Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh and Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh (i/ˈɛdɪnbʌrə/ ed-in-burr-ə; Dùn Èideann in Scottish Gaelic) is the capital city of Scotland. Situated on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. With a population of 495,360 in 2011 (up 1.9% from 2010),[3] it is the largest settlement in Lothian and lies at the centre of a larger urban zone of approximately 850,000 people. Sony VPCS13L9E/B Keyboard
Sony VPCEB1E9R Keyboard While the town originally formed on the ridge descending from the Castle Rock, the modern city is often said to be built on seven hills.
From its prehistoric beginning as a hillfort, following periods of Celtic and Germanic influence, Edinburgh became part of the Kingdom of Scotland during the 10th century. With burgh charters granted by David I and Robert the Bruce, Sony VPCS13X9E/B Keyboard
Sony VPCEB1E9J KeyboardEdinburgh grew through the Middle Ages as Scotland’s biggest merchant town. By the time of the European Renaissance and the reign of James IV it was well established as Scotland's capital. Sony VPCS12V9E/B Keyboard
Sony VPCEB1E9E KeyboardThe 16th century Scottish Reformation and 18th century Scottish Enlightenment were formative periods in the history of the city, which played a central role in both. While political power shifted to London following the Treaty of Union in 1707, devolution in 1997 has resulted in the return of a Scottish parliament. Sony VPCS12L9E/B Keyboard
Edinburgh has a high proportion of independent schools, one college and four universities. The University of Edinburgh (which now includes Edinburgh College of Art) is the biggest university in Scotland[5] and ranked 21st in the world. Sony VPCS11B7E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB1E8E Keyboard [6] These institutions help provide a highly educated population[7] and a dynamic economy.[8] Edinburgh has the UK's strongest economy outside London and was named European Best Large City of the Future for Foreign Direct Investment by fDi Magazine in 2012/13.[9] Sony VPCS11C5E Keyboard
Each August the city hosts the biggest annual international arts festival in the world. This includes the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Other festivals are held throughout the year, such as the Science Festival, Film Festival and Jazz and Blues Festival. Sony VPCS11D7E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB1C5E KeyboardOther annual events include the Hogmanay street party and Beltane. Edinburgh is the world's first UNESCO City of Literature[10] and the city's Old Town and New Town are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[11] Sony VPCS11E7E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB1B4E KeyboardEdinburgh regularly polls as one of the best locations to live nationally, having won more than 12 UK Best City Awards in 8 years to 2013.[12]
Attracting over one million overseas visitors a year, Edinburgh is the second most popular tourist destination in the UK after London[13] Sony VPCS11F7E Keyboard
Sony VPCS11X9E Keyboard and was voted European Destination of the Year at the World Travel Awards 2012.
The "Edin" in "Edinburgh", the root of the city's name, is most likely Celtic (P-Celtic, Brythonic) in origin, possibly Cumbric or a variation of it, as would have been spoken by the earliest known people of the area, the Votadini. It appears to derive from the Brythonic place name Eidyn mentioned in some medieval Welsh sources.[14][15][16] Sony VPCS11G7E Keyboard
The Edinburgh area was the location of Din Eidyn, a dun or hillfort associated with the kingdom of the Gododdin[17] (the name Gododdin is a later form of Votadini). The change in nomenclature, from Din Eidyn to Edinburgh, Sony VPCS11J7E Keyboard
Sony VPCS11H7E Keyboardreflects changes in the local language from Cumbric to Old English, the Germanic language of the Bernician Angles that permeated the area from the mid-7th century (and the ancestor of modern Scots and English). The Celtic prefix din was dropped and the Old English burh adopted as a suffix.[18] Sony VPCS11M1E/W Keyboard
The first documentary evidence of the city is an early 12th-century royal charter by King David I granting land to the Church of the Holy Rood of Edinburgh c.1124. This charter names the town "Edwinesburg."[19
Sony VPCS13S9E Keyboard] The city's name is recorded as "Edenesburch" in a charter (in Latin) passed during the 1170s by King William the Lion, confirming the grant of 1124.[20]
History[edit]
Main article: History of Edinburgh
Early history[edit]
Edinburgh, showing Arthur's Seat, one of the earliest known sites of human habitation in the area
Humans settled the Edinburgh area at least as long ago as the Bronze Age, leaving traces of primitive settlements which have been found on Arthur's Seat, Craiglockhart Hill and the Pentland Hills.[21] Sony VPCS11M9R/B Keyboard
By the time the Romans arrived in Lothian towards the end of the 1st century AD, they discovered a Celtic Brythonic tribe whose name they recorded as the Votadini.[22] At some point before the 7th century AD, the Gododdin, Sony VPCS11V9E/B Keyboard
who were presumably the descendants of the Votadini, built a hill fort known as Din Eidyn or Etin. Although its exact location has not been identified, it seems more than likely they would have chosen the commanding position of the Castle Rock, or Arthur's Seat or Calton Hill.[23] Sony VPCS12A7E Keyboard
In AD 638 the Gododdin stronghold was besieged by forces loyal to King Oswald of Northumbria, and around this time the Edinburgh region passed to the Angles. Anglian influence continued over three centuries until c. AD 950 when, Sony VPCS12A7R Keyboard
Sony VPCS12D7E Keyboard during the reign of Indulf, son of Constantine II, the "burh" (fortress), named by the Pictish Chronicle as "oppidum Eden",[24] fell to the Scots and thenceforth remained under their jurisdiction.[25] Sony VPCS12B7E Keyboard
The Royal Burgh was founded by a charter of King David I in the 12th century.[26] By the middle of the 14th century, the French chronicler Froissart described it as the capital of Scotland (c.1365), and James III (1451-88) referred to it as "the principal burgh of our kingdom".[2Sony VPCEB1J8E Keyboard
7] Despite the destruction caused by an English assault in 1544, the town slowly recovered[28] and was at the centre of events in the 16th-century Scottish Reformation[29] and 17th-century Wars of the Covenant.[30]
17th century[edit]
Edinburgh in the 17th century
In 1603, King James VI of Scotland succeeded to the English throne, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England in a personal union known as the Union of the Crowns, though Scotland remained, in all other respects, a separate kingdom.[31] Sony VPCEB1M1R Keyboard
