EDINBURGH

Gaelic Dun Eideann capital city of Scotland, located in southeastern Scotland with its centre near the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, an arm of the North Sea that thrusts westward into the Scottish Lowlands. The city and its immediate surroundings constitute an independent council area. The city and most of the council area, including the busy port of Leith on the Firth of Forth, lie within the historic county of Midlothian, but the council area also includes an area in the northwest, around South Queensferry, in the historic county of West Lothian. Physically, Edinburgh is a city of sombre theatricality, with much of this quality deriving from its setting among crags and hills and from its tall buildings and spires of dark stone. Edinburgh has been a military stronghold, the capital of an independent nation, and a centre of intellectual activity. Although it has repeatedly experienced the vicissitudes of fortune, the city has always renewed itself. Today it is the seat of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive. It remains a major centre for finance, law, tourism, education, and cultural affairs. Area council area, 100 square miles (260 square km). Pop. (1991) city, 401,910; (1999 est.) council area, 451,710. Scottish Gaelic Duneideann city, district of the Lothian region, and capital of Scotland. It is located in southeastern Scotland near the southern shores of the Firth of Forth, an arm of the North Sea that thrusts westward into the Scottish lowlands. The original burgh, now known as the Old Town, arose in the 12th century with Edinburgh Castle as its focus. The city is the centre of Scottish culture, education, and national identity. Edinburgh is situated in a rough valley punctuated by upthrusting crags and is dominated by the basalt cliffs of Castle Rock. The Georgian-style New Town arose in the late 18th and 19th centuries, made possible in part by the draining of the North Loch (lake), which stood at the base of Castle Rock. The city has expanded also to the south of the Old Town, beyond the Meadows, which occupy the site of the drained South Loch. The climate is commonly rainy or cloudy, with mild seasonal variation. Edinburgh is of secondary industrial importance among northern European cities; its main industries are the processing of food, beverages, and tobacco; engineering, including ship repair and marine engineering; electronics and the manufacture of electrical goods; the manufacture of paper; and printing and publishing. It is Scotland's centre of medicine, law, banking, insurance, and tourism. Edinburgh's port of Leith handles imports of grain, foodstuffs, and wood products; exports include coal, whisky, iron, and steel. Granton, Edinburgh's other port town, is the home of the Firth of Forth fishing fleet. The medieval town of Edinburgh was built on the eastern part of Castle Rock below the castle walls. The tiny chapel of St. Margaret, on the rock's highest point, is the oldest surviving building, dating from the 12th century but possibly incorporating some 11th-century construction. The castle's cliff-hanging ramparts are mainly of 18th-century origin. Palace Yard, or Crown Square, occupies much of the summit of Castle Rock. Two eastwest roads form the main axes of the city: the Royal Mile, which descends Castle Hill and links the castle with the Palace of Holyroodhouse; and Princes Street, along which stretch the Princes Street Gardens. Edinburgh's institutions of higher education include the University of Edinburgh (1583), known for its schools of medicine and law; Heriot-Watt University; the Edinburgh College of Art; and the New College of the Church of Scotland. The National Library, National Gallery, the Scottish National Zoological Park, and the Royal Scottish Museum also are located in Edinburgh. The city was the birthplace of Sir Walter Scott and of the Encyclopdia Britannica (first edition begun in 1768). Edinburgh's annual international festival of the arts includes a panoply of theatre, dance, music, and visual arts presentations. Local, regional, and national bus services are extensive, and the growing number of private motor vehicles has contributed to urban congestion. Edinburgh is served by Britrail, the national system; its Waverley railway station is the second largest in Britain. The city's ports of Leith and Granton are located 2 and 3 miles (3 and 5 km), respectively, to the north, and its international airport is 5 miles (8 km) west at Turnhouse. Area city, 101 square miles (262 square km). Pop. (1981) 420,169. Additional reading General Ian Nimmo, Portrait of Edinburgh, 2nd ed. (1975), which describes the city and its inhabitants, their way of life, and culture; George Scott-Moncrieff, Edinburgh, 3rd ed. (1965), a detailed account of many aspects of the city, illustrated with photographs, prints, and paintings; and Eric Linklater, Edinburgh (1960), a personal, essayist treatment of the city. History David Daiches, Edinburgh (1978, reissued 1980), traces the development of the city as a political capital and later a cultural centre; A.J. Youngson, The Making of Classical Edinburgh: 17501840 (1966, reprinted 1975), which details the growth of Edinburgh from a small, crowded town to a substantial and beautiful city; Douglas Young, Edinburgh in the Age of Sir Walter Scott (1965), which discusses the city when its vigorous intellectual life gave it the name Athens of the North; and E.F. Catford, Edinburgh: The Story of a City (1975). Chiefly photographic Douglas Corrance, Edinburgh, new ed. (1979), photographs characterizing the principal districts of the city, with captions by W. Gordon Smith; and A.F. Kersting, Portrait of Edinburgh (1961), mainly architectural features, with text by George Scott-Moncrieff. Special topics Trevor Royle, Precipitous City: The Story of Literary Edinburgh (1980), a history of the city's five centuries as a literary centre; John Gifford, Colin McWilliam, and David Walker, Edinburgh (1984), a comprehensive presentation of the many important buildings in the city; David Keir (ed.), The City of Edinburgh, vol. 15 of The Third Statistical Account of Scotland (1966), a close examination of 20th-century life in the city; Royal Commission On The Ancient And Historical Monuments And Constructions Of Scotland, An Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of the City of Edinburgh (1951), a detailed, illustrated catalog for each district of the city, including a list of monuments the commissioners deemed most worthy of preservation; and Robert Chambers, Traditions of Edinburgh, 5th ed. (1868, reissued 1980), written to preserve the stories of some of the characters who lived in Edinburgh at the beginning of the 19th century. See also Eileen Dunlop and Antony Kamm (comps.), A Book of Old Edinburgh (1983), an illustrated collection of literary descriptions of the city; and Michael Lynch, Edinburgh and the Reformation (1981), a scholarly treatment of Edinburgh Protestantism, society, and government. Blake Ehrlich Archie Rule Turnbull