Edinburgh is governed by theCity of Edinburgh Council, a unitary authority. The City of Edinburgh council area had an estimated population of 530,680 in 2024,[2] and includes outlying towns and villages which are not part of Edinburgh proper. The city is in theLothian region and was historically part of theshire ofMidlothian (also called Edinburghshire).
"Edin", the root of the city's name, derives fromEidyn, the name for the region inCumbric, theBrittonicCeltic language formerly spoken there. The name's meaning is unknown.[12] The district of Eidyn was centred on the stronghold of Din Eidyn, thedun orhillfort of Eidyn.[12] This stronghold is believed to have been located atCastle Rock,[13] now the site ofEdinburgh Castle. A siege of Din Eidyn byOswald, king of theAngles ofNorthumbria in 638 marked the beginning of three centuries of Germanic influence in south east Scotland that laid the foundations for the development ofScots, before the town was ultimately subsumed in 954 by the kingdom known to the English as Scotland.[14] As the language shifted from Cumbric toNorthumbrian Old English and thenScots, the Brittonicdin in Din Eidyn was replaced byburh, producingEdinburgh. InScottish Gaelicdin becomesdùn, producing modernDùn Èideann.[12][15]
The city is affectionately nicknamedAuld Reekie,[16][17] Scots forOld Smoky, for the views from the country of the smoke-covered Old Town. A note in a collection of the works of the poetAllan Ramsay explains, "Auld Reeky...A name the country people give Edinburgh, from the cloud of smoke or reek that is always impending over it."[18] InWalter Scott's 1820 novelThe Abbot, a character observes that "yonder stands Auld Reekie—you may see the smoke hover over her at twenty miles' distance".[19]Thomas Carlyle comments on the phenomenon: "Smoke cloud hangs over old Edinburgh, for, ever sinceAeneas Silvius's time and earlier, the people have the art, very strange to Aeneas, of burning a certain sort of black stones, and Edinburgh with its chimneys is called 'Auld Reekie' by the country people".[20] The 19th-century historianRobert Chambers asserted that thesobriquet could not be traced before the reign ofKing Charles II in the late 17th century. He attributed the name to aFife laird, Durham of Largo, who regulated the bedtime of his children by the smoke rising above Edinburgh from the fires of the tenements. "It's time now bairns, to tak' the beuks, and gang to our beds, for yonder's Auld Reekie, I see, putting on her nicht-cap!".[21]
Edinburgh has been popularly called theAthens of the North since the early 19th century.[22] References toAthens, such asAthens of Britain andModern Athens, had been made as early as the 1760s. The similarities were seen to be topographical but also intellectual. Edinburgh's Castle Rock reminded returninggrand tourists of theAthenianAcropolis, as did aspects of theneoclassical architecture and layout ofNew Town.[22] In 1818, naturalistEdward Daniel Clarke called Edinburgh "a very correct model of a Grecian city", pointing out perceived similarities between both cities and theirports (respectively,Leith andPiraeus).[22] Intellectually, theScottish Enlightenment, with itshumanist andrationalist outlook, was influenced byAncient Greek philosophy.[23] In 1822 the English landscape painterHugh William Williams organised an exhibition that showed his paintings of Athens alongside views of Edinburgh, and the idea of a direct parallel between both cities quickly caught the popular imagination.[24] When plans were drawn up in the early 19th century to architecturally developCalton Hill, the design of theNational Monument directly copied Athens'Parthenon.[25]Tom Stoppard's character Archie ofJumpers said, perhaps playing onReykjavík meaning "smoky bay", that the "Reykjavík of the South" would be more appropriate.[26]
The city has also been known by severalLatin names, such asEdinburgum, while the adjectival formsEdinburgensis andEdinensis are used in educational and scientific contexts.[27][28]
Edina is a late 18th-century poetical form used by the Scottish poetsRobert Fergusson andRobert Burns. "Embra" or "Embro" are colloquialisms from the same time,[29] as inRobert Garioch'sEmbro to the Ploy.[30]
Ben Jonson described it as "Britaine's other eye",[31] and Sir Walter Scott referred to it as "yon Empress of the North".[32]Robert Louis Stevenson, also a son of the city, wrote that Edinburgh "is what Paris ought to be".[33]
When theRomans arrived in Lothian at the end of the 1st century AD, they found aBrittonic Celtic tribe whose name they recorded as theVotadini.[36] The Votadini transitioned into theGododdin kingdom in theEarly Middle Ages, with Eidyn serving as one of the kingdom's districts. During this period, the Castle Rock site, thought to have been the stronghold of Din Eidyn, emerged as the kingdom's major centre.[37] The medievalWelsh-language poemY Gododdin describes a war band from across the Brittonic world who gathered in Eidyn before a fateful raid; this may describe a historical event around AD 600.[38][39][40]
In 638 the Gododdin stronghold was besieged by forces loyal toKing Oswald ofNorthumbria, and around this time, control of Lothian passed to theAngles. Their influence continued for the next three centuries until around 950, when, during the reign ofIndulf, son ofConstantine II, the "burh" (fortress), named in the 10th-centuryPictish Chronicle asoppidum Eden,[41] was abandoned to the Scots. It thenceforth remained, for the most part, under their jurisdiction.[42]
Theroyal burgh was founded byKing David I in the early 12th century on land belonging to the Crown, though the date of its charter is unknown.[43] The first documentary evidence of the medievalburgh is aroyal charter,c. 1124–1127, by King David I granting atoft inburgo meo de Edenesburg to thePriory of Dunfermline.[44] Theshire of Edinburgh seems also to have been created during David's reign, possibly covering all of Lothian at first, but by 1305 the eastern and western parts of Lothian had becomeHaddingtonshire andLinlithgowshire, leaving Edinburgh as the county town of a shire covering the central part of Lothian, which was called Edinburghshire orMidlothian (the latter name being an informal, but commonly used, alternative until the county's name was legally changed in 1947).[45][46]
