Difference between revisions of "Edinburgh" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Infobox UK place
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{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Approved}}{{copyedited}}
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| official_name=       City of Edinburgh  
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{{Infobox Settlement
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| local_name=         Auld Reekie, Athens of the North, Capital of Scotland
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<!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage—>
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|static_image=         [[Image:EdinburghFromCastle.jpg|240px|]]
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|name=City of Edinburgh
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|static_image_caption= <small>View over Edinburgh.</small>
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|official_name = City of Edinburgh
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|image_shield = Edinburgh-coa.png
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|other_name = ''[[Scots Language|Scots]]'': Edinburgh
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| country=             Scotland
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|native_name = <small>''[[Scottish Gaelic Language|Scottish Gaelic]]'': Dùn Èideann</small>
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|area_footnotes=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://edinburghfacts.infogami.com/ |title=Edinburgh Facts |accessdate=2007-07-07 |format= |work= }}</ref>
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|nickname = "Auld Reekie," "Athens of the North," "Edina," "Dunedin"
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|area_total_sq_mi= 100
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|settlement_type = [[Subdivisions of Scotland|Unitary authority]] & [[City status in the United Kingdom|city]]<!--For Town or Village (Leave blank for the default City)—>
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|area_total_km2 =  
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|motto = "Nisi Dominus Frustra" <small>''"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"</small>
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| population=         457,830 (30 June 2005)
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<!-- images and maps ---------->
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|statistic1=           1,250,000
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|image_skyline = Edinburgh_Overview_Salisbury_Crag.jpg
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|statistic_title1 =   [[Urban Area|Urban]]
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|imagesize = 250px
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| os_grid_reference=   NT275735
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|image_caption = View of Edinburgh from [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat]]
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| map_type=           Edinburgh
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|image_flag =
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| latitude=           55.949556 
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|flag_size = 50
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| longitude=           -03.160288             
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|image_seal =
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| post_town=           EDINBURGH
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|seal_size =
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| postcode_area=       EH
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|image_shield =  
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| postcode_district=   EH1-EH13; EH14 (part); EH15-EH17
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|shield_link =
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| dial_code=           0131
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|shield_size =
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| constituency_westminster=   [[Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South]]  
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|image_blank_emblem =
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| constituency_westminster1=   [[Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh West]]
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|blank_emblem_type =
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| constituency_westminster2=   [[Edinburgh South West (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South West]]
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|blank_emblem_size =150px
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| constituency_westminster3=   [[Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh North and Leith]] <br/> [[Edinburgh East (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh East]]
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|blank_emblem_link =
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| london_distance=    332&nbsp;miles (535&nbsp;km) [[Boxing the compass|SSE]]
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|image_map =
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| gaelic_name=         Dùn Èideann
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|mapsize =
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| scots_name=         Edinburgh, Embra, Embro, Edinburrie
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|map_caption =
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| unitary_scotland=   City of Edinburgh
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|image_map1 =
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| lieutenancy_scotland= Edinburgh
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|mapsize1 =
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| constituency_scottish_parliament= [[Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh North and Leith]]  
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|map_caption1 =
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| constituency_scottish_parliament1= [[Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh Central]]
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|image_dot_map =
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| constituency_scottish_parliament2= [[Edinburgh East and Musselburgh (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh East and Musselburgh]] <br/> [[Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh Pentlands]] <br/> [[Edinburgh South (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South]] <br/> [[Edinburgh West (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh West]] <br/> [[Lothians (Scottish Parliamentary Electoral Area)|Lothians]]
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|dot_mapsize =
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|dot_map_caption =
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|dot_x = |dot_y =
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|pushpin_map =Scotland <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map —>
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|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none —>
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|pushpin_map_caption =Location in Scotland
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|pushpin_mapsize =
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<!-- Location ----------------—>
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|coordinates_display = inline,title
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|coordinates_region = GB
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|subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Sovereign state]]
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|subdivision_name = [[United Kingdom]]
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|subdivision_type1 = [[Countries of the United Kingdom|Country]]
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|subdivision_name1 = [[Scotland]]
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|subdivision_type2 = [[Council areas of Scotland|Council area]]
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|subdivision_name2 = City of Edinburgh
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|subdivision_type3 = [[Lieutenancy areas of Scotland|Lieutenancy area]]
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|subdivision_name3 = Edinburgh
