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Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and its second-largest city. It is situated on the
east coast of the central lowlands, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, on the
North sea. It forms the City of Edinburgh council area; the city council area includes
urban Edinburgh and a small rural area.
It has been the capital of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the country's parliament.
The city was one of the major centres of the enlightenment (see also Scottish Enlightenment),
led by the University of Edinburgh. The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. In the census of 2001, Edinburgh had a total resident
population of 448,624, making it the 7th largest city in the United Kingdom.
Edinburgh is well-known for the annual Edinburgh Festival, a collection of official and independent
festivals held annually over about four weeks from early August. During this time, the population
of the city is said to increase dramatically. The most famous of these events are the Edinburgh Fringe
(the largest performing arts festival in the world), the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh
Military Tattoo, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Other famous events are the Hogmanay
street party and the Beltane celebrations.
The city is one of Europe's major tourist destinations, attracting roughly 13 million visitors a year,
and is the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London
Information taken from wikipedia.org
For further information you can also visit the official web site of Edinburgh.
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