Edinburgh, showing Arthur's Seat, one of the earliest known sites of human habitation in the area
In the middle of the 14th century the French chroniclerJean Froissart described it as the capital of Scotland (c. 1365), andJames III (1451–1488) referred to it in the 15th century as "the principal burgh of our kingdom".[48] In 1482 James III "granted and perpetually confirmed to the said Provost, Bailies, Clerk, Council, and Community, and their successors, the office ofSheriff within the Burgh for ever, to be exercised by the Provost for the time as Sheriff, and by the Bailies for the time as Sheriffsdepute conjunctly and severally; with full power to hold Courts, to punish transgressors not only by banishment but by death, to appoint officers of Court, and to do everything else appertaining to the office of Sheriff; as also to apply to their own proper use the fines and escheats arising out of the exercise of the said office."[49] Despite beingburnt by the English in 1544, Edinburgh continued to develop and grow,[50] and was at the centre of events in the 16th-centuryScottish Reformation[51] and 17th-centuryWars of the Covenant.[52] In 1582 Edinburgh's town council was given aroyal charter byKing James VI and I permitting the establishment of a university;[53] founded asTounis College (Town's College), the institution developed into theUniversity of Edinburgh, which contributed to Edinburgh's central intellectual role in subsequent centuries.[54]
In the 17th century Edinburgh's boundaries were still defined by the city's defensivetown walls. As a result, the city's growing population was accommodated by increasing the height of the houses. Buildings of 11 storeys or more were common,[58] and have been described as forerunners of the modern-day skyscraper.[59][60] Most of these old structures were replaced by the predominantlyVictorian buildings seen in today's Old Town. In 1611 an act of parliament created theHigh Constables of Edinburgh to keep order in the city, thought to be the oldest statutory police force in the world.[61]
By the first half of the 18th century, Edinburgh was described as one of Europe's most densely populated, overcrowded, and unsanitary towns.[64][65] Visitors were struck by the fact that the social classes shared the same urban space, even inhabiting the sametenement buildings; although here a form of social segregation did prevail, whereby shopkeepers and tradesmen tended to occupy the cheaper-to-rent cellars and garrets, while the more well-to-do professional classes occupied the more expensive middle storeys.[66]
During theJacobite rising of 1745, Edinburgh was briefly occupied by the Jacobite "Highland Army" before its march into England.[67] After its eventual defeat atCulloden, there followed a period of reprisals and pacification, largely directed at the rebelliousclans.[68] In Edinburgh, the Town Council, keen to emulate London by initiating city improvements and expansion to the north of the castle,[69] reaffirmed its belief in the Union and loyalty to theHanoverian monarchGeorge III by its choice of names for the streets of the New Town: for example,Rose Street andThistle Street; and for the royal family,George Street,Queen Street, Hanover Street, Frederick Street andPrinces Street (in honour of George's two sons).[70] The consistently geometric layout of the plan for the extension of Edinburgh was the result of a major competition in urban planning staged by the Town Council in 1766.[71]
In the second half of the century, the city was at the heart of theScottish Enlightenment,[72] when thinkers likeDavid Hume,Adam Smith,James Hutton andJoseph Black were familiar figures in its streets. Edinburgh became a major intellectual centre, earning it the nickname "Athens of the North" because of its manyneo-classical buildings and reputation for learning, recalling ancient Athens.[73] In the 18th-century novelThe Expedition of Humphry Clinker byTobias Smollett one character describes Edinburgh as a "hotbed of genius".[74] Edinburgh was also a major centre for the Scottish book trade. The highly successful London booksellerAndrew Millar was apprenticed there to James McEuen.[75]
From the 1770s onwards, the professional and business classes gradually deserted the Old Town in favour of the more elegant "one-family" residences of the New Town, a migration that changed the city's social character. According to the foremost historian of this development, "Unity of social feeling was one of the most valuable heritages of old Edinburgh, and its disappearance was widely and properly lamented."[76]
Despite an enduring myth to the contrary,[77] Edinburgh became an industrial centre[78] with its traditional industries of printing, brewing and distilling continuing to grow in the 19th century and joined by new industries such asrubber works,engineering works and others. By 1821 Edinburgh had been overtaken byGlasgow as Scotland's largest city.[79] The city centre between Princes Street and George Street became a major commercial and shopping district, a development partly stimulated by the arrival of railways in the 1840s. The Old Town became an increasingly dilapidated, overcrowded slum with high mortality rates.[80] Improvements carried out under Lord ProvostWilliam Chambers in the 1860s began the transformation of the area into the predominantlyVictorian Old Town seen today.[81] More improvements followed in the early 20th century as a result of the work ofPatrick Geddes,[82] but relative economic stagnation during the two world wars and beyond saw the Old Town deteriorate further before majorslum clearance in the 1960s and 1970s began to reverse the process. University building developments, which transformed theGeorge Square and Potterrow areas, proved highly controversial.[83]