In 1638, King Charles I's attempt to introduce Anglican church forms in Scotland encountered stiff Presbyterian opposition culminating in the conflicts of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.[32] Subsequent Scottish support for Charles Stuart's restoration to the throne of England, resulted in Edinburgh's occupation by Cromwell's Commonwealth forces in 1650.[ Sony VPCEB1S0E Keyboard
33]
In the 17th century, the boundaries of Edinburgh were still defined by the city's defensive town walls. As a result, expansion took the form of the houses increasing in height to accommodate a growing population. Buildings of 11 storeys or more were common,[ Sony VPCEB1S8E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB2M0E Keyboard34] and have been described as forerunners of the modern-day skyscraper.[35] Most of these old structures were later replaced by the predominantly Victorian buildings seen in today's Old Town. Sony VPCEB1Z0E Keyboard
18th century[edit]
In 1706 and 1707, the Acts of Union were passed by the Parliaments of England and Scotland uniting the two kingdoms into the Kingdom of Great Britain.[36] As a consequence, the Parliament of Scotland merged with the Parliament of England to form the Parliament of Great Britain, which sat at Westminster in London. The Union was opposed by many Scots at the time, resulting in riots in the city.[37] Sony VPCEB2A4E Keyboard
By the first half of the 18th century, despite rising prosperity evidenced by its growing importance as a banking centre, Edinburgh was being described as one of the most densely populated, overcrowded and unsanitary towns in Europe.[38][39Sony VPCEB2B4E Keyboard
] Visitors were struck by the fact that the various social classes shared the same urban space, even inhabiting the same tenement buildings; Sony VPCEB2C4E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB2F4E Keyboardalthough 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.[40]
A painting showing Edinburgh characters (based on John Kay's caricatures) behind St. Giles in the late 18th century
During the Jacobite rising of 1745, Edinburgh was briefly occupied by the Jacobite "Highland Army" before its march into England.[41Sony VPCEB2C5E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB2E4E Keyboard] After its ultimate defeat at Culloden, there followed a period of reprisals and pacification, largely directed at the rebellious clans.[42] In Edinburgh, the Town Council, keen to emulate London by initiating city improvements and expansion to the north of the castle,[ Sony VPCEB3A4E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB2H4E Keyboard43] re-affirmed its belief in the Union and loyalty to the Hanoverian monarch George III by its choice of names for the streets of the New Town, for example, Rose Street and Thistle Street, and for the royal family: George Street, Queen Street, Sony VPCEB3A4R Keyboard
Sony VPCEB1A4E KeyboardHanover Street, Frederick Street and Princes Street (in honour of George's two sons).[44]
The city was at the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment[45] when figures such as David Hume, Adam Smith, James Hutton and Joseph Black could be seen in its streets. Sony VPCEB3B4R Keyboard
Sony VPCEB4B4E KeyboardEdinburgh became a major intellectual centre, earning it the nickname "Athens of the North" because of its many classical buildings and reputation as a "hotbed of genius" (Smollett) similar to Ancient Athens.[46] Sony VPCEB3C4R Keyboard
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 social character of the city. Sony VPCEB3D4E Keyboard
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."[47]
19th and 20th centuries[edit]
Edinburgh Castle from the Grassmarket, 1865
Although Edinburgh's traditional industries of printing, papermaking and brewing continued to grow in the 19th century and were joined by new rubber works and engineering works, there was little industrialisation compared with other cities in Britain. By 1821, Edinburgh had been overtaken by Glasgow as Scotland's largest city. Sony VPCEB3E1R Keyboard
Sony VPCEB4D4E Keyboard [48] 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.[4
Sony VPCEB4C4E Keyboard9] Improvements carried out under Lord Provost William Chambers in the 1860s began the transformation of the area into the predominantly Victorian Old Town seen today.[50] More improvements followed in the early 20th century as a result of the work of Patrick Geddes,[51] Sony VPCEB3E4R Keyboard
Sony VPCEB4A4E Keyboardbut relative economic stagnation during the two world wars and beyond saw the Old Town deteriorate further before major slum clearance in the 1960s and 1970s began to reverse the process. University building developments which transformed the George Square and Potterrow areas proved highly controversial.[52] Sony VPCEB3F4E Keyboard
Standard Life Building in the Edinburgh Financial District
Since the 1990s a new "financial district", including a new Edinburgh International Conference Centre, has grown mainly on demolished railway property to the west of the castle, stretching into Fountainbridge, Sony VPCEB3G4E Keyboard
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 second largest financial and administrative centre in the United Kingdom after London.[5Sony VPCEB3H4E Keyboard
Sony VPCEB3S1R Keyboard3] Financial services now account for a third of all commercial office space in the city.[54] The development of Edinburgh Park, a new business and technology park covering 38 acres (15 ha), 4 miles west of the city centre, has also contributed to the District Council's strategy for the city's major economic regeneration.[54] Dell RX221 keyboard
In 1998, the Scotland Act, which came into force the following year, established a devolved Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive (renamed the Scottish Government since July 2012). Both based in Edinburgh, Dell P0XM3 keyboard
Dell NSK-DB001 keyboard they are responsible for governing Scotland while reserved matters such as defence, taxation and foreign affairs remain the responsibility of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London.[55] Dell ORX221 keyboard
Geography[edit]
Edinburgh lies on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth in Scotland's Central Belt. The city centre is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of the shoreline of Leith and 26 miles (42 km) inland, as the crow flies, from the east coast of Scotland and the North Sea at Dunbar.[5Dell UK723UK keyboard
Dell HT514 keyboard6] While the city originated in close proximity to the prominent Castle Rock, the modern city is often said to be built on seven hills, namely Calton Hill, Corstorphine Hill, Craiglockhart Hill, Braid Hill, Blackford Hill, Arthur's Seat and the Castle Rock,[57] giving rise to allusions to the seven hills of Rome.[58] Dell PTP49 keyboard
Dell 0WX4JF keyboardAn annual running race takes in these seven hills, starting and finishing at Calton Hill.[59]
Occupying a narrow gap between the Firth of Forth to the north and the Pentland 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. [60Dell 0UK717 keyboard