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|subdivision_type4 = Admin HQ
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|subdivision_name4 = Edinburgh City Centre
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<!-- Politics ----------------->
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|government_footnotes =
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|government_type =[[Subdivisions of Scotland|Unitary Authority]], [[City status in the United Kingdom|City]]
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|leader_title =Governing&nbsp;body
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|leader_name =[[Politics of Edinburgh|The City of Edinburgh Council]]
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|leader_title1 =[[List of Lords Provost of Edinburgh|Lord Provost]]
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|leader_name1 =[[George Grubb]]
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|leader_title2 =[[Members of the 4th Scottish Parliament|MSPs]]
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|leader_name2 ={{Collapsible list |title=[[Politics of Edinburgh#Scottish Parliament|6]] |[[Kenny MacAskill]]&nbsp;(SNP) |[[Marco Biagi (politician)|Marco Biagi]]&nbsp;(SNP) |[[Malcolm Chisholm]]&nbsp;(L) |[[Gordon MacDonald (Scottish politician)|Gordon MacDonald]]&nbsp;(SNP) |[[Jim Eadie (politician)|Jim Eadie]]&nbsp;(SNP) |[[Colin Keir]]&nbsp;(SNP) |}}
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|leader_title3 =[[MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005|MPs]]:
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|leader_name3 ={{Collapsible list |title=[[Politics of Edinburgh#Parliament of the United Kingdom|5]] |[[Alistair Darling]]&nbsp;(L) |[[Gavin Strang]]&nbsp;(L) |[[Nigel Griffiths]]&nbsp;(L) |[[Mark Lazarowicz]]&nbsp;(L) |[[John Barrett (Scottish politician)|John Barrett]]&nbsp;(LD)}}
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|leader_title4 =
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|leader_name4 =
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|established_title = Founded
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|established_date = prior to the 7th century
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|established_title2 = [[Burgh|Burgh Charter]]
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|established_date2 = 1125
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|established_title3 = City status
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|established_date3 = 1889
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<!-- Area --------------------->
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|area_magnitude =
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|unit_pref = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired—>
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|area_footnotes =
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|area_total_km2 =
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|area_land_km2 = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox Settlement for details on automatic unit conversion—>
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|area_water_km2 =
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|area_total_sq_mi = 100.00<!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion—>
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|area_land_sq_mi =
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|area_water_sq_mi =
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|area_water_percent =
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|area_urban_km2 =
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|area_urban_sq_mi =
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|area_metro_km2 =
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|area_metro_sq_mi =
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|area_blank1_title =
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|area_blank1_km2 =
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|area_blank1_sq_mi =
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<!-- Population ----------------------->
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|population_as_of =2010<ref>[http://www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com/invest/economic_data/population_of_edinburgh/population_vital_statistics.aspx Population - Vital Statistics] Retrieved April 17, 2012.</ref>
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|population_footnotes =
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|population_note =
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|population_total = 486,120
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|population_urban = 817,800
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|population_density_km2 =
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|population_density_sq_mi =
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|population_county =
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|population_density_county_km2 =
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|population_density_county_sq_mi =
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|population_density_urban_km2 =
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|population_density_urban_sq_mi =4776
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|population_blank1_title =
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|population_blank1 =
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|population_density_blank1_title =
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|population_density_blank1_km2 =
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|population_density_blank1_sq_mi =
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|population_blank2_title =
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|population_blank2 =
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|population_density_blank2_km2 =
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|population_density_blank2_sq_mi =
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|population_blank3_title =
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|population_blank3 = <!-- General information --------------->
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|timezone = [[Greenwich Mean Time]]
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|utc_offset = +0
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|timezone_DST = [[British Summer Time]]
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|utc_offset_DST = +1
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|latd=55 |latm=57 |latNS=N
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|longd=3 |longm=11 |longEW=W
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|elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use tags—>
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|elevation_m =
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|elevation_ft =
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<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
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|postal_code_type = Postcode
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|postal_code =[[EH postcode area|EH]]
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|area_code =0131
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|blank_name =[[ISO 3166-2:GB|ISO 3166-2]]
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|blank_info =GB-EDH
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|blank1_name =[[ONS coding system|ONS code]]
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|blank1_info =00QP
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|blank2_name =[[British national grid reference system|OS grid reference]]
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|blank2_info = [http://toolserver.org/~rhaworth/os/coor_g.php?params=NT275735_region:GB_scale:25000&myby=//www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Edinburgh NT275735]
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|blank3_name =[[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]] 3
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|blank3_info = UKM25
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|blank4_name =
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|blank4_info =
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|website = [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/ www.edinburgh.gov.uk] (Official Council site)<br />[http://www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com/ www.edinburgh-inspiringcapital.com] (Visitor-facing site)
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|footnotes =
 