Since the 1990s a new "financial district", including theEdinburgh International Conference Centre, has grown mainly on demolished railway property to the west of the castle, stretching intoFountainbridge, a run-down 19th-century industrial suburb which has undergone radical change since the 1980s with the demise of industrial and brewery premises. This ongoing development has enabled Edinburgh to maintain its place as the United Kingdom's second largest financial and administrative centre after London.[84][85] Financial services now account for a third of all commercial office space in the city.[86] The development ofEdinburgh Park, a new business and technology park covering 38 acres (15 ha), 4 mi (6 km) west of the city centre, has also contributed to the District Council's strategy for the city's major economic regeneration.[86]
In 1998 theScotland Act, which came into force the following year, established adevolved Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive (renamed the Scottish Government since September 2007[87]). Both based in Edinburgh, they are responsible for governing Scotland whilereserved matters such as defence, foreign affairs, and some elements of income tax remain the responsibility of theParliament of the United Kingdom in London.[88]
In 2022 Edinburgh was affected by the2022 Scotland bin strikes.[89] In 2023 Edinburgh became the first capital city in Europe to sign the globalPlant Based Treaty, which was introduced atCOP26 in 2021 in Glasgow.[90] TheScottish Greens councillor Steve Burgess introduced the treaty. The Scottish Countryside Alliance and other farming groups called the treaty "anti-farming".[91]
Situated in Scotland'sCentral Belt, Edinburgh lies on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city centre is2+1⁄2 mi (4.0 km) southwest of the shoreline ofLeith and 26 mi (42 km) inland, as the crow flies, from the east coast of Scotland and theNorth Sea atDunbar.[92] While the early burgh grew up near the prominent Castle Rock, the modern city is often said to be built onseven hills, namelyCalton Hill,Corstorphine Hill, Craiglockhart Hill,Braid Hill,Blackford Hill, Arthur's Seat and the Castle Rock,[93] giving rise to allusions to theseven hills of Rome.[94]
Occupying a narrow gap between the Firth of Forth to the north and thePentland Hills and their outrunners to the south, the city sprawls over a landscape which is the product of early volcanic activity and later periods of intensive glaciation.[95]: 64–65 Igneous activity between 350 and 400 million years ago, coupled withfaulting, led to the creation of toughbasaltvolcanic plugs, which predominate over much of the area.[95]: 64–65 One such example is the Castle Rock which forced the advancing ice sheet to divide, sheltering the softer rock and forming a 1 mi-long (1.6 km) tail of material to the east, thus creating a distinctivecrag and tail formation.[95]: 64–65 Glacial erosion on the north side of the crag gouged a deep valley later filled by the now drainedNor Loch. These features, along with another hollow on the rock's south side, formed an ideal natural strongpoint upon which Edinburgh Castle was built.[95]: 64–65 Similarly, Arthur's Seat is the remains of a volcano dating from theCarboniferous period, which was eroded by a glacier moving west to east during the ice age.[95]: 64–65 Erosive action such asplucking andabrasion exposed the rocky crags to the west before leaving a tail of deposited glacial material swept to the east.[96] This process formed the distinctiveSalisbury Crags, a series ofteschenite cliffs between Arthur's Seat and the location of the early burgh.[97] The residential areas ofMarchmont andBruntsfield are built along a series ofdrumlin ridges south of the city centre, which weredeposited as the glacier receded.[95]: 64–65
Other prominent landforms, such asCalton Hill andCorstorphine Hill, are also products of glacial erosion.[95]: 64–65 The Braid Hills and Blackford Hill are a series of small summits to the south of the city centre that command expansive views looking northwards over the urban area to the Firth of Forth.[95]: 64–65
Panorama of Edinburgh, 2025
Edinburgh is drained by the river named theWater of Leith, which rises at the Colzium Springs in the Pentland Hills and runs for 18 miles (29 km) through the south and west of the city, emptying into the Firth of Forth at Leith.[98] The nearest the river gets to the city centre is atDean Village on the north-western edge of the New Town, where a deep gorge is spanned byThomas Telford'sDean Bridge, built in 1832 for the road toQueensferry. TheWater of Leith Walkway is a mixed-usetrail that follows the course of the river for 19.6 km (12.2 mi) from Balerno to Leith.[99]
Excepting the shoreline of the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh is encircled by agreen belt, designated in 1957, which stretches fromDalmeny in the west toPrestongrange in the east.[100] With an average width of 3.2 km (2 mi) the principal objectives of the green belt were to contain the outward expansion of the city and to prevent the agglomeration of urban areas.[100] Expansion affecting the green belt is strictly controlled but developments such asEdinburgh Airport and theRoyal Highland Showground atIngliston lie within the zone.[100] Similarly, suburbs such asJuniper Green and Balerno are situated on green belt land.[100] One feature of the Edinburgh green belt is the inclusion of parcels of land within the city which are designated green belt, even though they do not connect with the peripheral ring. Examples of these independent wedges of green belt includeHolyrood Park and Corstorphine Hill.[100]
Edinburgh includes former towns and villages that retain much of their original character as settlements in existence before they were absorbed into the expanding city of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.[101] Many areas, such asDalry, contain residences that are multi-occupancy buildings known astenements, although the more southern and western parts of the city have traditionally been less built-up with a greater number of detached and semi-detached villas.[102]
The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided into two by the broad green swathe ofPrinces Street Gardens. To the south, the view is dominated by Edinburgh Castle, built high on Castle Rock, and the long sweep of the Old Town descending towards Holyrood Palace. To the north lie Princes Street and the New Town.