] Igneous activity between 350 and 400 million years ago, coupled with faulting, led to the dispersion of tough basalt volcanic plugs, which predominate over much of the area.[60] One such example is Castle Rock which forced the advancing icepack to divide, Dell P0XM3 keyboard
Dell FM760 keyboard sheltering the softer rock and forming a mile-long tail of material to the east, creating a distinctive crag and tail formation.[60] Glacial erosion on the northern side of the crag gouged a large valley resulting in the now drained Nor Loch. Dell Latitude E4310 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6410-ATG Keyboard
This structure, along with a ravine to the south, formed an ideal natural fortress upon which Edinburgh Castle was built.[60] Similarly, Arthur's Seat is the remains of a volcano system dating from the Carboniferous period, Dell Latitude E4320 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6410 Keyboard which was eroded by a glacier moving from west to east during the ice age.[60] Erosive action such as plucking and abrasion exposed the rocky crags to the west before leaving a tail of deposited glacial material swept to the east.[6Dell Latitude E4200 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6400-XFR Keyboard 1] This process formed the distinctive Salisbury Crags, which formed a series of teschenite cliffs between Arthur's Seat and the location of the early city.[62] The residential areas of Marchmont and Bruntsfield are built along a series of drumlin ridges south of the city centre, which were deposited as the glacier receded.[60]
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Other viewpoints in the city such as Calton Hill and Corstorphine Hill are similar products of glacial erosion.[60] The Braid Hills and Blackford Hill are a series of small summits to the south west of the city commanding expansive views over the urban area of Edinburgh and northwards to the Forth.[60] Dell Latitude E6500 Keyboard
View of Edinburgh from Blackford Hill
Edinburgh is drained by the Water of Leith, which has its source at the Colzium Springs in the Pentland Hills and runs for 29 kilometres (18 mi) through the south and west of the city, emptying into the Firth of Forth at Leith.[63] Dell Latitude E5400 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6400 Keyboard The nearest the river gets to the city centre is at Dean Village on the north-western edge of the New Town, where a deep gorge is spanned by the Dean Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford and built in 1832 for the road to Queensferry.[63] Dell Latitude E5410 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E5420M Keyboard The Water of Leith Walkway is a mixed use trail that follows the river for 19.6 kilometres (12.2 mi) from Balerno to Leith.[64]
Edinburgh is ringed by a green belt, designated in 1957, which stretches from Dalmeny in the west to Prestongrange in the east.[6Dell Latitude E5500 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E5220 Keyboard 5] With an average width of 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) the principal objective of the green belt was to contain the outward expansion of Edinburgh and to prevent the agglomeration of urban areas.[65] Dell Latitude E5510 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6530 Keyboard Expansion within the green belt is strictly controlled but developments such as Edinburgh Airport and the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston lie within the zone.[65] Similarly, outlying suburbs such as Juniper Green and Balerno are situated on green belt land.[65]
Dell Latitude E6520N Keyboard One feature of the green belt in Edinburgh is the inclusion of parcels of land within the city which are designated green belt, even though they do not adjoin the peripheral ring. Examples of these independent wedges of green belt include Holyrood Park and Corstorphine Hill.[65] Dell Latitude E5420 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6430-XFR Keyboard
Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is divided into distinct areas that retain their original character, where the expanding city has encompassed existing settlements.[66Dell Latitude E5520 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6430S Keyboard ] Many residences are tenements, although the more southern and western parts of the city have traditionally been more affluent and have a greater number of detached and semi-detached villas.[67] Dell Latitude E6420 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6430-ATG Keyboard
The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided in two by the broad green swath of Princes Street Gardens. To the south the view is dominated by Edinburgh Castle, built high on the castle rock, and the long sweep of the Old Town descending towards Holyrood Palace. To the north lies Princes Street and the New Town. Dell Latitude E6520 Keyboard
To the west of the castle lies the financial district, housing insurance and banking buildings together with the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed as a UNESCO World 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. Dell Latitude E6120 Keyboard
Dell Latitude E6420-ATG Keyboard There are over 4,500 listed buildings within the city,[11] a higher proportion relative to area than any other city in the United Kingdom. In the 2011 mid-year population estimates, Edinburgh had a total resident population of 495,360.[68] Dell Latitude E6220 Keyboard
Old Town[edit]
Main article: Old Town, Edinburgh
Libberton Wynd in the Old Town of Edinburgh in the early part of the 19th century, painting by George Cattermole
The Old Town has preserved most of its medieval street plan and some Reformation-era buildings. One end is closed off by the castle and the main artery, the mediaeval thoroughfare, known since the 1920s as the Royal Mile,[6
Dell Latitude E6230 Keyboard 9] runs downhill to terminate at Holyrood Palace; minor streets (called closes or wynds) lie on either side of the main spine forming a herringbone pattern.[70] The street has several fine public buildings such as the church of St. Giles, Dell Latitude E5430 Keyboard
Dell Precision M4400 Keyboard the City Chambers and the Law Courts. Other places of historical interest nearby are Greyfriars Kirkyard and the Grassmarket. The street layout is typical of the old quarters of many northern European cities. Dell Precision M2400 Keyboard
Dell Precision M6500 Keyboard The castle perches on top of a rocky crag (the remnant of an extinct volcano) and the Royal Mile runs down the crest of a ridge from it.
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 as lands were the norm from the 16th century onwards with ten and eleven storeys being typical and one even reaching fourteen or fifteen storeys. [Dell Precision M4600 Keyboard
Dell Precision M6400 Keyboard 71] Numerous vaults below street level were inhabited to accommodate the influx of immigrants during the Industrial Revolution.
