The Edinburgh Portal
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Edinburgh panorama from Calton Hill, early evening . -
Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags, part of Holyrood Park. -
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View across Calton Hill monuments to Firth of Forth and Fife beyond. -
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Old town Skyline. -
Edinburgh castle and Balmoral Hotel clock tower at night.
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Edinburgh (/ˈɛdɪnbərə/ ED-in-bər-ə, Scots: [ˈɛdɪnbʌrə]; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann [t̪un ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ]) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth estuary and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in mid-2020, making it the second-most populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area has a population of 912,490.
Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, the highest courts in Scotland, and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It is also the annual venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scottish law, literature, philosophy, the sciences and engineering. The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of three in the city, is considered one of the best research institutions in the world. It is the second-largest financial centre in the United Kingdom, the fourth largest in Europe, and the thirteenth largest internationally.
The city is a cultural centre, and is the home of institutions including the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. The city is also known for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, the latter being the world's largest annual international arts festival. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, and the extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th/19th centuries. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been managed by Edinburgh World Heritage since 1999. The city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the UK's second-most visited tourist destination, attracting 4.9 million visits, including 2.4 million from overseas in 2018. (Full article...)
Selected location article
South Bridge is a road bridge and street in Edinburgh, Scotland, between the High Street, where it meets the North Bridge, to Nicolson Street at the south. It forms a continuous roadway over the steep valley scoured parallel to the High Street when the crag and tail landscape of the city was formed. The bridge dips down from the High Street to the Cowgate (the roadway along the bottom of the valley), which runs under the largest arch of the bridge, before climbing back up to its terminus at Nicolson Street.
The concept of the bridge was raised in 1784 by James Hunter Blair in his capacity as Lord Provost of Edinburgh, as a logical southward extension of the pre-existing North Bridge, which connected Edinburgh's Old Town to its New Town. The southward bridge, set on the same alignment, was to improve connection to the southward land, and spanned over the Cowgate. The works necessitated the loss of many buildings including the old Edinburgh Poultry Market. (Full article...)
Selected images
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Edinburgh (from Salisbury Crags) by William Crozier, a painter associated with The Edinburgh School -
The BT building in Edinburgh Park -
Scottish baronial-style turrets on Victorian tenements in St. Mary's Street -
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Ratho Park Golf Club -
City Observatory, the Gothic Tower -
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Jenners Department Store, the oldest department store in Scotland -
The National Monument of Scotland (right) and Nelson Monument (left) -
Two Edinburgh Trams seen at the West End - Princes Street stop -
Charlotte Square, a garden square in the New Town -
Sir Walter Scott -
The Dean Gallery, part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art -
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland in Edinburgh Castle -
View looking west along George Street -
The Governor's House -
View over Edinburgh -
The Princes Street Gardens, the best known park in Edinburgh -
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The ruins of Holyrood Abbey -
Architecture in Edinburgh -
The Castle Rock -
Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland -
David Hume, Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist born in Edinburgh in 1711 -
The High Street, part of the Royal Mile -
Fountain at Holyrood Palace -
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St Giles' Cathedral, the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh -
Queensferry Crossing road bridge
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Selected transportation article
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Edinburgh Airport (IATA: EDI, ICAO: EGPH) is an international airport located in the Ingliston area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2019, handling over 14.7 million passengers. It was also the sixth-busiest airport in the United Kingdom by total passengers in 2019. It is located 5 NM (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) west of the city centre, just off the M8 and M9 motorways. It is owned by Vinci SA (50.01% share ownership) and Global Infrastructure Partners (49.99% share ownership). (Full article...)
Selected area article
Broomhouse is a district of Edinburgh, Scotland. Although on the lands of Old Saughton, its name is adopted from an estate which lay to the north of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. The earliest recorded versions of the name (c.1600) were variations on Brum(e)hous. It mainly comprises a low-rise council housing estate built between 1947 and 1950. It borders on Parkhead, Sighthill, and Saughton Mains. The arterial route of Calder Road (A71) passes to the south. (Full article...)
Selected environment article
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The Firth of Forth (Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe) is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife to its north and Lothian to its south. (Full article...)
Did you know?
- ... that George Parks was president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and his son Rowan Parks became president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh?
- ... that Prince Philip was the first member of the British royal family to fly in a helicopter?
Selected arts article
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James Grant (1822–1887) was a Scottish novelist and miscellaneous writer.
Grant was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was a distant relation of Sir Walter Scott. He was a prolific author, writing some 90 books, including many yellow-backs. Titles included Adventures of an Aide-De-Camp, One of "The Six Hundred", The Scottish Musketeers and The Scottish Cavalier. (Full article...)
Selected education article
List of schools in Edinburgh is a list of schools in the City of Edinburgh council area of Scotland. It lists schools both within Edinburgh itself, and in outlying villages within the local government boundary. (Full article...)
Selected sports article
Selected religion article
The Archdiocese of Saint Andrews & Edinburgh (Latin: Archidioecesis Sancti Andreae et Edimburgensis) is an archdiocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Scotland. It is the metropolitan see of the province of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, consisting of the additional suffragan sees of Aberdeen, Argyll and the Isles, Dunkeld, and Galloway. The archdiocese is led by Archbishop Leo Cushley, and its cathedral is St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. (Full article...)
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