TheWest End includes the financial district, with insurance and banking offices as well as the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
Edinburgh's Old and New Towns were listed as a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1995 in recognition of the unique character of the Old Town with its medieval street layout and the planned Georgian New Town, including the adjoining Dean Village and Calton Hill areas. There are over 4,500listed buildings within the city,[10][103][104] a higher proportion relative to area than any other city in the United Kingdom.
The castle is perched on top of a rocky crag (the remnant of an extinct volcano), and theRoyal Mile runs down the crest of a ridge from it, terminating at Holyrood Palace. Minor streets (called closes orwynds) lie on either side of the main spine, forming a herringbone pattern.[105] Due to space restrictions imposed by the narrowness of this landform, the Old Town became home to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings. Multi-storey dwellings known aslands were the norm from the 16th century onwards, with ten and eleven storeys being typical, and one even reaching fourteen or fifteen storeys.[106] Vaults below street level were inhabited to accommodate the influx of incomers, particularlyIrish immigrants, during theIndustrial Revolution. The street has several fine public buildings such as St Giles' Cathedral, theCity Chambers and theLaw Courts. Other places of historical interest nearby areGreyfriars Kirkyard andMary King's Close. TheGrassmarket, running deep below the castle, is connected by the steep double terraced Victoria Street. The street layout is typical of the old quarters of many Northern European cities.
The New Town was an 18th-century solution to the problem of an increasingly crowded city, which had been confined to the ridge sloping down from the castle. In 1766 a competition to design a "New Town" was won byJames Craig, a 27-year-old architect.[107] The plan was a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted in well withEnlightenment ideas of rationality. The principal street was to beGeorge Street, running along the natural ridge to the north of what became known as the "Old Town". To either side of it are two other main streets: Princes Street and Queen Street. Princes Street has become Edinburgh's main shopping street and now has few of itsGeorgian buildings in their original state. The three main streets are connected by a series of streets running perpendicular to them. The east and west ends of George Street are terminated bySt Andrew Square andCharlotte Square respectively.
The latter, designed byRobert Adam, influenced the architectural style of the New Town into the early 19th century.[108]Bute House, the official residence of theFirst Minister of Scotland, is on the north side of Charlotte Square.[109]
The hollow between the Old and New Towns was formerly theNor Loch, which was created for the town's defence but came to be used by the inhabitants for dumping theirsewage. It was drained by the 1820s as part of the city's northward expansion. Craig's original plan included an ornamental canal on the site of the loch,[70] but this idea was abandoned.[110] Soil excavated while laying the foundations of buildings in the New Town was dumped on the site of theloch to create the slope connecting the Old and New Towns known asThe Mound.
The Southside is a residential part of the city, which includes the districts ofSt Leonards,Marchmont,Morningside,Newington,Sciennes,the Grange andBlackford. The Southside is broadly analogous to the area covered formerly by theBurgh Muir, and was developed as a residential area after the opening of theSouth Bridge in the 1780s. The Southside is particularly popular with families (many state and private schools are here), young professionals and students (the central University of Edinburgh campus is based aroundGeorge Square just north of Marchmont andthe Meadows), andNapier University (with major campuses around Merchiston and Morningside). The area is also well provided with hotels and "bed and breakfast" accommodation for visiting festival-goers. These districts often feature in works of fiction. For example,Church Hill in Morningside, was the home ofMuriel Spark's Miss Jean Brodie,[111] andIan Rankin'sInspector Rebus lives in Marchmont and works in St Leonards.[112]
Leith was historically the port of Edinburgh, an arrangement of unknown date that was confirmed by the royal charter Robert the Bruce granted to the city in 1329.[113] The port developed a separate identity from Edinburgh, which to some extent it still retains, and it was a matter of great resentment when the two burghs merged in 1920 into the City of Edinburgh.[114] Even today, the parliamentary seat is known as "Edinburgh North and Leith". The loss of traditional industries and commerce (thelast shipyard closed in 1983) resulted in economic decline.[115] The Edinburgh Waterfront development has transformed old dockland areas from Leith to Granton into residential areas with shopping and leisure facilities and helped rejuvenate the area. With the redevelopment, Edinburgh has gained the business of cruise liner companies, which now provide cruises to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The coastal suburb ofPortobello is characterised by Georgian villas, Victorian tenements, a beach andpromenade, and cafés, bars, restaurants and independent shops. There are rowing and sailing clubs, a restored Victorian swimming pool, andVictorian Turkish baths.
Like most of Scotland, Edinburgh has a cooltemperatemaritime climate (Cfb) which, despite its northerly latitude, is milder than places which lie at similar latitudes such asMoscow andLabrador.[118] The city's proximity to the sea mitigates any large variations in temperature or extremes of climate. Winter daytime temperatures rarely fall below freezing while summer temperatures are moderate, rarely exceeding 22 °C (72 °F).[118] The highest temperature recorded in the city was 31.6 °C (88.9 °F) on 25 July 2019[118] at Gogarbank, beating the previous record of 31 °C (88 °F) on 4 August 1975 at Edinburgh Airport.[119] The lowest temperature recorded in recent years was −14.6 °C (5.7 °F) during December 2010 at Gogarbank.[120]
Given Edinburgh's position between the coast and hills, it is renowned as "the windy city", with the prevailing wind direction coming from the south-west, which is often associated with warm, unstable air from theNorth Atlantic Current that can give rise to rainfall – although considerably less than cities to the west, such as Glasgow.[118] Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year.[118] Winds from an easterly direction are usually drier but considerably colder, and may be accompanied byhaar, a persistent coastal fog. Vigorous Atlantic depressions, known asEuropean windstorms, can affect the city between October and April.[118]
Located slightly north of the city centre, the weather station at theRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has been an official weather station for theMet Office since 1956.The Met Office operates its own weather station at Gogarbank on the city's western outskirts, nearEdinburgh Airport.[121] This slightly inland station has a slightly wider temperature span between seasons, is cloudier and somewhat wetter, but differences are minor.