New Town[edit]
Main article: New Town, Edinburgh
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 by James Craig, Dell Precision M6600 Keyboard
Dell Precision M4500 Keyboard a 27-year-old architect.[72] The plan was a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted in well with enlightenment ideas of rationality. The principal street is George Street, running along the natural ridge to the north of the existing "Old Town". To either side of it are two other main streets: Princes Street and Queen Street. Dell Latitude E4310 Battery
Dell Latitude E6430-ATG Battery Princes Street has become the main shopping street in Edinburgh and now has few of its original Georgian buildings. 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 by St. Andrew Square and Charlotte Square respectively. Dell Latitude E4200 Battery
Dell Latitude E6430 BatteryThe latter, designed by Robert Adam, influenced the architectural style of the New Town into the early 19th century.[73] Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland, is on the north side of Charlotte Square.[74] Dell Latitude E4300 Battery
The hollow between the Old and New Towns was formerly the Nor Loch, which was originally created for the town's defence but came to used for dumping the city's sewage. 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, Dell Latitude E5400 Battery
Dell Latitude E6420-ATG Battery [44] but this was abandoned.[75] Soil excavated while laying the foundations of buildings in the New Town was dumped on the site of the loch to create the slope connecting the Old and New Towns known as The Mound. Dell Latitude E5410 Battery
Dell Latitude E6330 BatteryIn the mid-19th century the National Gallery of Scotland and Royal Scottish Academy Building were built on The Mound, and tunnels for the railway line between Haymarket and Waverley stations were driven through it. Dell Latitude E5500 Battery
Edinburgh New Town viewed from Edinburgh Castle
Southside[edit]
A popular residential part of the city is the Southside, which includes the districts of St Leonards, Marchmont, Newington, Sciennes, the Grange and Blackford. The Southside is broadly analogous to the area covered formerly by the Burgh Muir, and grew in popularity as a residential area after the opening of the South Bridge in the 1780s. Dell Latitude E5510 Battery
Dell Latitude E6230 Battery These areas are particularly popular with families (many state and private schools are here), students (the central University of Edinburgh campus is based around George Square just north of Marchmont and the Meadows), and Napier University (with major campuses around Merchiston and Morningside). Dell Latitude E5420 Battery
Dell Latitude E6220 BatteryThe area is also well provided with hotel 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 of Muriel Spark's Miss Jean Brodie, [76] and Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus lives in Marchmont and works in St Leonards. [77] Dell Latitude E5520 Battery
Leith[edit]
Leith lamppost motif, showing the burgh coat-of-arms
Main article: Leith
Leith was historically the port of Edinburgh, an arrangement of unknown date that was reconfirmed by the royal charter Robert the Bruce granted to the city in 1329.[78] It developed a separate identity from Edinburgh,
Dell Latitude E6120 Battery which it still retains, and it was a matter of great resentment when the two burghs merged in 1920 into the county of Edinburgh.[79] Even today the parliamentary seat is known as 'Edinburgh North and Leith'. Dell Latitude E6420 Battery
Dell Latitude E5530 BatteryThe loss of traditional industries and commerce—the last shipyard closed in 1983—has resulted in economic decline over the years.[citation needed] The Edinburgh Waterfront development, which has transformed the old dockland into a residential area with leisure amenities, has to some extent regenerated the area. With the redevelopment, Dell Latitude E6430S Battery
Dell Precision M4400 BatteryEdinburgh has gained the business of cruise liner companies which now provide cruises to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Leith also has the Royal Yacht Britannia, berthed behind Ocean Terminal, and Easter Road, the home ground of Hibernian F.C. Dell Latitude E6430-XFR Battery
Urban area[edit]
The urban area of Edinburgh is almost entirely contained within the City of Edinburgh Council boundary, merging with Musselburgh in East Lothian. Nearby towns close to the city borders include Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Loanhead, Dell Latitude E6520N Battery
Dell Precision M6400 Battery Newtongrange, Prestonpans, Tranent, Penicuik, Haddington, Livingston, Broxburn and Dunfermline. According to the European Statistical agency, Eurostat, Edinburgh lies at the heart of a Larger Urban Zone covering 1,724 square kilometres (666 sq mi) with a population of 778,000.[80] Dell Latitude E5220 Battery
Climate[edit]
Like much of the rest of Scotland, Edinburgh has a temperate, maritime climate which is relatively mild despite its northerly latitude.[81Dell Latitude E5420M Battery
Dell Precision M6600 Battery] Winter daytime temperatures rarely fall below freezing, and compare favourably with places such as Moscow, Labrador and Newfoundland which lie at similar latitudes.[81]
Dell Precision M4600 BatterySummer temperatures are normally moderate, rarely exceeding 22 °C (72 °F).[81] The highest temperature ever recorded in the city was 31.4 °C (88.5 °F) on 4 August 1975[81] at Turnhouse Airport. The lowest temperature recorded in recent years was −14.6 °C (5.7 °F) during December 2010 at Gogarbank.[82] Dell Latitude E6500 Battery
The proximity of the city to the sea mitigates any large variations in temperature or extremes of climate. Given Edinburgh's position between the coast and hills, it is renowned as a windy city, with the prevailing wind direction coming from the south-west which is associated with warm,
Dell Latitude E5430 Batteryunstable air from the North Atlantic Current that can give rise to rainfall – although considerably less than cities to the west, such as Glasgow.[81] Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year.[8Dell Latitude E6400-ATG Battery
Dell Latitude E6400-XFR Battery
1] Winds from an easterly direction are usually drier but colder, and may be accompanied by haar, a persistent coastal fog. Vigorous Atlantic depressions, known as European windstorms, can affect the city between October and May.[81] Dell Latitude E6410 Battery
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[hide]Climate data for Edinburgh, Royal Botanic Gardens, 1981–2010 Extremes 1951–
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
At the United Kingdom Census 2001, Edinburgh had a population of 448,624, a rise of 7.1% from 1991.[86] Estimates in 2010 placed the total resident population at 486,120 split between 235,249 males and 250,871 females.[6Dell XPS 14 Battery
Dell Inspiron 14R battery8] This makes Edinburgh the second largest city in Scotland after Glasgow and the seventh largest in Britain.[86] Edinburgh sits at the heart of a Larger Urban Zone with a population of 778,000.[80] Dell XPS 14D-L401X Battery
Edinburgh has a higher proportion of those aged between 16 and 24 than the Scottish average, but has a lower proportion of those classified as elderly or pre-school.[68] Over 95% of Edinburgh respondents classed their ethnicity as White in 2001, Dell XPS 15D Battery
Dell Inspiron 13R batterywhile those identifying as being Indian and Chinese were 1.6% and 0.8% of the population respectively.[88] In 2001, 22% of the population were born outside Scotland with the largest group of people within this category being born in England at 12.1%.[Dell XPS 15-L501X Battery
Dell Inspiron N4110 battery88] Since the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, many migrants from the accession states such as Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have settled in the city, with many working in the service industry.[89] Dell XPS 15Z Battery
Historical[edit]
The cramped tenements off the Royal Mile were once home to most of Edinburgh's population.
