Edinburgh (city)

I

Introduction

Edinburgh (city), capital city of Scotland, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. Edinburgh is the second most populous city in Scotland after Glasgow, and is Scotland's administrative, cultural, educational, and service-industry hub. Its heritage and architectural variety also make it one of the main tourist centres of Great Britain. Situated in east-central Scotland, Edinburgh is built on a group of hills and crags between the Firth of Forth (which flows from the Scottish lowlands into the North Sea) and the Pentland Hills. The city centre and its environs, covering an area of about 260 sq km (100 sq mi), are about 64 km (40 mi) north-west of the River Tweed, which forms a part of the border between Scotland and England. Edinburgh's climate is commonly cloudy with moderate rainfall, and its proximity to the sea impedes temperature extremes.

Edinburgh is the seat of government in Scotland. The 129-seat Scottish Parliament was temporarily based in the Church of Scotland's General Assembly Building on the Mound in Edinburgh for five years. A new purpose-built complex, located on a large site on the Royal Mile near to Holyrood Palace, opened in September 2004. Five Members of Parliament are returned to Westminster from Edinburgh constituencies (Edinburgh East, Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh South West, and Edinburgh West). Edinburgh is represented in the European Parliament within the Lothians constituency (one of eight Scottish seats).

Structural reform of Scottish local government came into force in April 1996. The Lothian Regional Council and the City of Edinburgh District Council ceased to exist and a new single-tier unitary authority, entitled the City of Edinburgh Council, took over the functions and service provision previously split between the two councils (except for water and sewerage services which have been transferred to a new public water authority). Elections for the new 58-member authority were held in April 1995, and it operated in shadow form alongside the district and regional councils until the change of responsibility. Since 1999 subsequent elections have been held triennially.

The administration of Scotland's legal system is centred in Edinburgh. The Scottish Supreme Courts comprising the High Court of Justiciary and the Court of Session both sit in the capital, although the former also sits in other major towns and cities.

Edinburgh's international links are fostered through formal twinning agreements with eight other cities: Dunedin, Florence, Kiev, Munich, Nice, San Diego, Vancouver, and Xiangtan, while Canada, Japan, the United States, and a number of European countries maintain consulates in the city.

The population has remained relatively static in recent years. From almost 446,000 in 1981, the figure dipped to 401,901 in 1991. Small annual increases have since been recorded, and in 1995 the population was estimated to be 447,600, representing about 8.6 per cent of Scotland's population. Population 449,000 (2001 estimate).

II

Economy

Fundamental to the well-being of Edinburgh's economy is the performance of its service industry sector, which now accounts for about 80 per cent of employment in the city (in public administration, education, medicine, finance, tourism, distribution, and transport and communications). Manufacturing, although still significant, is in decline. The city's principal economic strengths lie in financial services, tourism, electronics, and information technology.

The importance of financial services has always been considerable in Edinburgh. The substantial increase in funds under management by Scotland's financial institutions over the past few years has strengthened the city's position as a major finance centre (second only to London in Britain, and the fourth-largest fund-management centre in the European Union). The leading financial institutions with head offices in Edinburgh, such as Standard Life, are among the city's largest private-sector employers.

Edinburgh is the single most important tourist destination in Scotland, and Britain's most popular destination after London. The city attracts nearly 5 million visitors a year, many of whom are from overseas, generating expenditure that supports about 20,000 jobs in the city. A further influx of visitors is being encouraged by the expansion of conference facilities. The construction of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (comprising a 1,200-seat main auditorium that is divisible into three self-contained theatres) was completed in 1995.

Manufacturing industry is composed chiefly of electrical and electronics engineering; paper, printing, and publishing; food and drink; and, to a lesser degree, chemical manufactures. In addition to leading companies such as Hewlett-Packard and GEC Marconi Avionics, there is a growing number of small firms in the electrical and electronics field specializing in advanced technology. Edinburgh's three universities are also at the forefront of the development of new technologies and their applications. The printing and publishing sector was well established in the city by the 16th century, while Scotch whisky constitutes one of the city's important exports.

Edinburgh's port facilities at Leith and Granton (the former being the headquarters of the Forth Ports Authority) are a major service-point for vessels associated with the North Sea petroleum industry, as well as handling bulk dry goods. Leith is also a port of call for cruise ships.

Edinburgh International Airport benefited from substantial investment in runway and terminal improvements in the 1990s, and handles over 7.5 million passengers a year. It is about 13 km (8 mi) west of the city centre at Turnhouse. Plans for a rapid transit link between the airport and the city centre are under parliamentary consideration.

Electrification of the Edinburgh-to-London railway link was completed in 1991. From Waverley station, rail services are operated to all major centres throughout Britain.