Temperature and rainfall records have been kept at the Royal Observatory since 1764.[122]
Climate data for Edinburgh (RBGE),[b] elevation: 23 m (75 ft), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present
The most recent official population estimates (2020) are506,520 for the locality (includesCurrie),[6] and530,990 for the Edinburgh settlement (includesMusselburgh).[6]
Edinburgh has a high proportion of young adults, with 19.5% of the population in their 20s (exceeded only by Aberdeen) and 15.2% in their 30s which is the highest in Scotland. The proportion of Edinburgh's population born in the UK fell from 92% to 84% between 2001 and 2011, while the proportion of White Scottish-born fell from 78% to 70%. Of those Edinburgh residents born in the UK, 335,000 or 83% were born in Scotland, with 58,000 or 14% being born in England.[127]
Some 16,000 people or 3.2% of the city's population are ofPolish descent. 77,800 people or 15.1% of Edinburgh's population class themselves as Non-White, which is an increase from 8.2% in 2011 and 4% in 2001. Of the Non-White population, the largest group by far isAsian, totalling about 44 thousand people. Within the Asian population, people ofChinese descent are now the largest sub-group, with 15,076 people, amounting to about 2.9% of the city's total population. The city's population ofIndian descent amounts to 12,414 (2.4% of the total population), while there are some 7,454 ofPakistani descent (1.5% of the total population). Although they account for only 2,685 people or 0.5% of the city's population, Edinburgh has the highest number and proportion of people ofBangladeshi descent in Scotland. Close to 12,000 people were born in African countries (2.3% of the total population) and over 13,000 in the Americas. With the notable exception of Inner London, Edinburgh has a higher number of people born in the United States (over 6,500) than any other city in the UK.[132]
The proportion of people residing in Edinburgh born outside the UK was 23.5% in 2022, compared with 15.9% in 2011 and 8.3% in 2001. Below are the largest overseas-born groups in Edinburgh according to the 2022 census, alongside the two previous censuses.
A census by the Edinburgh presbytery in 1592 recorded a population of 8,003 adults spread equally north and south of the High Street which runs along the spine of the ridge sloping down from the Castle.[136] In the 18th and 19th centuries, the population expanded rapidly, rising from 49,000 in 1751 to 136,000 in 1831, primarily due to migration from rural areas.[95]: 9 As the population grew, problems of overcrowding in the Old Town, particularly in the crampedtenements that lined the present-day Royal Mile and theCowgate, were exacerbated.[95]: 9 Poor sanitary arrangements resulted in a high incidence of disease,[95]: 9 with outbreaks ofcholera occurring in 1832, 1848, and 1866.[137]
The construction of the New Town from 1767 onwards witnessed the migration of the professional and business classes from the difficult living conditions in the Old Town to the lower-density, higher quality surroundings taking shape on land to the north.[138] Expansion southwards from the Old Town saw more tenements being built in the 19th century, giving rise toVictorian suburbs such asDalry, Newington, Marchmont and Bruntsfield.[138]
Early 20th-century population growth coincided with lower-density suburban development. As the city expanded to the south and west, detached and semi-detached villas with large gardens replaced tenements as the predominant building style. Nonetheless, the 2001 census revealed that over 55% of Edinburgh's population were still living in tenements or blocks of flats, a figure in line with other Scottish cities, but much higher than other British cities, and even central London.[139]
As per the 2022 census, 13% of the population belonged to the Church of Scotland and 10% to the Catholic Church.[141]
Saint Giles is historically the patron saint of Edinburgh.[142]St Cuthbert's, situated at the west end of Princes Street Gardens in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle and St Giles' can lay claim to being the oldest Christian sites in the city,[143] though the present St Cuthbert's, designed byHippolyte Blanc, was dedicated in 1894.[144]
Muslims have several places of worship across the city.Edinburgh Central Mosque, the largest Islamic place of worship, is located in Potterrow on the city's Southside, near Bristo Square. Construction was largely financed by a gift from KingFahd of Saudi Arabia[156] and was completed in 1998.[157] There is also anAhmadiyya Muslim community.[158] The first recorded presence of aJewish community in Edinburgh dates back to the late 18th century.[159] Edinburgh'sOrthodox synagogue, opened in 1932, is in Salisbury Road and can accommodate a congregation of 2000. ALiberal Jewish congregation also meets in the city. ASikhgurdwara and aHindumandir are located in Leith.[160][161] The city also has aBrahma Kumaris centre in the Polwarth area.[162]