A census conducted by the Edinburgh presbytery in 1592 recorded a population of 8,003 adults spread equally north and south of the High Street which runs down the spine of the ridge leading from the Castle.[ Dell XPS 17 Battery
Dell Inspiron N5010D battery90] 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.[91] As the population grew, problems of overcrowding in the Old Town, Dell XPS 17-L701X Battery
Dell Inspiron 15R battery particularly in the cramped tenements that lined the present day Royal Mile and the Cowgate, were exacerbated.[91] Poor sanitary arrangements resulted in a high incidence of disease,[91] with outbreaks of cholera occurring in 1832, 1848 and 1866.[92] Dell XPS L501X Battery
The construction of the New Town from 1767 onwards witnessed the migration of the professional and business classes from the difficult conditions of the Old Town to the lower density, higher quality surroundings taking shape on land to the north. [9Dell XPS L502X Battery
Dell Inspiron N7010 battery3] Expansion southwards from the Old Town saw more tenements being built in the 19th century, giving rise to Victorian suburbs such as Marchmont, Newington and Bruntsfield.[93] Dell XPS L701X Battery
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, Dell Inspiron 14V battery
Dell Inspiron N4010D battery the 2001 census revealed that over 55% of Edinburgh's population were 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.[94] Dell Inspiron N4020 battery
From the early to mid 20th century the growth in population, together with slum clearance in the Old Town and other areas such as Dumbiedykes, Leith and Fountainbridge, led to the creation of new estates such as Stenhouse and Saughton, Craigmillar and Niddrie, Pilton and Muirhouse, Piershill, and Sighthill.[95] Dell Inspiron N4030 battery
Religion[edit]
Further information: Religion in Scotland
Christianity[edit]
The High Kirk of Edinburgh, known colloquially as St. Giles' Cathedral
The Church of Scotland claims the largest membership of any religious denomination in Edinburgh. As of 2010, there are 83 congregations in the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Edinburgh.[96
Dell Inspiron N5010R battery] Its most prominent church is St Giles' on the Royal Mile, first dedicated in 1243 but believed to date from before the 12th century.[97] Saint Giles is historically the patron saint of Edinburgh.[98] Dell Inspiron N7110 battery
Dell Inspiron N5030 batterySt Cuthbert's, situated at the west end of Princes Street Gardens in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, lays claim to being the oldest Christian site in the city,[99][100] though the present building designed by Hippolyte Blanc dates from the late-19th century. Other Church of Scotland churches include the Canongate Kirk, Dell Inspiron N7010R battery
Dell Inspiron N5110 batteryGreyfriars Kirk, St Andrew's and St George's West Church and the Barclay Church. The Church of Scotland Offices are in Edinburgh,[101] as is the Assembly Hall where the General Assembly is held.[102] HP 640426-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh has 27 parishes across the city.[103] The leader of Scotland's Catholics has his official residence in the area of the city known locally as Holy Corner, and the diocesan offices are in Marchmont.[ HP 640903-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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HP 532605-001 CPU fan with heatsink104] The Diocese of Edinburgh of the Scottish Episcopal Church has over 50 churches, half of them in the city.[105] Its centre is the late 19th century Gothic style St Mary's Cathedral in the West End's Palmerston Place.[10HP 650848-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 532141-001 CPU fan with heatsink6] There are several independent churches throughout the city, both Catholic and Protestant, including Charlotte Chapel), Carrubbers Christian Centre, Morningside Baptist Church, Bellevue Chapel and Sacred Heart.[107] There are also churches belonging to larger orders, such as Christadelphians,[108] Quakers and Seventh-day Adventists.
Other faiths[edit] HP 653627-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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Edinburgh Central Mosque in Potterrow was designed with a fusion of Scots baronial style and Islamic architecture.
