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Edinburgh

*** Shopping-Tip: Edinburgh
{{infobox Scotland place with map| |Place= Edinburgh |PlaceG= DÃ¹n Ãˆideann |PlaceS= Edinburgh or Edinburrie (archaic and modern colloquial: Embra or Embro) |Population= 448,624 |GridReference= NT275735 |Map= Edinburgh (Location).png |Council= City of Edinburgh |Lieutenancy= Edinburgh |Traditional= Midlothian, Scotland Midlothian |Westminster= Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh South
Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh West
Edinburgh South West (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh South West
Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh North and Leith
Edinburgh East (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh East |Holyrood= Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh North and Leith
Edinburgh Central
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh
Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh Pentlands
Edinburgh South (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh South
Edinburgh West (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh West
Lothians (Scottish Parliamentary Electoral Area) Lothians |PostalTown= EDINBURGH |PostCode= EH1-EH13; EH14 (part); EH15-EH17 |DiallingCode= 0131 |Police= Lothian and Borders Police }} {{otheruses}} '''Edinburgh''' (International Phonetic Alphabet pronounced {{IPA|/ËˆÉ›dÉªnËŒbrÉ™/}}), '''''DÃ¹n Ãˆideann''''' ({{IPA|/tuË?n ËˆeË?tÊƒÉ™n/}}) in Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom city in Scotland and its capital city. It is situated on the east coast of Scotland's Scottish Lowlands central lowlands on the south shore of the Firth of Forth and in the unitary local authority of City of Edinburgh. It has been the capital of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the country's Scottish Executive devolved government. The city was one of the major centres of the Age of Enlightenment enlightenment, led by the University of Edinburgh. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. In the census of 2001, Edinburgh had a total resident population of 448,624. Edinburgh is well known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, the largest performing arts festival in the world, and for the Hogmanay street party. At the time of the art festivals the population of the city doubles. The city is one of the world's major tourist destinations, attracting roughly 13 million visitors a year, and is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.

Origins of "Edinburgh"
The origin of the city's name is understood to come from the Brythonic ''Din Eidyn'' (Fort of Eidyn) from the time when it was a Gododdin hillfort. In the 1st century the Roman Empire Romans recorded the Votadini as a Briton British tribe in the area, and about 600 the poem Y Gododdin using the Brythonic form of that name describes warriors feasting "in Eidin's great hall". After it was besieged by the Bernician Anglo-Saxon Angles the name changed to ''Edin-burh'', which some have argued derives from the Anglo-Saxon for "Edwin's fort", possibly derived from the 7th century king Edwin of Northumbria. However, since the name apparently predates King Edwin, this is highly unlikely. The ''burgh'' element means "fortress" or "group of buildings", i.e. a town or city and is akin to the German language German ''burg'', Latin ''parcus'', Greek language Greek ''pyrgos'' etc. This word can be traced back to the Biblical Aramaic Chaldean ''perach'' meaning "growth", in the sense that a group of buildings is a growth from the earth, and may be a borrowing. ''"Din Eidyn" is Brythonic Celtic for "Dun Eidyn" meaning "Eidyn Town", "Eidyn Dune", or "Eidyn Down(s)". A Celtic "Dun" was a hilltop fortress town, and the suffix appears throughout Caesar's "Gallic Wars". The Germanic equivalent is "Burgh"; for example, an "ice-berg" is literally an "ice-mountain". The sense is identical: a hilltop fortified town. Thus, the exact translation of "Din Eidyn" into the Germanic tongue of the Angles is "Eidyn Burgh", or more simply, "Edinburgh". As with the borrowing of "Brynaich" as "Bernicia", we see that the Angles adopted the honorific pronoun "Eidyn", translating only the modifier "Din" into their own tongue as "Bergh".'' The first evidence of the existence of the town as a separate entity from the fort lies in an early 12th century charter, generally thought to date from 1124, by David I of Scotland King David I granting land to the Church of the Holy Rood of Edinburgh. This suggests that the town came into official existence between 1018 (when Malcolm II of Scotland King Malcolm II secured the Lothians from the Northumbrians) and 1124. Image:Hereford Mappa Mundi detail Britain.jpg T and O map.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this [[T and O map from ca. 1300. (North lies roughly in the direction of the upper left corner.).html" title="Meaning of Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this [[T and O map">thumb|Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this [[T and O map from ca. 1300. (North lies roughly in the direction of the upper left corner.)">Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this [[T and O map">thumb|Edinburgh is clearly labeled on this [[T and O map from ca. 1300. (North lies roughly in the direction of the upper left corner.) The charter refers to the recipients (Latin in Latin) as "Ecclisie Sancte Crucis ''Edwin''esburgensi". This could mean that those who drafted the charter believed Edwin to be the original source of the name and decided to derive the Latinisation from what they believed to be the ancient name. It could also mean that at some point in the preceding 600 years the name had altered to include a ''w''. If the latter scenario was the case then it was soon to change; by the 1170s William I of Scotland King William the Lion was using the name "''Edenesburch''" in a charter (again in Latin) confirming the 1124 grant of David I. Documents from the 14th century show the name to have settled into its current form; although other spellings ("Edynburgh" and "Edynburghe") appear, these are simply spelling variants of the current name.