}}
 
}}
  
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'''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]].  
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'''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''.  
  
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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.
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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]].
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{{toc}}
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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.
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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]].
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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>
 
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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==
 
==Geography==
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[[Image:Edinburgh map.png|thumb|left|250px|Map of the city, showing [[New Town, Edinburgh|New]] and [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old]] Towns]]
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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.
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[[Image:Princes Street Gardens.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Looking northeast across part of [[Princes Street Gardens]].]]
 
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[[Image:EdinburghFromCaltonHill.jpg|thumb|left|250px|View over ''Auld Reekie'', with the [[Dugald Stewart Monument]] in the foreground]]
 
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[[Image:Bank of Scotland HQ.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Mound, Edinburgh.]]
 
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[[Image:Edinburgh climate graph.png|thumb|left|250px|Edinburgh climate graph.]]
 
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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> 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.
 
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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. 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>
 
  
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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>
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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."  
  
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Edinburgh occupies seven miles (11km) 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.  
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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.  
  
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Arthur’s Seat has an elevation of 823 feet (251 metres), while Castle Rock, a basalt plug sealing an extinct volcano, stands 250 feet (76 metres) above the valley floor and is crowned by the famous Edinburgh Castle.  
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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]].  
  
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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).
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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).
  
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The historic centre 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. Probably the most noticeable building here is the circular sandstone building that is the [[Edinburgh International Conference Centre]].
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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.  
  
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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.
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<center>
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{|
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Due to space restrictions, 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 10 and 11 stories being typical and one even reaching 14 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. <ref>{{cite book
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|+
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|author=Donald Campbell
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|-
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|year=2003
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| valign="top"|
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|title=Edinburgh: A cultural and literary history
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[[Image:Princes Street Gardens.jpg|thumb|150px|Looking northeast across part of [[Princes Street Gardens]].]]
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|location=Oxford
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| valign="top"|
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|publisher=Signal Books
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[[Image:EdinburghFromCaltonHill.jpg|thumb|150px|View over ''Auld Reekie'', with the [[Dugald Stewart Monument]] in the foreground.]]
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|isbn=1-902669-73-8
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|-
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}}</ref>
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|}
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</center>
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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. The principal street was [[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.
 
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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]]. [[Princes Street Gardens]] were created. Excess soil from the construction of the buildings was dumped into the [[loch]], creating what became [[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.
 
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[[Image:Edinburgh wiki.jpg|thumb|800px|center|Panoramic view of Edinburgh from the top of Arthur's Seat.]]
 
  
 
==History==  
 
==History==  
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[[Image:Hereford Mappa Mundi detail Britain.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Detail of the [[Hereford Mappa Mundi]], Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this [[T and O map]] of the British isles from c. 1300]]
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[[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]]
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[[Image:Edinburgh from the West.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An 1802 illustration of Edinburgh from the West.]]
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[[Image:Edinburgh from the West.jpg|thumb|right|210px|An 1802 illustration of Edinburgh from the West.]]
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[[Image:Holyrood from Calton Hill by James Valentine. 1878 or earlier..jpg|thumb||right|250px|A 19th century view of [[Holyrood Palace]] from [[Calton Hill]].]]
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[[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]].]]
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[[Image:Edinburgh Castle princes.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Edinburgh Castle]], as viewed from Princes St.]]
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[[Image:HolyroodAbbeyRuin200411 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The remains of [[Holyrood Abbey]]]]
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[[Image:Edinburgh Castle princes.jpg|thumb|right|210px|[[Edinburgh Castle]], as viewed from Princes St.]]
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[[Image:Bank of Scotland HQ.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The Mound, Edinburgh.]]
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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.
  
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Evidence of human settlement on the shores of the Firth of Forth dates back to 7000 b.c.e., while archaeological excavations reveal that the Castle Rock has been occupied since about 1000 B.C.E..
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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.  
  