Edinburgh Central Mosque – Edinburgh's main mosque and Islamic Centre – is in Potterrow, on the city's south side, near Bristo Square. It was opened in the late 1990s and the construction was largely financed by a gift from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.[109HP 665309-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 498480-001 CPU fan with heatsink] There are other mosques in Annandale Street Lane, off Leith Walk, and in Queensferry Road, Blackhall as well as other Islamic centres across the city.[110] The first recorded presence of a Jewish community in Edinburgh dates back to the late 18th century.[111] HP 666391-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 487436-001 CPU fan with heatsink Edinburgh's Orthodox synagogue, which was opened in 1932, is in Salisbury Road and can accommodate a congregation of 2000. A Liberal Jewish congregation also meets in the city. There are a Sikh gurdwara and a Hindu mandir, both in Leith, and a Brahma Kumaris centre[11HP 650057-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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HP 456605-001 CPU fan with heatsink2] in the Polwarth area. Edinburgh Buddhist Centre, run by the Triratna Buddhist Community, is situated in Melville Terrace. Other Buddhist traditions are represented by groups which meet in the capital: the Community of Interbeing HP 384622-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 443917-001 CPU fan with heatsink (followers of Thich Nhat Hanh), Rigpa, Samye Dzong, Theravadin, Pure Land and Shambala. There is a Sōtō Zen Priory in Portobello[113] and a Theravadin Thai Buddhist Monastery in Slateford Road.[114] Edinburgh is home to an active Baha'i Community,[1
HP 431312-001 CPU fan with heatsink15] and a Theosophical Society, in Great King Street.[116] Edinburgh has an active Inter-Faith Association.[117]
Governance[edit]
Main article: Politics of Edinburgh
The debating chamber of the Scottish Parliament
Following local government reorganisation in 1996, Edinburgh constitutes one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.[118] Like all other local authorities of Scotland, the council has powers over most matters of local administration such as housing, planning, local transport, parks, economic development and regeneration.[ HP 535439-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 431311-001 CPU fan with heatsink119] The council is composed of 58 elected councillors, returned from 17 multi-member electoral wards in the city.[120] Following the 2007 Scottish Local Elections the incumbent Labour Party lost majority control of the council, after 23 years, to a Liberal Democrat/SNP coalition.[121] HP 535766-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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Edinburgh City Chambers is the headquarters of the City of Edinburgh Council.
The city's coat of arms was registered by the Lord Lyon King of Arms in 1732.[122]
Edinburgh is represented in the Scottish Parliament. For electoral purposes, the city area is divided between six of the nine constituencies in the Lothians electoral region.[ HP 580718-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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HP 582140-001 CPU fan with heatsink123] Each constituency elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post system of election, and the region elects seven additional MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation.[123] HP 534675-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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Edinburgh is also represented in the British House of Commons by five Members of Parliament. The city is divided into Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh East, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh South West, and Edinburgh West,[124] each constituency electing one member by the first past the post system.
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Economy[edit]
Main article: Economy of Edinburgh
The Bank of Scotland's head office in central Edinburgh.
Edinburgh has the strongest economy of any city in the United Kingdom outside of London and the highest percentage of professionals in the UK with 43% of the population holding a degree-level or professional qualification.[8] HP 534676-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 480481-001 CPU fan with heatsink According to the Centre for International Competitiveness, it is the most competitive large city in the United Kingdom. [125] It also has the highest gross value added per employee of any city in the UK outside London, measuring £50,256 in 2007.[1HP 534684-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 6608231-001 CPU fan with heatsink26] It was named European Best Large City of the Future for Foreign Direct Investment and Best Large City for Foreign Direct Investment Strategy in the Financial Times fDi magazine awards 2012/13. HP 534685-001 CPU fan with heatsink
Known primarily for brewing, banking and printing and publishing in the 19th century, Edinburgh's economy is now based mainly on financial services, scientific research, higher education, and tourism.[citation needed] HP 576837-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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HP 657529-001 CPU fan with heatsinkAs of March 2010 unemployment in Edinburgh is comparatively low at 3.6%, and remains consistently below the Scottish average of 4.5%. [127]
Banking has been a mainstay of the Edinburgh economy for over 300 years, since the Bank of Scotland (now part of the Lloyds Banking Group) was established by an act of the Scottish Parliament in 1695. Today, HP 602472-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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HP 642731-001 CPU fan with heatsink the financial services industry, with its particularly strong insurance and investment sectors, and underpinned by Edinburgh based firms such as Scottish Widows and Standard Life, HP 603691-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 637610-001 CPU fan with heatsink accounts for Edinburgh being the UK's second financial centre after London and Europe's fourth in terms of equity assets. [1HP 606574-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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HP 631742-001 CPU fan with heatsink28] The Royal Bank of Scotland opened new global headquarters at Gogarburn in the west of the city in October 2005, and Edinburgh is home to the headquarters of Bank of Scotland, Tesco Bank[129] and Virgin Money.[130] HP 604787-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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Edinburgh Park
Tourism is also an important element in the city's economy. As a World Heritage Site, tourists come to 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 the Edinburgh Festivals, which attracts 4.4 million visitors,[127HP 606729-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 622028-001 CPU fan with heatsink] and generates in excess of £100m for the Edinburgh economy.[131]
As the centre of Scotland's government and legal system, the public sector plays a central role in the economy of Edinburgh. Many departments of the Scottish Government are located in the city. Other major employers include NHS Scotland and local government administration.
Transport[edit]
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Main article: Transport in Edinburgh
Lothian Buses on Princes Street
Edinburgh Airport is Scotland's busiest and biggest airport and the principal international gateway to the capital, handling around 9 million passengers in 2012.[132] In anticipation of rising passenger numbers,
HP 608229-001 CPU fan with heatsinkthe airport operator BAA outlined a draft masterplan in 2011 to provide for the expansion of the airfield and terminal building. The airport has since been sold to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) in June 2012. The possibility of building a second runway to cope with an increased number of aircraft movements has also been mooted.[133HP 606731-001 CPU fan with heatsink
]
Travel in Edinburgh is predominantly by bus. Lothian Buses operate the majority of city bus services within the city and to surrounding suburbs, with the majority of routes running via Princes Street. HP 608010-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 608095-001 CPU fan with heatsinkServices further afield operate from the Edinburgh Bus Station off St. Andrew Square. Lothian Buses, as the successor company to the Edinburgh Corporation Transport Department, also operates all of the City's branded public tour bus services, the night bus network and airport buses. [134] In 2010, Lothian Buses facilitated 109 million passenger journeys – a 1.9% rise on the previous year.[135] HP 535442-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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A train arriving at Waverley Station
Waverley is the second-busiest railway station in Scotland, with only Glasgow Central handling more passengers; in terms of passenger entries and exits between April 2010 and March 2011, Waverley is the fifth-busiest station outside London.[1HP 643258-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 587244-001 CPU fan with heatsink36] It serves as the terminus for trains arriving from London King's Cross and is the departure point for many rail services within Scotland operated by First ScotRail.