Other names
The city is affectionately nicknamed "Auld Reekie", Scots language Lowland Scots for "Old Smoky". Some have called Edinburgh the "Athens of the North" for a variety of reasons. The earliest comparison between the two cities showed that they had a similar topography, with the Old Town of Edinburgh performing a similar role to the Acropolis, Athens Acropolis. Both of them had flatter, fertile agricultural land sloping down to a port several miles away. Although this arrangement is common in Southern Europe, it is rare in Northern Europe. The 18th century intellectual life, sometimes referred to as the Scottish Enlightenment, was a key influence in gaining the name. Such beacons as David Hume and Adam Smith shone during this period. Having lost its political importance, some hoped that Edinburgh could gain a similar civilising influence on London as Athens had on Rome. Also a contributing factor was the later Neoclassicism neoclassical architecture, particularly that of William Henry Playfair, and the National Monument (see below). One writer has said, facetiously, that the "ReykjavÃk of the South" would be more appropriate! Edinburgh has also been known as "Dunedin", deriving from the Scottish Gaelic, '''DÃ¹n Ãˆideann'''. 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 referred to the city as "Edina" in their work. Ben Johnson described it as "Britaine's other eye", and Sir Walter Scott referred to the City as "yon Empress of the North". Some Scots refer to the city affectionately and informally as "Embra".

The Centre
Image:Edinburgh-castle.jpg Edinburgh_Castle.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|[[Edinburgh Castle viewed from Princes Street
''':Image:Edinburgh_castle.jpg Alternate view'''.html" title="Meaning of right|[[Edinburgh Castle">thumb|right|[[Edinburgh Castle viewed from Princes Street
''':Image:Edinburgh_castle.jpg Alternate view'''">right|[[Edinburgh Castle">thumb|right|[[Edinburgh Castle viewed from Princes Street
''':Image:Edinburgh_castle.jpg Alternate view'''

Geography
Some 70 million years ago several volcanic vents in the area cooled and solidified to form tough basalt volcanic plugs, then, during the last ice age, glaciers eroded the area, exposing the plug as a rocky crag to the west, and leaving a tail of material swept to the east. At the same time, the glacier gouged out ground to each side, leaving the ravine of the Grassmarket and Cowgate to the south, and the swampy valley of the Nor' Loch to the north. The resulting crag and tail landform now forms the Castle Rock, and the narrow steep sided ridge which the Royal Mile follows. The ridge declines in height over a mile, meeting general ground level at Holyrood. This formed a natural fortress, and recent excavations at the castle (described in ''Excavations within Edinburgh Castle'' by Stephen T. Driscoll & Peter Yeoman, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Monograph Series no.12 1997) found material dating back to the Late Bronze Age, as long ago as 850 BCE. The map co-ordinates of the centre of Edinburgh are approximately {{coor dm|55|57|N|3|11|W|type:city_region:GB}}. Image:Princes Street Gardens.jpg Walter Scott.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|left|Looking east across part of Princes Street Gardens, the monument to Sir [[Walter Scott is prominent in the background to the left. The Balmoral Hotel (formerly the North British Railway North British Hotel) is in the centre, with the North Bridge to its right above Waverley station..html" title="Meaning of left|Looking east across part of Princes Street Gardens, the monument to Sir [[Walter Scott">thumb|left|Looking east across part of Princes Street Gardens, the monument to Sir [[Walter Scott is prominent in the background to the left. The Balmoral Hotel (formerly the North British Railway North British Hotel) is in the centre, with the North Bridge to its right above Waverley station.">left|Looking east across part of Princes Street Gardens, the monument to Sir [[Walter Scott">thumb|left|Looking east across part of Princes Street Gardens, the monument to Sir [[Walter Scott is prominent in the background to the left. The Balmoral Hotel (formerly the North British Railway North British Hotel) is in the centre, with the North Bridge to its right above Waverley station.