The Edinburgh Buddhist Centre, run by theTriratna Buddhist Community, formerly situated in Melville Terrace, now runs sessions at the Healthy Life Centre, Bread Street.[163] Other Buddhist traditions are represented by groups which meet in the capital: the Community of Interbeing (followers ofThich Nhat Hanh),Rigpa, Samye Dzong,Theravadin,Pure Land andShambala. There is aSōtō Zen Priory in Portobello[164] and a Theravadin Thai Buddhist Monastery in Slateford Road.[165] Edinburgh is home to aBaháʼí community,[166] and aTheosophical Society meets in Great King Street.[167] Edinburgh has an Inter-Faith Association.[168]
Edinburgh has the second-strongest[vague] economy of any city in the United Kingdom behindLondon and the highest percentage of professionals in the UK with 43% of the population holding a degree-level or professional qualification.[173] According to the Centre for International Competitiveness, it is the most competitive large city in the United Kingdom.[174] In 2023, itsgross domestic product per capita of £69,809 surpassed London's for the first time.[175][176] It also had the highestgross value added per employee of any city in the UK outside London, measuring £57,594 in 2010.[177] It was named European Best Large City of the Future for Foreign Direct Investment and Best Large City for Foreign Direct Investment Strategy in theFinancial Times magazine in 2012.[178]
As the centre ofScotland's government andlegal system, the public sector plays a central role in Edinburgh's economy. Many departments of the Scottish Government are in the city, including the headquarters of the government atSt Andrew's House, the official residence of theFirst Minister atBute House and Scottish Government offices atVictoria Quay. Other major sectors across the city include administrative and support services, the education sector, public administration and defence, the health and social care sector, scientific and technical services, and construction and manufacturing.[179] When the £1.3bn Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal[180] was signed in 2018, the region's Gross Value Added (GVA) contribution to the Scottish economy was cited as £33bn, or 33% of the country's output. The City Region Deal funds a range of "Data Driven Innovation" hubs which are using data to innovate in the region, recognising the region's strengths in technology and data science, the growing importance of the data economy, and the need to tackle the digital skills gap, as a route to social and economic prosperity.[181][182][183]
Tourism is also an important element in the city's economy. As a World Heritage Site, tourists visit historical sites such as Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and the Old and New Towns. Their numbers are augmented in August each year during theEdinburgh Festivals, which attract over 4 million visitors, and generate over £400M for the local economy.[184] In May 2024, unemployment in Edinburgh was at 3.5%, in line with the Scottish average of 3.7%.[185][186] In 2022 Edinburgh was the second most visited city in the United Kingdom, behind London, by overseas visitors.[187]
This has since been overtaken in size by the Edinburgh Fringe, which began as a programme of marginal acts alongside the "official" Festival and has become the world's largest performing arts festival. In 2023, over 3700 different shows were staged in 300 venues across the city.[184][191] Comedy has become one of the mainstays of the Fringe, with many comedians getting their first 'break' there, often by being chosen to receive theEdinburgh Comedy Award.[192] The Edinburgh Military Tattoo occupies the Castle Esplanade every night for three weeks each August, with massedpipe bands andmilitary bands drawn from around the world. Performances end with a short fireworks display.
A Vikinglongship being burnt during Edinburgh's annualHogmanay celebrations
The annual EdinburghHogmanay celebration was originally an informal street party focused on theTron Kirk in the Old Town's High Street. Since 1993, it has been officially organised with the focus moved to Princes Street. In 1996, over 300,000 people attended, leading to ticketing of the main street party in later years up to a limit of 100,000 tickets.[197] Hogmanay now covers four days of processions, concerts and fireworks, with the street party beginning on Hogmanay. Alternative tickets are available for entrance into the Princes Street Gardens concert andCèilidh, where well-known artists perform and ticket holders can participate in traditional Scottish cèilidh dancing. The event attracts thousands of people from all over the world.[197]
On the night of 30 April theBeltane Fire Festival takes place on Calton Hill, involving a procession followed by scenes inspired bypagan old spring fertility celebrations.[198] At the beginning of October each year theDussehra Hindu Festival is also held on Calton Hill.[199]
The city has many commercial radio stations includingForth 1, a station which broadcasts mainstream chart music, Greatest Hits Edinburgh on DAB which plays classic hits and Edge Radio.[208]Capital Scotland andHeart Scotland also have transmitters covering Edinburgh. Along with the UK national radio stations,BBC Radio Scotland and the Gaelic language serviceBBC Radio nan Gàidheal are also broadcast. DAB digital radio is broadcast over two local multiplexes.BFBS Radio broadcasts from studios on the base at Dreghorn Barracks across the city on 98.5FM as part of its UK Bases network. Small-scale DAB started in October 2022 with community stations on board.