To the west of the city centre lies Haymarket railway station which is an important commuter stop. Opened in 2003,
HP 532614-001 CPU fan with heatsink Edinburgh Park station serves the adjacent business park in the west of the city and the nearby Gogarburn headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland. The Edinburgh Crossrail connects Edinburgh Park with Haymarket, Waverley and the suburban stations of Brunstane and Newcraighall in the east of the city.[1HP 655983-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 582321-001 CPU fan with heatsink37] There are also commuter lines to South Gyle and Dalmeny, which serves South Queensferry by the Forth Bridges, and to the south west of the city out to Wester Hailes and Curriehill. HP 657942-001 CPU fan with heatsink
In order to tackle traffic congestion, Edinburgh is now served by six park and ride sites on the periphery of the city at Sheriffhall, Ingliston, Riccarton, Inverkeithing (in Fife), Newcraighall and Straiton. A referendum of Edinburgh residents in February 2005 rejected a proposal to introduce congestion charging in the city. [138] HP 646578-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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Tramline construction in Edinburgh city centre, Sept. 2012
Edinburgh has been without a tram system since 16 November 1956.[139] Following parliamentary approval in 2007, HP 606609-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 622029-001 CPU fan with heatsinkconstruction began on a new Edinburgh tram line in early 2008. The first stage of the project was originally expected to be completed by July 2011[140] but, following delays caused by extra utility work and a long-running contractual dispute between the Council and the main contractor, Bilfinger, it is unlikely to be operational before 2014.[1HP 612354-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 631743-001 CPU fan with heatsink41] The cost of the project rose from the original projection of £545 million to £750 million in mid-2011, and the final cost is expected to exceed £1 billion[142][143] for a curtailed project resulting in a line approximately 8 miles (13 km) in length.
HP 610778-001 CPU fan with heatsink The current plan will see trams running from Edinburgh Airport to the west of the city to York Place in the city centre. The original intention to extend the line down Leith Walk to Ocean Terminal and Newhaven, was shelved because of spiralling costs.[1
HP 610777-001 CPU fan with heatsink44] If the original plan is ever resumed and taken to completion, trams will also run from Haymarket through Ravelston and Craigleith to Granton on the waterfront.[144] Long-term proposals envisage a line running west from the airport to Ratho and Newbridge, and another along the length of the waterfront.[145] HP 612355-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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Education[edit]
Further information: List of schools in Edinburgh
Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
There are four universities in Edinburgh (including Queen Margaret University which now lies just outwith the city boundary) with students making up around one-fifth of the population.[146] Established by Royal Charter in 1583, HP 606014-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 610773-001 CPU fan with heatsink the University of Edinburgh is one of Scotland's ancient universities and is the fourth oldest in the country after St Andrews, Glasgow and Aberdeen.[147] Originally centred around Old College the university expanded to premises on The Mound, the Royal Mile and George Square.[147HP 606013-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 610774-001 CPU fan with heatsink] Today, the King's Buildings in the south of the city contain most of the schools within the College of Science and Engineering. In 2002, the medical school moved to purpose built accommodation adjacent to the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary at Little France. The University was placed 21st in the world in the 2012 QS World University Rankings.[148]
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In the 1960s Heriot-Watt University and Napier Technical College were established.[147] Heriot-Watt traces its origins to 1821 as the world's first mechanics' institute, when a school for technical education for the working classes was opened.[1HP 448016-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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49] Napier College was renamed Napier Polytechnic in 1986 and gained university status in 1992.[150] Edinburgh Napier University has campuses in the south and west of the city, including the former Craiglockhart Hydropathic and Merchiston Tower.[150] It is home to the Screen Academy Scotland. HP 486799-001 CPU fan with heatsink
Queen Margaret University was located in Edinburgh until its move to a new campus near Musselburgh in 2008.
The former Craiglockhart Hydropathic Building now forms part of the Napier University campus.
Until 2012 further education colleges in the city included Jewel and Esk College (incorporating Leith Nautical College founded in 1903), HP 491572-001 CPU fan with heatsink
HP 431448-001 CPU fan with heatsink Telford College, opened in 1968, and Stevenson College, opened in 1970. These have now been amalgamated to form Edinburgh College. The Scottish Agricultural College also has a campus in south Edinburgh. HP 492314-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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Other notable institutions include the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh which were established by Royal Charter, in 1506 and 1681 respectively. The Trustees Drawing Academy of Edinburgh was founded in 1760 – an institution that became the Edinburgh College of Art in 1907.[151] HP 486844-001 CPU fan with heatsink
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There are 18 nursery, 94 primary and 23 secondary schools in Edinburgh administered by the city council.[152] Edinburgh is home to The Royal High School, one of the oldest schools in the country and the world. The city is home to several independent, Compaq Presario CQ62-215SA keyboard
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Compaq Presario CQ62-A65SA keyboard fee-paying schools including Edinburgh Academy, Fettes College, George Heriot's School, George Watson's College, Merchiston Castle School, Stewart's Melville College and The Mary Erskine School. In 2009, the proportion of pupils in education at independent schools was 24.2%, far above the national average of just over 7% and higher than in any other region of Scotland.[153] Compaq Presario CQ62-221SA keyboard
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Healthcare[edit]
The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh is the main public hospital for the city.
See also: List of hospitals in Edinburgh
The main NHS Lothian hospitals serving the Edinburgh area are the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which includes the University of Edinburgh Medical School, and the Western General Hospital,[15Compaq Presario CQ62-225SA keyboard
4] which includes a large cancer treatment centre and the nurse-led Minor Injuries Clinic.[155] The Royal Edinburgh Hospital specialises in mental health; it is situated in Morningside. The Royal Hospital for Sick Children, often referred to as 'the Sick Kids', Compaq Presario CQ62-229SA keyboard
Compaq Presario CQ62-A50SA keyboard is a specialist pediatrics hospital.