On the western side of the city centre, adjacent to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, is the prestigious Exchange financial district, which opened in the late 1990s and is currently undergoing further expansion and development.

III

Places of Interest

A

Landmarks

The city has several thousand buildings that are officially protected from development because of their architectural or historic importance. However, the dominating feature of interest is Edinburgh Castle, crowning Castle Rock at the core of the city. With around 1 million visitors each year, it is by far the most popular visitor attraction. Located in the castle is the 11th-century chapel of St Margaret, Edinburgh's oldest building. The Scottish crown jewels are on display in the castle.

The Castle Rock is connected to the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the east by a road known as the Royal Mile, the main thoroughfare of the Old Town district of the city. Holyroodhouse, a royal residence, usually open to the public, was founded in c. 1500, although much of the existing building is the result of reconstruction in the 17th century. Other notable landmarks in Old Town include St Giles Cathedral (largely 15th-century, and the High Kirk of Edinburgh); the Parliament House (which was the seat of the Scottish Parliament until 1707, and is now the seat of the judicature); and the house of the 16th-century Protestant reformer John Knox.

To the north of this district is New Town. This area was developed in the late 18th century as a pioneering venture in town planning, and is the largest area of Georgian architecture in Europe, and probably the world. Separating New Town and Old Town is Princes Street Gardens, occupying the bed of Nor' Loch that was drained in the early 19th century. Princes Street itself has been described as one of the most beautiful thoroughfares in the world. Beside it there is a large neo-Gothic monument to Sir Walter Scott.

Two other major attractions in the city are the Royal Botanic Garden and Edinburgh Zoo. The former, Scotland's national botanical garden, is an international scientific institution with vital plant research, conservation, public amenity, and educational roles. The zoo was founded in 1913, and has the largest collection of animals in Scotland, including the largest colony of penguins in Europe. In 1995 it acquired an important new addition with the completion of a unique maze designed to illustrate the theory of evolution by providing different options at branches of the maze that a species might encounter over time (such as whether to go underground or near water).

The Royal Observatory at Edinburgh is a centre for research in astronomy and planetary science.

Meadowbank, the city's largest sports centre, was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and regularly hosts international sporting events, and Murrayfield is Scotland's international rugby ground. There are two professional football clubs: Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian.

B

Education and Culture

Edinburgh has a long-standing reputation for educational excellence and is home to four universities. The University of Edinburgh (founded in 1583 and one of Scotland's medieval seats of learning) has faculties of arts, divinity, law, medicine, music, science and engineering, social sciences, and veterinary medicine. Its medical school enjoys a worldwide reputation. Heriot-Watt University was incorporated in 1966, but dates from 1821. It is noted for its science and engineering faculties, and has a close working relationship with commerce. Napier University began life as Napier College of Science and Technology in 1964, and is named after John Napier, the Scottish mathematician. It gained university status in 1992. Queen Margaret University College, founded in 1875, became Queen Margaret University in 2007.

The national art galleries and museums located in the city are the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the Royal Museum of Scotland, the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, the Scottish United Services Museum, and the Scottish Agricultural Museum. The Museum of Scotland, located next to the Royal Museum, opened in 1998. The City Art Centre is Edinburgh's principal municipal art gallery and houses the city's permanent fine-art collection. Other notable museums include Huntly House (for local history), the Museum of Childhood, and The People's Story (chronicling the lives of ordinary Edinburgh citizens from the 18th century).

Edinburgh is also the home of the National Library of Scotland, a copyright deposit library and one of the largest libraries in Great Britain. In 1998 a mosque and Islamic centre opened in Edinburgh's Old Town; it is a focus for Scotland's 10,000 Muslims.

The city stages several festivals each year, attracting thousands of visitors. The most famous is the Edinburgh International Festival (featuring a wide range of arts), held annually in August and September. It is the largest of its kind in the world, and attracts visitors from all continents. Other popular annual festivals in the city include the International Film and Television festivals, the International Jazz Festival, and the Edinburgh International Science Festival (reflecting the city's commitment to the sciences in general, and new technologies in particular). There is also a biennial book festival.

The Edinburgh Festival Theatre opened in 1994 as a year-round venue for all performing arts and entertainments; it is also the main arena for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh stage for Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. Other arts performance venues in the city include the King's Theatre, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Traverse Theatre, Playhouse, Usher Hall, and Queen's Hall.

Edinburghers who have achieved distinguished literary and artistic reputations have included Allan Ramsay the Elder (poet), Allan Ramsay the Younger (portrait painter), James Boswell (writer), Robert Fergusson (poet), Sir Walter Scott (writer), David Octavius Hill (painter and photographer), Robert Louis Stevenson (writer), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (writer), and, more recently, the novelist Muriel Spark, and actor Sean Connery.