Panorama of Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

7185

Title

Panorama of Edinburgh looking north from Salisbury Crags

Description

Against the skyline is the cityscape of Edinburgh. Visible landmarks include Holyroodhouse Palace, the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Park, the river Forth, Dynamic Earth and St Margaret's Loch.

Artist / maker

MacLean, Kevin

Date

2007

Type

Digital image

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The city of Edinburgh is built around seven hills, mostly volcanic in origin. It is bordered to its north by the Firth of Forth, and to its south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh has been Scotland's capital since the mid fifteenth century, but evidence of human habitation on the site stretches back some 7000 years. The central city is made up of the Old Town area immediately surrounding Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, and the New Town to the north, an important example of eighteenth and nineteenth century Neoclassical town planning. These central areas were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1995. Other more modern developments, from the 19th century to the present, radiate from this central area incorporating many older villages. Edinburgh attracts more tourists than any other city in the UK except London, especially during the annual festivals in August.

Sailsbury crags were formed by a combination of volcanic activity and glacial erosion. James Hutton's studies of the Crags formed an important part of his 1788 work 'Theory of the Earth', the book that earned him his reputation as the founder of modern geology.

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Related subjects

Government > National > Parliaments

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Homes > Residential buildings > Flats

Landscape > Water > Loch, lakes and ponds

Landscape > Water > Rivers and streams

Places > Edinburgh areas > Calton

Places > Edinburgh areas > Calton Hill

Places > Edinburgh areas > Canongate

Places > Edinburgh areas > Duddingston

Places > Edinburgh areas > Holyrood

Places > Edinburgh areas > Leith

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Royal Mile

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Sport and leisure > Sports and recreation facilities > Parks

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