There are two private hospitals, Murrayfield Hospital in the west of the city and Shawfield Hospital in the south; both are owned by Spire Healthcare.[154] Compaq Presario CQ62-230SA keyboard
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Culture[edit]
Festivals and celebrations[edit]
The city hosts the annual Edinburgh Festival, which is a series of separate events running from the end of July until early September each year. The best-known of these events are the Edinburgh Fringe; the Edinburgh International Festival featuring the Edinburgh Military Tattoo; and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.[156] Compaq Presario CQ62-A10SA keyboard
Pipers emerging from Edinburgh Castle during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo
The longest established of these festivals is the Edinburgh International Festival, which was first held in 1947[157] and centres on a programme of high-profile theatre productions and classical music performances, featuring international directors, conductors, theatre companies and orchestras.[158] Compaq Presario CQ62-A20SA keyboard
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This has since been overtaken both in size and popularity by the Edinburgh Fringe which began as a programme of marginal acts alongside the "official" Festival to become the largest performing arts festival in the world. In 2006, 1867 different shows were staged in 261 venues throughout the city.[159] Comedy has become one of the mainstays of the Fringe, Compaq Presario CQ62Z keyboard
Compaq Presario CQ60-320SA keyboardwith numerous notable comedians getting their first 'break' here, often by receiving the Edinburgh Comedy Award.[160] In 2008 the largest comedy venues "on the Fringe" launched the Edinburgh Comedy Festival as a festival within a festival.
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Alongside these major festivals, there is also the Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival (moved to June as of 2008), the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Compaq Presario CQ62-230EA keyboard
Compaq Presario CQ60-311EA keyboard The Edge Festival (formerly known as T on the Fringe), a popular music offshoot of the Fringe, began in 2000, replacing the smaller Flux and Planet Pop series of shows.[161] Compaq Presario CQ62-A10EA keyboard
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The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, one of the centrepieces of the "official" Festival, occupies the Castle Esplanade every night, with massed pipers and military bands drawn from around the world. Performances end with a short fireworks display. As well as the various summer festivals there is also the Edinburgh International Science Festival held annually in April. It is one of the largest of its kind in Europe.[162] Compaq Presario CQ62Z-200 CTO keyboard
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A Viking longship being burnt during Edinburgh's annual Hogmanay celebrations.
The annual Hogmanay celebration was originally a street party held on the Royal Mile focused on the Tron Kirk; it has been officially organised since 1993, Compaq Presario CQ60-107EA keyboard
Compaq Presario CQ60-307EA keyboard 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, with a limit of 100,000 tickets.[163
Compaq Presario CQ60-307SA keyboard] Hogmanay now covers four days of processions, concerts and fireworks, with the street party commencing on Hogmanay. Alternative tickets are available for entrance into the Princes Street Gardens concert and Céilidh, Compaq Presario CQ60-114EA keyboard
Compaq Presario CQ60-305SA keyboardwhere well-known artists perform and ticket holders can participate in traditional Scottish céilidh dancing. The event attracts thousands of people from all over the world.[163]
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On the night of 30 April, the Beltane Fire Festival takes place on Calton Hill. The festival involves a procession followed by the re-enactment of scenes inspired by pagan spring fertility celebrations.[164] At the beginning of October each year, the Dussehra Hindu Festival is also held on Calton Hill.[165]
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Music, theatre and film[edit]
The Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Outside the Festival season, Edinburgh continues to support theatres and production companies. The Royal Lyceum Theatre has its own company, while the King's Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, and Edinburgh Playhouse stage large touring shows. Compaq Presario CQ60-212EA keyboard
Compaq Presario CQ60-218EA keyboard The Traverse Theatre presents a more contemporary programme of plays. Amateur theatre companies productions are staged at the Bedlam Theatre, Church Hill Theatre, and the King's Theatre among others.[166] Compaq Presario CQ60-405SA keyboard
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The Usher Hall is Edinburgh's premier venue for classical music, as well as occasional popular music gigs.[167] It was also the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest 1972. Other halls staging music and theatre include The Hub, the Assembly Rooms and the Queen's Hall. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is based in Edinburgh.[168] Compaq Presario CQ60-410SA keyboard
Traverse Theatre
Edinburgh has two repertory cinemas, the Edinburgh Filmhouse, and the Cameo, and the independent Dominion Cinema, as well as a range of multiplexes.[169] Compaq Presario CQ60-420SA keyboard
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Edinburgh has a healthy popular music scene. Occasional large gigs are staged at Murrayfield and Meadowbank, with mid-sized events at venues such as the Corn Exchange, HMV Picture House, the Liquid Rooms, and the Bongo Club. In 2010, PRS for Music listed Edinburgh among the UK's top ten 'most musical' cities.[170] Compaq Presario CQ60Z-200 CTO keyboard
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Edinburgh is also home to a flourishing group of contemporary composers such as Nigel Osborne, Peter Nelson, Lyell Cresswell, Hafliði Hallgrímsson, Edward Harper, Robert Crawford, Robert Dow and John McLeod[171] whose music is heard regularly on BBC Radio 3 and throughout the UK. Compaq Presario CQ56-252SA keyboard
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Rockstar North, previously known as DMA Design, known for creating the Grand Theft Auto series, are based in Edinburgh.[172]
Media[edit]
The Edinburgh Evening News is based in Edinburgh and published every day apart from Sunday. The newspaper's owners, Johnson Press, also hold The Scotsman, a national paper which is published in the city. The Herald, which is published in Glasgow, also covers Edinburgh.[173]
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The city has two commercial radio stations: Forth One, a station with a mainstream chart music output, and Forth 2 on medium wave which plays classic hits.[174] Capital Radio Scotland and Real Radio Scotland also have transmitters in Edinburgh. Compaq Presario CQ56-254SA keyboard
Compaq Presario CQ56-115SA keyboardAlong with the UK national radio stations, Radio Scotland and the Gaelic language service BBC Radio nan Gàidheal are also broadcast. DAB digital radio is broadcast over two local multiplexes. Compaq Presario CQ56-100EA keyboard
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Television, along with most radio services, are broadcast to the city from the Craigkelly transmitting station situated on the opposite side of the Firth of Forth.[175]
Museums, libraries and galleries[edit]