Mary's 3 spires.jpg|thumb|right|The three spires of [[St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)|St Mary's Cathedral]]]]
-===Christianity===
+==Looking to the future==
-The [[Church of Scotland]] claims the largest membership of any religious denomination in Edinburgh. Its most important and historical church is [[St Giles' Cathedral]]; others include [[Greyfriars Kirk]], [[Edinburgh Barclay Church|Barclay Church]], [[Canongate Kirk]] and [[St Andrew's and St George's Church]]. In the south east of the city is the 12th century [[Duddingston Kirk]]. The [[Church of Scotland Offices]] are located in Edinburgh, as is the [[General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland|Assembly Hall]] and [[New College, Edinburgh|New College]] on The Mound.
+As a center of [[Age of Enlightenment|the Enlightenment]], an intellectual center, arguably the birthplace of [[capitalism]], and the location of a centuries-long financial tradition, Edinburgh offers a rich legacy that transcends the curiosities of [[Edinburgh Castle]], the Royal Mile, and the 4,500 heritage buildings listed there. With a [[GDP]] second to [[London]], as the location of the Scottish Parliament and with one million visitors a year, Edinburgh's financial future would seem assured.
-The [[Roman Catholic Church]] also has a sizeable presence in the city. Its notable structures include [[St. Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Catholic)|St Mary's Cathedral]] at the top of Leith Walk, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, St Patrick's, St. Columba's, St. Peter's and Star of the Sea. The Catholic community in Edinburgh is part of the [[Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh]], which is led by Keith [[Cardinal O'Brien]], considered to be the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland.
+[[Image:Edinburgh-panoramic.jpg|thumb|center|800px|[[Panorama]] of the Old Town and Southside of Edinburgh from the Nelson monument. The term ''Panorama'' was originally coined by the Irish painter Robert Barker to describe his panoramic paintings of Edinburgh.]]
-The [[Free Church of Scotland]] (Reformed and Presbyterian) has congregations on the Royal Mile and Crosscauseway; its offices and training college are located on the Mound. The [[Scottish Episcopal Church]] is part of the Anglican Communion. Its centre is the resplendent [[St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)|St Mary's Cathedral]], Palmerston Place in the west end.
+==Notes==
-[[Image:St. Giles' Cathedral front.jpg|thumb|[[St. Giles' Cathedral]]]]
+<references/>
-In addition, there are a number of independent churches situated throughout the city; these churches tend to have a high percentage of student congregants and include Destiny Church, [[Charlotte Baptist Chapel|Charlotte Chapel]], [[Carrubbers Christian Centre]] and [[Bellevue Chapel]].
-===Other faiths===
-[[Edinburgh Central Mosque]] - Edinburgh's main [[mosque]] and Islamic Centre is located on Potterow on the city's southside, near Bristo Square. It was opened in the late 1990s and the construction was largely financed by a gift from [[King Fahd]] of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icetrust.org/col/htm/about/finance.htm |title=Financing the project |accessdate=2007-03-23 |publisher=Edinburgh Islamic Centre }}</ref> The first recorded presence of a [[Jew]]ish community in Edinburgh dates back to the late 17th century.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} Edinburgh's [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[synagogue]] is located in Salisbury Road, which was opened in 1932 and can accommodate a congregation of 2000. A [[Liberal Judaism|Liberal]] congregation also meets in the city. There is also a [[Sikh]] [[Gurdwara]] and [[Hindu]] [[Mandir]] in the city which are both located in the Leith district.
-==Notable residents==
-{{Main|List of Edinburgh people}}
-Famous authors of the city include [[Arthur Conan Doyle|Sir Arthur Conan Doyle]], the creator of ''[[Sherlock Holmes]]'', [[Ian Rankin]], author of the ''[[Detective Inspector John Rebus|Inspector Rebus]]'' series of crime thrillers, [[J. K. Rowling]], the author of ''[[Harry Potter]]'', who wrote her first book in an Edinburgh coffee shop ([[Nicolson's Cafe]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=662772003 |title=The JK Rowling story |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=2003-06-16  |author=Stephen McGinty |publisher=Scotsman.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=3&id=1500742006 |title=Plaque spells out Harry's birthplace |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=2006-10-10 |author=Rosalind Gibb & John Gibson |publisher=Scotsman.com }}</ref>, the Elephant House and Black Medicine) and [[Adam Smith]], economist, born in [[Kirkcaldy]], and author of ''[[The Wealth of Nations]]''.