Areas of the Centre
The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided into two by the broad green swath of Princes Street Gardens. To the south the view is dominated by Edinburgh Castle, perched atop the extinct volcanic crag, and the long sweep of the Old Town, Edinburgh Old Town trailing after it along the ridge. To the north lies Princes Street and the New Town, Edinburgh New Town. The gardens were begun in 1816 on marshland 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 eyecatching building is the huge circular sandstone building that is the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Old Town
Image:OldTownEdinburgh.jpg thumb|right|Street scene in the Old Town Image:Scotland - Edinburgh - Old Town.jpg thumb|right|The Old Town view across Princes Street Gardens {{main|Old Town, Edinburgh}} The Old Town has preserved its medieval plan and many Reformation-era buildings. One end is closed by the castle and the main artery, known as 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 major public buildings such as St Giles Cathedral and the Law Courts. Other notable places of interest nearby include the Royal Museum of Scotland, Surgeons' Hall, the Festival Theatre, and the University of Edinburgh. The street layout, typical of the old quarters of many northern European cities, is made especially picturesque in Edinburgh, where the castle perches on top of a rocky crag, the remnants of a dormant volcano, and the main street runs down the crest of a ridge from it. The topography for the city is known as "crag and tail" and was created during the ice age when receding glaciers scored across the land pushing soft soil aside but being split by harder crags of volcanic rock. The hilltop crag was the earliest part of the city to develop, becoming fortified and eventually developing into the current Edinburgh Castle. The rest of the city grew slowly down the tail of land from the Castle Rock. This was an easily defended spot with marshland on the south and a loch, the Nor Loch, on the north. Access up the main road to the settlement therefore was restricted by means of various gates and a City Wall (now mostly gone). Due to the space restrictions imposed by the narrowness of the "tail" the Old Town became home to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings. Multi-story dwellings were the norm from the 1500s onwards. During the 1700s the Old Town had a population of about 80,000 residents. However, in more modern times it had declined dramatically to just 4,000 residents. There are currently approximately 20,000 residents in the various parts of the Old Town. As the population was for a long time reluctant to build outside the defensive wall, the need for housing grew and hence the buildings became higher and higher. However, many of these buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1824. They were then rebuilt on the original foundations. This led to changes in the ground level and the creation of many passages and vaults under the Old Town. On December 7, 2002, another Edinburgh Cowgate fire, 2002 major fire in the Old Town engulfed part of the Cowgate. It destroyed the famous comedy club, The Gilded Balloon, and much of the University of Edinburgh School of Informatics Informatics department of the University of Edinburgh, including the comprehensive AI (Artificial intelligence) library.

New Town
Image:Edinburgh from the Illustrated London News 1868.jpg Illustrated London News.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|A panorama of Edinburgh published by the ''[[Illustrated London News'' in 1868. The grid pattern of New Town appears in the foreground. Edinburgh Castle is on the hill centre right, and the Royal Mile can be traced leading down from it to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The hill at the top left is Arthur's Seat..html" title="Meaning of A panorama of Edinburgh published by the ''[[Illustrated London News">thumb|A panorama of Edinburgh published by the ''[[Illustrated London News'' in 1868. The grid pattern of New Town appears in the foreground. Edinburgh Castle is on the hill centre right, and the Royal Mile can be traced leading down from it to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The hill at the top left is Arthur's Seat.">A panorama of Edinburgh published by the ''[[Illustrated London News">thumb|A panorama of Edinburgh published by the ''[[Illustrated London News'' in 1868. The grid pattern of New Town appears in the foreground. Edinburgh Castle is on the hill centre right, and the Royal Mile can be traced leading down from it to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The hill at the top left is Arthur's Seat. {{main|New Town, Edinburgh}} The New Town was an 18th century solution to the problem of an increasingly crowded Old Town. The city had remained incredibly compact, confined to the ridge running down from the castle. In 1766 a competition to design the New Town was won by James Craig (architect) James Craig, a 22-year-old architect. The plan that was built created a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted well with Age of Enlightenment enlightenment ideas of rationality. The principal street was to be George Street, which follows the natural ridge to the north of the Old Town. Either side of it are the other main streets of Princes Street and Queen Street. Princes Street has since become the main shopping street in Edinburgh, and few Georgian architecture Georgian buildings survive on it. Linking these streets were a series of perpendicular streets. At the east and west ends are St. Andrew's Square and Charlotte Square respectively. The latter was designed by Robert Adam and is often considered one of the finest Georgian squares in Britain. Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland, is on the north side of Charlotte Square. Sitting in the valley between the Old and New Towns was the Nor' Loch, which had been both the city's water supply and place for dumping sewerage. By the 1820s it was drained. Some plans show that a canal was intended, but the Princes Street Gardens were created instead. Excess soil from the construction of the buildings was dumped into the valley, creating what is now Mound (Edinburgh) 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 Waverley station Waverley Station driven through it. The New Town was so successful that it was extended greatly. The grid pattern was not maintained, but rather a more picturesque layout was created.

