Edinburgh – The capital of Scotland and safely proclaimed to be one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
Edinburgh is a city in the United Kingdom. The second most populous city in Scotland, of which it is the capital, it is also the seventh most populous city in the United Kingdom with 464990 inhabitants; it has 492680 in the local authority area of the same name and 1339380 if the entire metropolitan area is considered.
Edinburgh has many museums and libraries. These include the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, National War Museum, the Museum of Edinburgh, Surgeons’ Hall Museum, the Writers’ Museum, the Museum of Childhood and Dynamic Earth. The Museum on The Mound has exhibits on money and banking.
Edinburgh Zoo, covering 82 acres (33 ha) on Corstorphine Hill, is the second most visited paid tourist attraction in Scotland, and home to two giant pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, on loan from the People’s Republic of China.
Edinburgh is also home to The Royal Yacht Britannia, decommissioned in 1997 and now a five-star visitor attraction and evening events venue permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal.
Edinburgh contains Scotland’s three National Galleries of Art as well as numerous smaller art galleries.
The national collection is housed in the Scottish National Gallery, located on The Mound, comprising the linked National Gallery of Scotland building and the Royal Scottish Academy building.
Contemporary collections are shown in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art which occupies a split site at Belford. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery on Queen Street focuses on portraits and photography.