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During the second century C.E., permanent Roman forts were built and occupied at Cramond and Inveresk on the western and eastern margins of the present-day city, and a road connecting the two forts almost certainly ran along the coast. A Celtic tribe known as the Votadini was based at Traprain Law, a hill about 20 miles (30km) east of the modern city during the Roman period, and moved to Castle Rock around 500, after the Romans left Britain.  
+
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).
  
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In 580, when a military campaign started in Edinburgh (''Din Etin''), which was commemorated in the Welsh poem ''[[Y Gododdin]]'', most of the inhabitants of southern Scotland spoke British, the ancestor of modern Welsh. The name of the king or chief whom the poem names as the leader of Edinburgh was [[Mynyddawc Mwynvawr]].
+
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]].
  
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Around 638, Edinburgh was besieged by unknown forces, according to a chronicle kept at [[Iona]] in the [[Hebrides]]. Many scholars have supposed that this siege marks 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).
+
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.  
  
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However, in the seventh century, [[Edwin of Northumbria]] (586-633), an [[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 stretched to the river Humber in England, known as [[Northumbria]]/[[Bernicia]].
+
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.
  
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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, Edinburgh was captured by the Scots during the reign of [[Illulb mac Custantin]] (954-62).
+
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.
  
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[[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.  
+
[[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.
  
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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]], the result being a long series of border wars and clashes, which often left [[Edinburgh Castle]] under [[England|English]] control.
+
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]]
  
−
After the Wars of Independence (1296–1328), fought against England, Edinburgh became Scotland’s main trading center. In 1329, King Robert the Bruce (reigned 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 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]].
  
−
It was not until the 15th century, when Edinburgh remained for the most firmly under Scottish control, that [[King James IV of Scotland]] (reigned 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 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.
  
−
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 became home to the [[College of Justice| Supreme Courts of Scotland]]
+
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.
  
−
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]].
+
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.  
  
−
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.
+
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.  
  
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During the last [[Jacobite]] rebellion in 1746, which aimed to return descendants of the Scottish [[House of Stuart]] to the throne of England, 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]] (1721-1765). Following the defeat of Jacobites there was a long period of reprisals.
+
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.
  
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From 1772, 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]]. George St, Frederick St, Hanover St, Queen St, and Prince’s St, were named in honour of the Hanoverian monarch on the English throne.  
+
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.
  
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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 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. Edinburgh became a 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. The creator of the historical novel, [[Sir Walter Scott]] (1771-1832), was another Edinburgh native.  
+
[[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.  
  
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From 1830 to [[World War I]] (1914-1918) Edinburgh, like many cities, [[industrialised]], but most of this happened in [[Leith]]. Edinburgh did not grow greatly in size, but the increase in the labouring 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 centre, while Edinburgh remained Scotland's intellectual and cultural centre.
+
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.
  
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[[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 centre of the Scottish political and literary renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s
+
A new Scottish Parliament and government was established in Edinburgh in 1999, re-establishing the city as the capital and political center of Scotland.
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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.
 
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A new Scottish Parliament and government was established in Edinburgh in 1999, re-establishing the city as the capital and political centre of Scotland.
 
  
 
==Government==
 
==Government==
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[[Image:Edinburgh Scottish Parliament01 2006-04-29.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The new [[Scottish Parliament Building]] opened in October 2004.]]
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[[Image:Edinburgh Scottish Parliament01 2006-04-29.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The new [[Scottish Parliament Building]] opened in October 2004.]]
  
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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 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. 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 Parliament]] is responsible for health, education, housing, economic development, regional transport, the environment, and agriculture. [[Bute House]] on [[Charlotte Square]] is the official residence of the [[First Minister of Scotland]]. For elections to the [[European Parliament]], Edinburgh is within the [[Scotland (European Parliament constituency)|Scotland constituency]].
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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]].
  
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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]]. Elections to the council are held on a four year cycle, the last on May 3, 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]].
+
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==
 
==Economy==
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[[Image:HolyroodAbbeyRuin200411 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The remains of [[Holyrood Abbey]]]]
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[[Image:forth bridge evening.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The [[Forth Bridge (railway)|Forth Bridge]] at night.]]
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[[Image:forth bridge evening.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Forth Bridge (railway)|Forth Bridge]] at night.]]
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[[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]].]]
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[[Image:Edinburgh-scottm.600px.jpg|right|thumb|250px|[[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]].]]
+
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]].  
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Edinburgh has the strongest economy of any city in the UK outside 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 economy of Edinburgh is largely based around the services sector — centred around [[banking]], financial services, higher education, and [[Tourism in Scotland|tourism]]. 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. 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>
 
  
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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.
+
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.
  