Leith
{{main|Leith}} Leith is the port of Edinburgh. It still retains a separate identity from Edinburgh, and it was a matter of great resentment when in 1920 Leith was merged into Edinburgh. Even today the parliamentary seat is known as 'Edinburgh North ''and'' Leith'. With the redevelopment of Leith, Edinburgh has gained the business of a number of cruise liner companies who now provide cruises to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Leith also boasts the Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed behind the Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal shopping centre. See also: Granton, Newhaven, Edinburgh Newhaven

Viewpoints
Image:Edinburgh-scottm.600px.jpg Scott Monument.html" title="Meaning of thumbnail thumbnail|View of Edinburgh from the [[Scott Monument on Princes Street, showing Waverley Station in the foreground and Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh Arthur's Seat beyond..html" title="Meaning of View of Edinburgh from the [[Scott Monument">thumbnail|View of Edinburgh from the [[Scott Monument on Princes Street, showing Waverley Station in the foreground and Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh Arthur's Seat beyond.">View of Edinburgh from the [[Scott Monument">thumbnail|View of Edinburgh from the [[Scott Monument on Princes Street, showing Waverley Station in the foreground and Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh Arthur's Seat beyond. The varied topography of the city includes several summits which command sweeping views over Edinburgh. To the southeast of central Edinburgh stands the eminence known as Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh Arthur's Seat, overlooking Holyroodhouse and the Old Town beside it. The crag is a collection of side vents of the main volcano on which Edinburgh is built. The volcano slipped and tipped sideways, leaving these vents as the highest points for miles around. Arthur's Seat is now part of Holyrood Park, originally owned by the monarch and part of the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It contains Britain's largest concentration of geology geological Site of Special Scientific Interest SSSIs, as well as providing the people of Edinburgh with spectacular views of and from Arthur's Seat and somewhere to relax after a long day in the city. To the northeast, overlooking the New Town, is Calton Hill, Edinburgh Calton Hill. It is topped by an assortment of buildings and monuments: two observatories, Nelson's Monument (a tower dedicated to Admiral Horatio Nelson), the old Royal High School (once almost the home of a devolved Parliament), and the unfinished National Monument, Edinburgh National Monument, which is modelled on the Parthenon from the Athenian Acropolis and is nicknamed "Edinburgh's Disgrace". The nickname of the city, "Athens of the North", also hails from this monument. Calton Hill plays host to the Beltane Festival on May 1. The Royal Observatory rests on Blackford Hill, the third and Southernmost viewpoint of the city. Image:Edinburgh wiki.jpg thumb|400px|center

Sports
Edinburgh has two professional football (soccer) football clubs: Hibernian F.C. Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian F.C. Heart of Midlothian. They are known locally as Hibs and Hearts. Both teams play in the Scottish Premier League: Hibernian at Easter Road Stadium near Leith and Hearts at Tynecastle Stadium in Gorgie. There are many reputable non league sides such as Spartans F.C. Spartans and Edinburgh City F.C. Edinburgh City. Although Edinburgh is Scotland's capital, the Scotland national football team Scottish national team usually play at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Scotland's national rugby team's base is Murrayfield Stadium. Rugby union internationals and "home internationals" (i.e. Scotland, England, Ireland & Wales) are played at Murrayfield, owned by the Scottish Rugby Union. (Murrayfield is also used as a venue for other events, including music concerts.) Edinburgh's professional rugby team, the Edinburgh Gunners, play in the Celtic League (Rugby Union) Celtic League at Murrayfield. The Scottish Saltires represent Scotland at cricket in the English domestic league and play their home matches at The Grange in Stockbridge. The Edinburgh Capitals are one of United Kingdom's biggest ice hockey clubs. The club play their home games at the Murrayfield ice rink and are currently the sole Scotland Scottish representative in the Elite Ice Hockey League Elite League. Edinburgh has also hosted various national and international sports events including the World Student Games, the 1970 British Commonwealth Games and the 1986 Commonwealth Games. For the Games in 1970 the city built major Olympic Games Olympic standard venues and facilities including the Royal Commonwealth pool and the Meadowbank Stadium.