-Edinburgh has been home to the actor [[Sean Connery|Sir Sean Connery]], famed as the first cinematic [[James Bond]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/573476.stm |title=Connery: Bond and beyond |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=1999-12-21 |publisher=BBC News }}</ref> [[Ronnie Corbett]], a comedian and actor, best known as one of [[The Two Ronnies]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=1635762006 |title=I won't say goodnight yet... |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=2006-11-04 |author=Hannah Stephenson |publisher=Scotsman.com }}</ref> and [[Dylan Moran]], the Irish comedian. Famous city artists include the portrait painters [[Sir Henry Raeburn]], [[David Wilkie (artist)|Sir David Wilkie]] and [[Allan Ramsay (1713-1784)|Allan Ramsay]]. Historians such as [[Douglas Johnson]] and [[Arthur Marwick]] had roots here.
-The city has produced or been home to musicians that have been extremely successful in modern times, particularly [[Ian Anderson (musician)|Ian Anderson]], frontman of the band [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]]; [[Wattie Buchan]], lead singer and founding member of punk band ''[[The Exploited]]''; [[Shirley Manson]], lead singer for the band [[Garbage (band)|Garbage]]; [[The Proclaimers]], a musical ensemble of two brothers; the [[Bay City Rollers]]; [[Boards of Canada]] and [[Idlewild (band)|Idlewild]].
-Edinburgh is the hometown of the former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], [[Tony Blair]], who was born in the city and attended [[Fettes College]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1156262006 |title=Blair's birthplace is bulldozed in Edinburgh |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=2006-08-09 |publisher=Scotsman.com }}</ref> [[Robin Harper]] the co-convener of the [[Scottish Green Party]]; and [[John Witherspoon]], the only clergyman to sign the [[United States Declaration of Independence]], and later president of [[Princeton University]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://etc.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/witherspoon_john.html |title=John Witherspoon |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=1978 |author=W. Frank Craven |publisher=Princeton University Press }}</ref>
-On the more sinister side, famous criminals from Edinburgh's history include [[Deacon Brodie]], pillar of society by day and burglar by night, who is said to have influenced [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s story, the [[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]; the murderers [[Burke and Hare]], who provided fresh corpses for anatomical dissection; and [[Major Weir]] a notorious [[warlock]].
-Scotland has a rich history of science and Edinburgh has its fair share of famous names. [[James Clerk Maxwell]], the founder of the modern theory of [[electromagnetism]], was born here and educated at the [[Edinburgh Academy]], as was the telephone pioneer [[Alexander Graham Bell]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=42027 |title=Alexander Graham Bell |accessdate=2007-03-23 |publisher=University of Toronto }}</ref> Other names connected to the city include [[Max Born]], physicist and [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Nobel laureate]]; [[Charles Darwin]], the biologist who discovered [[natural selection]];  [[David Hume]] a philosopher, economist and historian; [[James Hutton]], regarded as the "Father of [[Geology]]"; [[John Napier]] inventor of [[logarithm]]s;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Napier.html |title=John Napier |accessdate=2007-03-23 |date=April 1998 |author=J J O'Connor and E F Robertson |publisher=University of St Andrews }}</ref> and [[Ian Wilmut]] the geneticist involved in the cloning of [[Dolly (sheep)|Dolly the sheep]] just outside Edinburgh.  The stuffed carcass of Dolly the sheep is now on display in the National Museum of Scotland.
-==Of interest==
-Edinburgh is well-known for the annual [[Edinburgh Festival]], a collection of official and independent festivals held annually over about four weeks from early August. The number of visitors attracted to Edinburgh for the Festival is roughly equal to the settled population of the city. The most famous of these events are the [[Edinburgh Fringe]] (the largest performing arts festival in the world), the [[Edinburgh Comedy Festival]] (the largest comedy festival in the world), the [[Edinburgh International Festival]], the [[Edinburgh Military Tattoo]], and the [[Edinburgh International Book Festival]].
-Other notable events include the [[Hogmanay]] street party (31 December), [[Burns Night]] (25 January), [[St. Andrew's Day]] (November 30), and the [[Beltane Fire Festival]] (30 April).