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[[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>
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[[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.
  
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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.
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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.
  
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[[Unemployment]] in Edinburgh is low at 2.2 percent in 2007, 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>
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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.  
  
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Edinburgh is a transport hub, 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 [[Forth Bridge (railway)|Forth Bridge]] and the [[Forth Road Bridge]], both feats of engineering.
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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.
  
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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 centre and Leith Walk.  
+
==Demographics==
 +
[[Image:St. Giles' Cathedral front.jpg|thumb|right|210px|St Giles' Cathedral.]]
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[[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>
  
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Leith, the port of Edinburgh, retains a separate identity. Redevelopment attracted the business of a number of [[cruise liner]] companies which provide cruises to [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], [[Germany]], and the [[Netherlands]]. Leith also 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 (13km) to the west of the city.
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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.  
  
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==Demographics==
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The primary [[language]]s are Scottish English, (Lowland) Scots, and Scottish Gaelic.
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[[Image:St. Giles' Cathedral front.jpg|thumb|right|250px|St Giles' Cathedral.]]
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[[Image:University of Edinburgh, Old College.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The University of Edinburgh's Old College, home of its Law School.]]
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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]].
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[[Image:St Mary's 3 spires.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The three spires of [[St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)|St Mary's Cathedral]].]]
 
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The City of Edinburgh council area had an estimated resident population of 463,510 in 2006.<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 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. 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>
 
  
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Edinburgh is a cosmopolitan city, with 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.
+
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.
  
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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 2 percent, Chinese (including Chinese Hong Kong) 1 percent, Indian 1 percent, and Pakistani 1 percent. The other 2 percent includes French, Spanish, Lithuanians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Chileans, Malaysians and Africans from all parts of Africa. The Leith Walk, Leith, Tollcross and the Southside districts 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.  
+
The [[Royal High School (Edinburgh)|Royal High School]] that traces its roots to 1128, is considered to be the oldest school in Scotland.  
  
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The primary languages spoken in Scotland are Scottish English, (Lowland) Scots, and Scottish Gaelic.
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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.  
  
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The [[Church of Scotland]] claims the largest membership of any religious denomination in Edinburgh. Its most important and historical church is [[St Giles' Cathedral]]. In the south east of the city is the 12th century [[Duddingston Kirk]]. The [[Roman Catholic Church]] also has a sizeable presence. 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.  
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[[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.
  
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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. Its centre is the resplendent [[St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh (Episcopal)|St Mary's Cathedral]], Palmerston Place in the west end.
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==Society and culture==
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{| align="right" width="340"
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| [[Image:Conan doyle.jpg|thumb|145px|right|Sir [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], a native of Edinburgh.]]
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|}
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[[Image:Edinburgh Royal Mile01.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Royal Mile]] in the Old Town during the [[Edinburgh Festival]].]]
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[[Image:Marykingsclose006.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mary King's Close.]]
  
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There are a number of independent churches situated throughout the city, which tend to have a high percentage of student congregants and include Destiny Church, [[Charlotte Baptist Chapel|Charlotte Chapel]], [[Carrubbers Christian Centre]] and [[Bellevue Chapel]].
+
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]]''.
  
−
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. 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.
+
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]].
  
−
The [[Royal High School (Edinburgh)|Royal High School]], that can can trace its roots back to 1128, is considered to be the oldest school in Scotland.
+
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]].
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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]]. 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,<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.  
 
  
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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.
+
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.
  
−
Other colleges 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.
+
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.  
  
−
==Of interest==
+
===Places of interest===
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[[Image:Edinburgh Royal Mile01.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Royal Mile]] in the Old Town during the [[Edinburgh Festival]]]]
+
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:
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[[Image:Marykingsclose006.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Mary King's Close.]]
 
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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). Edinburgh has a large number of pubs, clubs and restaurants.
 
  
−
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]]. 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.  
  