Demographics
As of 2004 the General Register Office for Scotland estimated that the City of Edinburgh had a resident population of 453,670, an increase from 448,624 as reported by the 2001 UK census. The General Register Office also reported that this resident population was split between 218,008 males and 235,662 females. Whilst Edinburgh's population is ageing a very large and transient population of young students studying at the universities in the city offset this demographic problem somewhat. The population of Edinburgh is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 years, with the number of residents expected to have reached 500,000 by 2024 [http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=552&id=2442262005].There are estimated to be around 100,000 students studying at the various Higher Education institutions in the city [http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Featured_institutions/Profile_display/p!epmikfF?mode=View&profileNo=48&from=H] Edinburgh also has one of the highest-educated populations in Europe, with more university graduates per head of population, than any other European city. [http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/services-to-the-community/property/est/edinburghsciencetriangle-edinburgh.htm]

Economy
Image:Wfm edinburgh.jpg Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh thumb|right|Edinburgh viewed from [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat. See also :Image:ViewFromHolyrood-1200.jpg this picture for a panoramic view from Holyrood Park towards Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal..html" title="Meaning of Arthur's Seat.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|Edinburgh viewed from [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat">thumb|right|Edinburgh viewed from [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat. See also :Image:ViewFromHolyrood-1200.jpg this picture for a panoramic view from Holyrood Park towards Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal.">Arthur's Seat.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|Edinburgh viewed from [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat">thumb|right|Edinburgh viewed from [[Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh|Arthur's Seat. See also :Image:ViewFromHolyrood-1200.jpg this picture for a panoramic view from Holyrood Park towards Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal. Edinburgh has consistently been one of the most prosperous parts of the United Kingdom. It has been in good economic health since the arrival in 1999 of the Scottish Parliament, which had a so-called "headquarters effect", with many government departments being set up in the city, resulting in an increase in recruitment and employment. Some ancillary economic undertakings have since set up around this new seat of government. Unemployment rates are amongst the lowest in the country and job creation rates some of the highest. Edinburgh's population is also growing rapidly, mainly through inward migration from overseas and, particularly, the rest of the United Kingdom. This strong growth is, however, leading to pressure on the green belt, particularly in the west of the city as office and housing developments compete for space. The economy of Edinburgh is largely based around the service sector, with tourism and financial services banking being particularly important; education and high tech research. The Bank of Scotland was founded in 1695, by an act of the original Scottish Parliament, and is now part of the HBOS group, who have kept their headquarters in Edinburgh. The Royal Bank of Scotland was founded in 1747 by Royal Charter and is now the fifth largest bank in the world by market capitalization market capitalisation. In 2005 they began the move into their new purpose built headquarters at Gogarburn, near the A720 road Edinburgh City Bypass. Edinburgh is the second largest financial centre in the United Kingdom after the City of London and the fifth largest in Europe. The New Town and city centre has traditionally been home to many companies, but modern needs have caused many to relocate. Immediately to the west of the city centre is the Terry Farrell (architect) Terry Farrell master-planned Exchange business district, which now houses major employers such as Scottish Widows, Standard Life, the Clydesdale Bank and Baillie Gifford. Edinburgh Park is a business park located in the west of city, near Edinburgh Airport, and it now has its own railway station. Following the opening of the Royal Bank's new headquarters, there will be around 20,000 people working in the western outskirts of the city. Important nowadays are shopping centres and retail parks, including a few located in the suburbs and on the edge of the city. The St James Centre and Princes Mall started in the East End in the 1970s, then Cameron Toll in south Edinburgh in the 1980s. More recent developments are the Gyle centre next to Edinburgh Park, Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal in Leith and the retail parks at Hermiston Gait, Straiton and Fort Kinnaird which are all next to the A720 road Edinburgh City Bypass. Edinburgh has many modern supermarkets in its suburbs which offer a more day to day type of shopping. Good examples of prominent ones are Sainsbury's in the Cameron Toll centre, ASDA in the eastern suburbs close to the City Bypass, Tesco Extra at Corstorphine and Morrison's at Crewe Toll. Brewing is a traditional industry, and while the closure of the Fountainbridge brewery in 2005 leaves Caledonian Brewery as the largest brewery in the city, Scottish & Newcastle still retain their headquarters in the city. Tourism is another important mainstay of the economy of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the country's most popular tourist destination in terms of visitor numbers, and the second most popular in the UK after London, with numbers growing substantially each year, particularly in the budget travel and backpacking sector, assisted by the growth of Edinburgh Airport and direct rail transport rail links to the rest of the country. The annual Edinburgh Festival attracts large numbers of people, as does the Hogmanay street party each New Year. The Edinburgh Festivals in August alone generate in excess of Â£100 million for the Edinburgh economy. Another major element of Edinburgh's tourist industry is conference and business tourism which is another major contributor to the economy. On March 12, 2004, Edinburgh was granted Fairtrade City status.