Edinburgh contains Scotland's threeNational Galleries of Art as well as smaller art galleries.[215] The national collection is housed in theScottish National Gallery, located on The Mound, comprising the linked National Gallery of Scotland building and theRoyal Scottish Academy building. Contemporary collections are shown in theScottish National Gallery of Modern Art, which occupies a split site at Belford. TheScottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street focuses on portraits and photography. The council-ownedCity Art Centre in Market Street mounts regular art exhibitions. Across the road,The Fruitmarket Gallery offers world-class exhibitions of contemporary art, featuring work by British and international artists with both emerging and established international reputations.[216]
After the 2017 election, the SNP and Labour formed a coalition administration, which lasted until the next election in 2022. The2022 City of Edinburgh Council election resulted in the most politically balanced council in the UK, with 19 SNP, 13 Labour, 12 Liberal Democrat, 10 Green, and 9 Conservative councillors. A minority Labour administration was formed, being voted in by Scottish Conservative and Scottish Liberal Democrat councillors. The SNP and Greens presented a coalition agreement, but could not command a majority in the council. This caused controversy amongst the Scottish Labour Party group for forming an administration supported by Conservatives, and led to the suspension of two Labour councillors on the council for abstaining on the vote to approve the new administration.[225] The city'scoat of arms was registered by theLord Lyon King of Arms in 1732.[226]
Edinburgh, like all of Scotland, is represented in theScottish Parliament, situated in theHolyrood area of the city. For electoral purposes, the city is divided into six constituencies, which, along with 3 seats outside of the city, form part of theLothian region.[227] Each constituency elects oneMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by thefirst past the post system of election, and the region elects sevenadditional MSPs to produce a result based on a form of proportional representation.[227]
Edinburgh Airport is Scotland's busiest airport and the principal international gateway to the capital, handling over 14.7 million passengers; it was also thesixth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom by total passengers in 2019.[228][229] In anticipation of rising passenger numbers, the former operator of the airportBAA outlined a draft masterplan in 2011 to provide for the expansion of the airfield and the terminal building. In June 2012,Global Infrastructure Partners purchased the airport for £807 million.[230] The possibility of building a second runway to cope with an increased number of aircraft movements has also been mooted.[231]
Lothian Buses andMcGill's Scotland East operate the city's branded publictour buses. Thenight bus service and airport buses are mainly operated by Lothian Buses.[232] In 2019, Lothian Buses recorded 124.2 million passenger journeys.[233]
A train preparing to depart from Edinburgh Waverley station
Edinburgh Waverley is the second-busiest railway station in Scotland, with onlyGlasgow Central handling more passengers. On the evidence of passenger entries and exits between April 2015 and March 2016, Edinburgh Waverley is the fifth-busiest station outside London; it is also the UK's second biggest station in terms of the number of platforms and area size.[235] Waverley is the terminus for most trains arriving fromLondon King's Cross and the departure point for manyrail services within Scotland operated byScotRail.
To the west of the city centre liesHaymarket station, which is an important commuter stop. Opened in 2003,Edinburgh Park station serves the Gyle business park in the west of the city and the nearbyGogarburn headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland. TheEdinburgh Crossrail route connects Edinburgh Park with Haymarket, Edinburgh Waverley and the suburban stations ofBrunstane andNewcraighall in the east of the city.[236] There are also commuter lines toEdinburgh Gateway,South Gyle and Dalmeny, the latter servingSouth Queensferry by the Forth Bridges, and toWester Hailes andCurriehill in the south-west of the city.
Edinburgh Trams became operational on 31 May 2014. The city had been without a tram system sinceEdinburgh Corporation Tramways ceased on 16 November 1956.[237] Following parliamentary approval in 2007, construction began in early 2008. The first stage of the project was expected to be completed by July 2011[238] but, following delays caused by extra utility work and a long-running contractual dispute between the council and the main contractor,Bilfinger SE, the project was rescheduled.[239][240][241] The line opened in 2014 but had been cut short to 8.7 mi (14.0 km) in length, running fromEdinburgh Airport ToYork Place in the east end of the city.
The line was later extended north ontoLeith andNewhaven, opening a further eight stops to passengers in June 2023. The York Place stop was replaced by a new island stop atPicardy Place. The original plan would have seen a second line run from Haymarket throughRavelston andCraigleith toGranton Square on theWaterfront Edinburgh. This was shelved in 2011 but is now once again under consideration, as is another line potentially linking the south of the city and theBioquarter.[242] There were also long-term plans for lines running west from the airport toRatho andNewbridge and another connectingGranton to Newhaven via Lower Granton Road. Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams are both owned and operated byTransport for Edinburgh.
Despite its modern transport links, in January 2021, Edinburgh was named the most congested city in the UK for the fourth year running, though it has since fallen to 7th place in 2022[243][244]
Heriot-Watt University is based at theRiccarton campus in the west of Edinburgh. Originally established in 1821 as the world's firstmechanics' institute, it was granted university status by royal charter in 1966. It has other campuses in the Scottish Borders, Orkney, the United Arab Emirates and Putrajaya in Malaysia. It takes the nameHeriot-Watt from Scottish inventorJames Watt and Scottish philanthropist and goldsmithGeorge Heriot. Heriot-Watt University has been named International University of the Year byThe Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. In the latest Research Excellence Framework, it was ranked overall in the Top 25% of UK universities and 1st in Scotland for research impact.
There are two private hospitals: Murrayfield Hospital in the west of the city and Shawfair Hospital in the south; both are owned bySpire Healthcare.[253]
Caledonia Pride is the only women's professional basketball team in Scotland. Established in 2016, the team competes in the UK-wideWomen's British Basketball League and plays their home matches at theOriam National Performance Centre. Edinburgh also has several men's basketball teams within the Scottish National League.Boroughmuir Blaze,City of Edinburgh Kings, andEdinburgh Lions all compete in Division 1 of the National League, andPleasance B.C. compete in Division 2. TheEdinburgh Diamond Devils is a baseball club that won its first Scottish Championship in 1991 as the "Reivers". 1992 saw the team repeat the achievement, becoming the first team to do so in league history. The same year saw the start of their first youth team, the Blue Jays. The club adopted its present name in 1999.[264]
InAmerican football, theScottish Claymores playedWLAF/NFL Europe games at Murrayfield, including theirWorld Bowl 96 victory. From 1995 to 1997, they played all their games there, from 1998 to 2000 they split their home matches between Murrayfield and Glasgow's Hampden Park, then moved to Glasgow full-time, with one final Murrayfield appearance in 2002.[268] The city's most successful non-professional team are theEdinburgh Wolves who play at Meadowbank Stadium.[269] TheEdinburgh Marathon has been held annually in the city since 2003 with more than 16,000 runners taking part on each occasion.[270] Its organisers have called it "the fastest marathon in the UK" due to the elevation drop of 40 m (130 ft).[271] The city also organises a half-marathon, as well as10 km (6.2 mi) and5 km (3.1 mi) races, including a 5 km (3 mi) race on 1 January each year.