−
* Edinburgh Castle, which sits high on a rock overlooking the modern city. The first mention of a fortress on the rock occurs at the end of the sixth century c.e., but it's likely that it was a fortified position long before that. These days the oldest existing building is St. Margaret's chapel, built in the early 12th 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, 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]].  
  
−
* The Royal Mile, which refers to the succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of Edinburgh's Old Town. As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one [[Mile (Scots)|Scottish mile]] long, and runs between [[Edinburgh Castle]] at the top of the [[Castle Rock, Edinburgh|Castle Rock]] down to [[Holyrood Abbey]].  
+
* 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>
  
 
* 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 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]].
Line 198: Line 288:
 
* 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.
 
* 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.
  
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* St Giles Cathedral, which is also located on the Royal Mile, has existed since at least the 11th century, and was burned by the English in 1385.
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* [[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]].
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* Mary King's Close, which was named after a 16th century Edinburgh merchant named Mary King, consists of a number of closes which were originally narrow streets with tenement houses on either side, stretching up to seven storeys high.
 
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* Greyfriars Kirk, which is a [[parish]] [[kirk]] ([[church (building)|church]]) of the [[Church of Scotland]] in central [[Edinburgh]], is one of the oldest surviving buildings built outside the [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]] of Edinburgh, having been begun in 1602.
 
  
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* [[Edinburgh Zoo]], which is 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]].
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==Looking to the future==
 +
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.
  
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* The Royal Museum, which is the old name for part of the National Museum of Scotland, one of [[Scotland]]'s [[National Museums of Scotland|national museums]], in [[Edinburgh]]. Among artifacts from around the world, one of the more notable exhibits is [[Dolly the sheep]], the first successful clone of a mammal from an adult cell.
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[[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.]]
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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.
 
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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 their 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. 
 
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[[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.]]
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
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{{Reflist|2}}
+
<references/>
  
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==Further reading==
+
==References==
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* Campbell, Donald. 2004. ''Edinburgh: a cultural and literary history''. Cities of the imagination. New York: Interlink Books. ISBN 9781566565158
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* Campbell, Donald. ''Edinburgh: A Cultural and Literary History''. Cities of the imagination. New York: Interlink Books, 2004. ISBN 978-1566565158
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* Davies, Norman. 1999. ''The Isles: A History.'' London: Macmillan. ISBN 0333692837
+
* Davies, Norman. ''The Isles: A History.'' London: Macmillan, 1999. ISBN 0333692837
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* Harris, Nathaniel. 2000. ''Heritage of Scotland: a cultural history of Scotland & its people.'' New York: Checkmark Books. ISBN 9780816041367
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* Harris, Nathaniel. ''Heritage of Scotland: A Cultural History of Scotland & Its People.'' New York: Checkmark Books, 2000. ISBN 978-0816041367
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* Magnusson, Magnus. 2000. ''Scotland: the story of a nation''. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 9780871137982
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* Magnusson, Magnus. ''Scotland: The Story of a Nation''. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000. ISBN 978-0871137982
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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{{commonscat|Edinburgh}}
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All links retrieved February 12, 2024.
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* Encyclopaedia Britannica [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179167/Edinburgh#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Edinburgh%20—%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia.htm Edinburgh] Retrieved October 14, 2008.
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*[http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk City of Edinburgh Council]
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*[http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk City of Edinburgh Council]  
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*[http://www.edinburgh.org/ Edinburgh Tourist Information] Retrieved October 14, 2008.
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*[http://www.edinburgh.org/ Edinburgh Tourist Information]  
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*{{wikitravel}}
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*[http://www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk/ Edinburgh Festival]
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*[http://www.henniker.org.uk/ 1000s of local photos by Dave Henniker]
 
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*[http://www.edinburghsucks.com/ A popular alternative view of Edinburgh Politics]
 
  
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Cities]]
 
[[Category:Cities]]
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[[Category:Europe]]
  
 
{{credit|Edinburgh|244754651|}}
 
{{credit|Edinburgh|244754651|}}

Latest revision as of 18:11, 12 February 2024

City of Edinburgh
Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann
Scots: Edinburgh
—  Unitary authority & city  —
City of Edinburgh
View of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat
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 (Scotland)
City of Edinburgh
City of Edinburgh
Location in Scotland
Coordinates: 55°57′N 3°11′W
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
 - MPs:
5
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)

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

  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).

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.

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