EDINBURG

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest city in Scotland and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. Owing to its spectacular, rugged setting and vast collection of Medieval and Georgian architecture, including numerous stone tenements, it is often considered one of the most picturesque cities in Europe. 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. The number of visitors attracted to Edinburgh for the Festival is roughly equal to the settled population of the city. 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 Book Festival. The city attracts 1 million overseas visitors a year, making it the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom, after London.

Edinburgh Airport is the principal international gateway to the city, handling almost 9 million passengers in 2008. As an important hub on the East Coast Main Line, Edinburgh Waverley is the primary railway station serving the city. With more than 14 million passengers per year, the station is the second busiest in Scotland behind Glasgow Central. 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 .

There are four universities in Edinburgh with over 100,000 students studying in the city. Established by Royal Charter in 1583, 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. The University was voted 20th in the world in the 2009 THES World University Rankings. In the 1960s Heriot-Watt University and Napier Technical College were established. Heriot-Watt traces its origins to 1821, when a school for technical education of the working classes was opened. Edinburgh Napier University has campuses in the south and west of the city. It is home to the Screen Academy Scotland. Further education colleges in the city include Jewel and Esk College, Telford College, and Stevenson College. The Scottish Agricultural College also has a campus in south Edinburgh. Queen Margaret University was founded in 1875, as The Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic Economy. 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.