Edinburgh has aspeedway team, theEdinburgh Monarchs, which, since the loss of its stadium in the city, has raced at the Lothian Arena inArmadale, West Lothian. The Monarchs have won thePremier League championship five times in their history, in 2003[272] and again in 2008,[273] 2010, 2014 and 2015. Edinburgh also has Scotland's first onshore artificial open airsurfing pool, located at former Craigpark quarry inRatho.[274]
Edinburgh produced figures in science and engineering.John Napier, inventor oflogarithms, was born inMerchiston Tower and lived and died in the city.[282] His house now forms part of the original campus of Napier University which was named in his honour. He lies buried under St. Cuthbert's Church.James Clerk Maxwell, founder of the modern theory ofelectromagnetism, was born at 14 India Street (now the home of theJames Clerk Maxwell Foundation) and educated at theEdinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh,[277] as was the engineer and telephone pioneerAlexander Graham Bell.[277]James Braidwood, who organised Britain's first municipal fire brigade, was also born in the city and began his career there.
Another Edinburgh resident wasGreyfriars Bobby. The smallSkye Terrier reputedly kept vigil over his dead master's grave inGreyfriars Kirkyard for 14 years in the 1860s and 1870s, giving rise to a story of canine devotion which plays a part in attracting visitors to the city.[292]
The City of Edinburgh has entered into 14 internationaltwinning arrangements since 1954.[293] Most of the arrangements are styled asTwin Cities but the agreement withKraków is designated as aPartner City,[293] and the agreement withKyoto Prefecture is officially styled as aFriendship Link, reflecting its status as the only region to be twinned with Edinburgh.[293]
In June 2024, the City of Edinburgh Council shelved plans for a friendship arrangement withKaohsiung,Taiwan, after a report raised concerns that the agreement could heighten cyber attacks. A few weeks before the decision, the Chinese Consul General met with Scottish government ministerAngus Robertson to protest against the potential agreement. In a letter to the city council, the Chinese representative said signing a sister city agreement "willhurt the feeling of the Chinese people and bring about serious consequences to … bilateral relations".[294]
^Defoe, Daniel (1978).A Tour Through The Whole Island of Britain. London: Penguin. p. 577. "... I believe, this may be said with truth, that in no city in the world so many people live in so little room as at Edinburgh".
^Topham, E. (1971).Letters from Edinburgh 1774–1775. Edinburgh: James Thin. p. 27.ISBN978-1-236-68255-0.Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved18 March 2013."...I make no manner of doubt but that the High Street in Edinburgh is inhabited by a greater number of persons than any street in Europe".
^Ferguson, W (1987).Scotland, 1689 to the Present. Edinburgh: Mercat Press. p. 154.ISBN978-0-901824-86-8---These clans were mainly Episcopalian (70 per cent) and Roman Catholic (30 per cent), p.151.
^Keay, K; Keay, J (1994).Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. HarperCollins. p. 285.ISBN978-0-00-255082-6.
^Pryde, George Smith (1962).Scotland from 1603 to the present day. Nelson. p. 141.Population figures for 1801 – Glasgow 77,385; Edinburgh 82,560; for 1821 – Glasgow 147,043; Edinburgh 138,325
^Hogg, A (1973). "Topic 3:Problem Areas".Scotland: The Rise of Cities 1694–1905. London: Evans Brothers Ltd.ISBN978-0237286569.
^"Sill". landforms.eu.Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved29 March 2013.
^"Overview of the Water of Leith". Gazetteer for Scotland, Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh.Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved19 April 2009.
^"Untitled"(PDF). Economic and Social Data Service. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 14 October 2013. Retrieved14 October 2013--note incorrect date given for Henry Robb shipyard closure.
^Office for National Statistics; National Records of Scotland; Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (1997). 1991 Census aggregate data. UK Data Service (Report) (1997 ed.). Office of Population Censuses and Surveys; General Register Office for Scotland; Registrar General for Northern Ireland.doi:10.5257/census/aggregate-1991-1. This information is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence
^abCensus Dissemination Unit, Mimas (5 May 2011)."InFuse".infuse2011gf.ukdataservice.ac.uk. Retrieved24 June 2022.
^Paul Smith & Shirley Smith (2005)The Ultimate Directory of English & Scottish Football League Grounds Second Edition 1888–2005, Yore Publications, p202ISBN0954783042
^"Kraków – Miasta Partnerskie" [Kraków -Partnership Cities].Miejska Platforma Internetowa Magiczny Kraków (in Polish). Archived fromthe original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved10 August 2013.
^"Edinburgh – Twin and Partner Cities". 2008 The City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ Scotland. Archived fromthe original on 28 March 2008. Retrieved21 December 2008.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
_by_Wenceslas_Hollar_(1670).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
%2c_24_June_2014.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