-==See also==
-<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
-*[[Areas of Edinburgh]]
-*[[Cockburn Association]] (Edinburgh Civic Trust)
-*[[Dean Cemetery]]
-*[[Duke of Edinburgh]]
-*[[Economy of Edinburgh]]
-*[[Edinburgh congestion charge]]
-*[[Edinburgh Waterfront]]
-*[[Edinburgh Zoo]]
-*[[EH postal area]]
-*[[Fresh Air (Edinburgh)]]
-*[[Lothian and Borders Police]]
-*[[National Archives of Scotland]]
-*[[Politics in Edinburgh]]
-*[[Scottish Enlightenment]]
-*[[Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh]]
-*[[Timeline of Edinburgh history]]
-*[[Transport in Edinburgh]]
-*[[Edinburgh Comedy Festival]]
-*[[Catacombs of Edinburgh]]
-</div>
 ==References==
-{{Reflist|2}}
+* Campbell, Donald. ''Edinburgh: A Cultural and Literary History''. Cities of the imagination. New York: Interlink Books, 2004. ISBN 978-1566565158
+* Davies, Norman. ''The Isles: A History.'' London: Macmillan, 1999. ISBN 0333692837
+* Harris, Nathaniel. ''Heritage of Scotland: A Cultural History of Scotland & Its People.'' New York: Checkmark Books, 2000. ISBN 978-0816041367
+* Magnusson, Magnus. ''Scotland: The Story of a Nation''. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0871137982
 ==External links==
-{{commonscat|Edinburgh}}
+All links retrieved February 12, 2024.
-*[http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk City of Edinburgh Council]
-*[http://www.edinburgh.org/ Edinburgh Tourist Information]
+*[http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk City of Edinburgh Council]
-*{{wikitravel}}
+*[http://www.edinburgh.org/ Edinburgh Tourist Information]
-*[http://www.henniker.org.uk/ 1000s of local photos by Dave Henniker]
+*[http://www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk/ Edinburgh Festival]
-*[http://www.edinburghsucks.com/ A popular alternative view of Edinburgh Politics]
-{{oscoor gbx|NT251735}}
-<br>
-{{Template group
-|title = The City of Edinburgh
-|list =
-{{Edinburgh}}
-{{Areas of Edinburgh}}
-{{Scotland_subdivisions}}
-{{Hanseatic League}}
-{{UK cities}}
-{{LargestUKCities}}
-{{Commonwealth Games Host Cities}}
-{{List of British Territories capitals}}
-{{Celtic nations}}
-}}
 [[Category:Geography]]
 [[Category:Cities]]
+[[Category:Europe]]
 {{credit|Edinburgh|244754651|}}

Coordinates: 55°57′N 3°11′W
City of Edinburgh Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann Scots: Edinburgh
— Unitary authority & city —
City of Edinburgh
View of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat
Nickname: "Auld Reekie," "Athens of the North," "Edina," "Dunedin"
Motto: "Nisi Dominus Frustra" "Except the Lord in vain" associated with Edinburgh since 1647, it is a normal heraldic contraction of a verse from the 127th Psalm, "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain"
City of Edinburgh Location in Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Scotland
Council area	City of Edinburgh
Lieutenancy area	Edinburgh
Admin HQ	Edinburgh City Centre
Founded	prior to the 7th century
Burgh Charter	1125
City status	1889
Government
- Type	Unitary Authority, City
- Governing body	The City of Edinburgh Council
- Lord Provost	George Grubb
- MSPs	6 Kenny MacAskill (SNP) Marco Biagi (SNP) Malcolm Chisholm (L) Gordon MacDonald (SNP) Jim Eadie (SNP) Colin Keir (SNP)
- MPs:	5 Alistair Darling (L) Gavin Strang (L) Nigel Griffiths (L) Mark Lazarowicz (L) John Barrett (LD)
Area
- Unitary authority & city	100.00 sq mi (259 km²)
Population (2010^[1])
- Unitary authority & city	486,120
- Urban	817,800
- Urban Density	4,776/sq mi (1,844/km²)
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Postcode	EH
Area code(s)	0131
ISO 3166-2	GB-EDH
ONS code	00QP
OS grid reference	NT275735
NUTS 3	UKM25
Website: www.edinburgh.gov.uk (Official Council site) www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com (Visitor-facing site)