Politics
Image:Scottish Parliament, from Salisbury Crags.jpg Scottish Parliament.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|The [[Scottish Parliament..html" title="Meaning of The [[Scottish Parliament">thumb|The [[Scottish Parliament.">The [[Scottish Parliament">thumb|The [[Scottish Parliament. Image:Edinburgh-coa.png thumb|Coat of arms of Edinburgh As capital of Scotland, Edinburgh is home to the Scottish Parliament, as well as frequently hosting a number of international events, such as CHOGM Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the Council of Europe. On a national level, the city of Edinburgh is represented at both Scottish Parliament Holyrood and UK parliament Westminster. At the Scottish Parliament, it returns six MSPs from the constituencies of Edinburgh North and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Edinburgh Pentlands (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh South (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh South and Edinburgh West (Scottish Parliament constituency) Edinburgh West. It dominates the Lothians (Scottish Parliamentary Electoral Area) Lothians parliamentary area, which returns a further seven MSPs. In the House of Commons, it is represented by the five constituencies of Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh South, Edinburgh West (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh West, Edinburgh South West (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh South West, Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh North and Leith, and Edinburgh East (UK Parliament constituency) Edinburgh East. The seat of Edinburgh Central ceased to exist with redistricting prior to the UK general election, 2005. The seat of Edinburgh Pentlands largely became Edinburgh South West. Edinburgh Central was divided up between the remaining seats, although none of it went to Edinburgh South.

Education

Universities and Colleges
The University of Edinburgh was founded by Royal Charter in 1583, and is the fourth oldest university in Scotland. The Old College, University of Edinburgh Old College on South Bridge opened in the 1820s. As the institution continued to expand, new buildings were constructed around George Square, where the heart of the university remains. Development of the college's buildings continues in the 21st century. The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh were also established by Royal Charter, in 1506 and 1681 respectively. The Trustees Drawing Academy of Edinburgh was established in 1760, an institution that became, in 1907, Edinburgh College of Art. Queen Margaret University College was founded in 1875 as a women's college, and today specialises in healthcare, media and business. 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 class was opened. Heriot-Watt continues to have a strong reputation in engineering, and is based at Riccarton, in the west of the city. Napier College was renamed Napier Polytechnic in the 1980s, and gained university status in 1992. Napier University now has several campuses in the south and west of the city, including the former Craiglockhart War Hospital. Other colleges offering further education in Edinburgh include Edinburgh's Telford College Telford College, opened in 1968, and Stevenson College Edinburgh Stevenson College, opened in 1970. Basil Paterson offers courses in languages and teaching. The Scottish Agricultural College also has a campus in south Edinburgh.

Schools
{{main|List of schools in the United Kingdom#City of Edinburgh}} Notable schools in Edinburgh include the Royal High School, considered to be the oldest in Scotland, and Donaldson's College, for deaf students. Independent schools include Edinburgh Academy, Fettes College, George Heriot's (founded 1628) and Merchiston Castle School.

Health

Hospitals
Notable hospitals in Edinburgh include the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France, which includes Edinburgh University Medical School, and the Western General Hospital, which includes a large cancer treatment centre. Currently there is only one private hospital, BUPA's Murrayfield Hospital. See the List of hospitals in the United Kingdom (Scotland: Lothian: City of Edinburgh section; private hospitals are in a separate section) for a complete list.

See also
*List of Lord Provosts of Edinburgh *Areas of Edinburgh *Timeline of Edinburgh history *Edinburgh Festival **Edinburgh Fringe **Edinburgh International Festival **Edinburgh International Film Festival **Edinburgh International Book Festival **Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Art galleries
*National Gallery of Scotland *Royal Scottish Academy *Scottish National Portrait Gallery *Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art *Dean Gallery *Fruitmarket Gallery *City Art Centre

Arts Venues
*Royal Lyceum Theatre *Traverse Theatre *King's Theatre *Edinburgh Festival Theatre *Edinburgh Playhouse *Bedlam Theatre *Church Hill Theatre *Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh) Assembly Rooms *Edinburgh Filmhouse *Queen's Hall Edinburgh Queen's Hall *Usher Hall *The Hub (Edinburgh) The Hub *Theatre Workshop Edinburgh Theatre Workshop *The Cameo cinema

Museums and libraries
*Museum of Scotland *Royal Museum *National Library of Scotland *National War Museum of Scotland *Museum of Edinburgh *Writers Museum *Edinburgh Museum of Childhood

Other features of interest
*Dean Cemetery *Edinburgh Airport *Edinburgh Tram Network *Edinburgh Zoo *Forth Bridge (railway) Forth Bridge *Forth Road Bridge *McEwan Hall *National Archives of Scotland *Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh *Scottish Parliament Building

Famous residents
* Alexander Graham Bell, telephone pioneer, was born in Edinburgh. * Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom UK Prime Minister, was born in the city and attended its exclusive Fettes College high school * James Boswell, author, biographer of Samuel Johnson * William Burke and William Hare, serial killers; sold the bodies of their victims to the medical college for dissection * James Clerk Maxwell, Scottish physicist * Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of ''Sherlock Holmes'', was born in the city's New Town * Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery, actor * Douglas Haig Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig was born in Edinburgh * Martin Bladen Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke Lord Hawke, cricketer * Johnny Haynes, footballer * Doug Henderson, politician * David Hume, philosopher and historian * John Knox, Protestant Reformer, lived in Edinburgh, and John Knox House John Knox's House is preserved in the Royal Mile High Street * Alexander McCall Smith, author of ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'' series of books and many children's novels * Magnus Magnusson, television presenter and author * Shirley Manson, lead singer for the band Garbage (band) Garbage * Mary I of Scotland Mary, Queen of Scots, lived in Holyrood Palace * John Napier, mathematician, mainly remembered for the invention of logarithms * Captain John Porteous John Porteous, captain of the city guard, lynched during the Porteous Riots of 1736 * Ian Rankin, author of the ''Detective Inspector John Rebus Inspector Rebus'' series of crime thrillers, attended the University of Edinburgh * Don Revie, footballer and football manager * David Roberts, 19th century painter and lithographer * J. K. Rowling, ''Harry Potter'' author, wrote her first book in an Edinburgh Coffeehouse coffee-shop * Sir Walter Scott, (1771-1832), novelist, was born in Edinburgh. * Adam Smith, economist, author of ''The Wealth of Nations'' * Graeme Souness, footballer * Muriel Spark, novelist, author of ''The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' * Robert Louis Stevenson, novelist, wrote fondly of the city before moving to Samoa. * Nigel Tranter (1909-2000), historian, writer, lived in Edinburgh. * Irvine Welsh, novelist, author of e.g. ''Trainspotting (novel) Trainspotting'', is from Edinburgh. * John Witherspoon, only clergyman to sign the American Declaration of Independence, president of Princeton University, educated in Edinburgh * James Young Simpson, an obstetrician who conducted the first experimental use of chloroform for anaesthesia

Foreign consulates
The following countries have Consul (representative) consular offices in Edinburgh: {{listdev}} *{{flagicon|Finland}} Finnish Consulate, Cariden Sawmills, Bo'ness, EH51 9SQ *{{flagicon|Australia}} Australian Consulate, Melrose House, 69 George Street *{{flagicon|Austria}} Austrian Consulate, 9 Howard Place *{{flagicon|Bangladesh}} Honourary Consulate of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, 312 Lanark Road *{{flagicon|Brazil}} Brazilian Consulate, 126/10 High Street *{{flagicon|Canada}} Consulate of Canada, Burness, 50 Lothian Road, Festival Square *{{flagicon|China}} Chinese Consulate-General, 55 Corstorphine Road *{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic, 12a Riselaw Crescent *{{flagicon|Denmark}} Royal Danish Consulate General, 48 Melville Street *{{flagicon|France}} French Consulate General, 11 Randolph Crescent *{{flagicon|Germany}} Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, 16 Eglinton Crescent *{{flagicon|Greece}} Greek Consulate, 12 Queen's Crescent *{{flagicon|Iceland}} Icelandic Consulate, 45 Queen Street *{{flagicon|India}} Consulate General of India, 17 Rutland Square *{{flagicon|Ireland}} Consulate General of Ireland, 16 Randolph Crescent *{{flagicon|Italy}} Italian Consulate General, 32 Melville Street *{{flagicon|Japan}} Consulate General of Japan, 2 Melville Crescent *{{flagicon|Jordan}} Jordanian Consulate, 45 Queen Street *{{flagicon|Kyrgyzstan}} Kyrgyzstan Consulate, 26 Biggar Road *{{flagicon|Luxembourg}} Luxembourg Consulate, 76 George Street *{{flagicon|Malta}} Maltese Consulate, 1 Craiglockhart Crescent *{{flagicon|Monaco}} Honorary Consul of Monaco, 39 Castle Street *{{flagicon|Netherlands}} Honorary Consulate of the Netherlands, Thistle Court, 1-2 Thistle Street *{{flagicon|Norway}} The Royal Norwegian Consulate General, 86 George Street *{{flagicon|Philippines}} Philippines Consulate, 1 Bankhead Medway *{{flagicon|Poland}} Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, 2 Kinnear Rd *{{flagicon|Russia}} Russian Consulate General, 58 Melville Street *{{flagicon|Spain}} Spanish Consulate General, 63 North Castle Street *{{flagicon|Sweden}} Consulate General of Sweden, 22 Hanover Street *{{flagicon|Taiwan}} Taipei Representative Office in the U.K (Edinburgh Office), 1 Melville Street *{{flagicon|Turkey}} Turkish Consulate, 28 Rutland Square *{{flagicon|Ukraine}} Consulate General of Ukraine, 8 Windsor Street *{{flagicon|United States}} United States of America Consulate, 3 Regent Terrace

Twinned cities worldwide
Edinburgh is Town twinning twinned with several cities across Europe and throughout the rest of the world. These include: {| | valign="top" | * Image:Flag of Germany.svg 25px Munich, Germany * Image:Flag of Italy.svg 25px Florence, Italy * Image:Flag of France.svg 25px Nice, France * Image:Flag of Canada.svg 25px Vancouver, Canada * Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg 25px Kyiv, Ukraine | valign="top" | * Image:Flag of Denmark.svg 25px Aalborg, Denmark * Image:Flag of the United States.svg 25px San Diego, United States U.S. * Image:Flag of New Zealand.svg 25px Dunedin, New Zealand * Image:Flag of Poland.svg 25px KrakÃ³w, Poland |}

External links
{{Commons|Edinburgh}}
- Edinburgh Tourist Information
- City of Edinburgh Council *{{wikitravel}} {{oscoor gbx|NT251735}}

Other places with the same name
The name '''Edinburgh''' has also been given to places elsewhere in the world, mainly by Scottish settlers: *Edinburgh, Indiana, United States USA *Edinburg, New York, USA *Edinburg, Texas, USA *Edinburg, Virginia, USA *Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the chief settlement of Tristan da Cunha *Edinburgh, South Australia, Australia The Scots Gaelic name '''DÃ¹n Ãˆideann''' has also been given to other cities, including: *Dunedin Dunedin, New Zealand *Dunedin, Florida {{Scottish Cities}} Category:Capitals in Europe Category:Edinburgh Category:Eurovision host cities Category:Host cities of the Commonwealth Games Category:Scottish names ast:Edimburgo br:Dinedin bg:Ð•Ð´Ð¸Ð½Ð±ÑƒÑ€Ð³ ca:Edimburg cs:Edinburgh cy:Caeredin da:Edinburgh de:Edinburgh es:Edimburgo eo:Edinburgo fa:Ø§Ø¯ÛŒÙ†Ø¨ÙˆØ±Ú¯ fr:Ã‰dimbourg ga:DÃºn Ã‰ideann gd:DÃ¹n Ãˆideann gl:Edimburgo ko:ì—?ë“ ë²„ëŸ¬ id:Edinburgh is:Edinborg it:Edimburgo he:×?×“×™× ×‘×•×¨×• la:Edimburgum lb:Edinburgh lt:Edinburgas nl:Edinburgh (Schotland) ja:ã‚¨ãƒ‡ã‚£ãƒ³ãƒ?ãƒ© no:Edinburgh nn:Edinburgh pl:Edynburg pt:Edimburgo ro:Edinburgh ru:ÐÐ´Ð¸Ð½Ð±ÑƒÑ€Ð³ sco:Edinburrie simple:Edinburgh sk:Edinburgh sr:Ð•Ð´Ð¸Ð½Ð±ÑƒÑ€Ð³ fi:Edinburgh sv:Edinburgh th:à¹€à¸à¸”à¸´à¸™à¸šà¸°à¸£à¸° zh:çˆ±ä¸?å ¡ {{portalpar|Scotland}} {{catmore}} Category:Cities in Scotland Category:Unitary authorities of Scotland Category:Coastal cities Category:Fairtrade settlements Category:World Heritage Sites in Scotland Category:Lieutenancy areas of Scotland Category:Ports and harbours of Scotland Category:Former royal burghs Category:Port cities Category:Capitals in Europe fr:CatÃ©gorie:Ã‰dimbourg ja:Category:ã‚¨ãƒ‡ã‚£ãƒ³ãƒ?ãƒ©

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