Edinburgh
文化古城——爱丁堡
爱丁堡是南部低地的中心，也是苏格兰的首都，充满了苏格兰独特的魅力。爱丁堡不仅是政治中心，而且还是文化中心，是苏格兰与英格兰交流的枢纽。每年8月份举行的爱丁堡国际艺术节常吸引来自世界各地的一流文艺团体在此举行精彩的演出。虽然爱丁堡不如伦敦那么大，那么丰富，但她有独特的文化与历史，有她小家碧玉般的气质，到过这里的人都不会否认，她的确是全世界最美的城市之一。
爱丁堡城周围是建立于11世纪的古老城镇。从城堡中延伸出去的皇家大道一直通往神圣的宫殿。作为苏格兰的首府，它保留了政府、教堂和法律机构的旧址。而在千禧之年——二零零二年成立的新苏格兰议会预告了一个新时代的诞生。作为欧洲的一个主要的金融中心，很多知名的银行和保险公司的总部都坐落于此。所有这些使得爱丁堡成为一个研究商业与管理的理想之所。爱丁堡的教育与科研机构对知识型产业的发展做出了贡献。计算机行业、金融业、生物技术产业（克隆羊多利就诞生于此）都欣欣向荣，这也为研究提供了一流的机会。
爱丁堡的艺术也很繁荣，它以举办国际性节日而闻名于世。一些科学活动、电影节、爵士乐以及民间活动也常于此举行。新的节日剧院就在爱丁堡附近离学校不远处就有许多其他剧院和音乐厅。这些场所常年举行范围广泛的生活娱乐活动。也有不少的电影院、博物馆、和艺术展览厅常年提供形式多样的服务。爱丁堡也显现出一派生机的生活景象。街道上可以看到很多专为学生开的小酒店、俱乐部、咖啡屋和酒吧。
从爱丁堡能很容易地到达漂亮的农村与海岸，高地、边界以及东、西海岸就在附近。城市与英国的其他地区的交通十分方便。有规律而又便宜的航班、长途汽车就在你身边，航班可飞往欧洲的主要城市。
爱丁堡城是一个可爱的生活与工作之处，也是一个街区紧凑的国际性大都市。最近的一次国家民意测验显示，这里的生活质量是全英国最好的。人们认为这里可以提供优质的健康、运动、文化和教育设施，而且犯罪率低，污染也少。
爱丁堡是一座文化古城。俯瞰着整座城市的爱丁堡古堡，雄踞在火山岩峭壁之上。它是城市的标志，也是城市千年历史的见证。就像其他建筑环着这座城堡扩展开来一样，城市的灵魂也从古堡深厚的历史文化中得以延伸。爱丁堡曾是苏格兰面向欧洲大陆的商贸港口，也受惠于北海油田的兴盛，但它没有走工业城市的发展道路，始终是苏格兰的政治、文化中心，始终恪守着一条承诺：用文明营造一个优雅的城市。
Edinburgh in Scottish Gaelic， is the second largest city in Scotland and is the country，s capital city.
It is situated on the east coast of Scotland，s central lowlandsLowlands n.苏格兰东南部的低地 on the south shore of the Firth of Forth， and in the unitaryunitary adj.一元的， 单一的， 归一的， 整体的， ［数］单式的 local authority of City of Edinburgh. It has been the capital of Scotland since 1437 and is the seat of the country，s home rule government. The city was one of the major centres of the enlightenmentenlightenment n.启迪， 教化 led by the University of Edinburgh. The Old and New Towns 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.
Edinburgh is well known for the annual Edinburgh Festival， the largest performing arts festivalfestival n.节日， 喜庆日， 音乐节， 戏剧节， 喜庆， 欢宴， 欢乐 adj.节日的， 快乐的 in the world， and for the Hogmanay street party. The city is one of the world，s major tourist destinations， attracting roughly 13 million visitors a year and it is reported that during the art festivals the population of the city doubles from the tourist influxinflux n.流入.
Economy
Edinburgh is one of fastest growing cities in the United Kingdom and is one of the key economic drivers of the Scottish Economy. It has been in rude health since the arrivalarrival n.到来， 到达， 到达者 in 1999 of the Scottish Parliament， which had a socalled headquarters effect， with many government departments being set up in the city， resulting in a boom in the recruitmentrecruitment n.征募新兵， 补充 and employment of civil servants. Many ancillary industries have， consequently， set up around this new seat of government. Unemployment rates are amongst the lowest in the country and job creation rates some of the highest. Edinburgh，s population is also growing rapidly， mainly through inward migrationmigration n.移民， 移植， 移往， 移动 from overseas and， particularly， the rest of the United Kingdom. This strong growth is， however， leading to pressure on the green belt， particularly in the west of the city as office and housinghousing n.供给住宅， 住宅群， 机架， 住房供给 developments compete for space.
The economy of Edinburgh is largely based around the service sector， with tourism and banking being particularly important. The Bank of Scotland was founded in 1695， by an act of the original Scottish Parliament， and is now part of the HBOS group， who have kept their headquartersheadquarters n.司令部， 指挥部， 总部 in Edinburgh. The Royal Bank of Scotland was founded in 1747 by Royal Charter， and is now the fifth largest bank in the world by market capitalisation. In 2006 they will move into their new purpose built headquarters at Gogarburn， near the Edinburgh City Bypass. Edinburgh is the second largest financial centre in the United Kingdom after the City of London and the fifth largest in Europe.
Visit the City
Edinburgh is a good choice for a visit in this country. If you are a newcomer to the area or haven，t visited for a while， the information provided on this and related pages will prove invaluableinvaluable adj.无价的， 价值无法衡量的 in assisting you to make your holiday or business venture here， as simple as a stroll down your local street back home.
The setting of Scotland，s capital city could not be more striking. Located on the east coast of Scotland， in the Lothians， Edinburgh is perchedperch n.栖木， 人所居的高位， 有利的地位， 杆， 河鲈 v.（使）栖息， 就位， 位于 on a number of extinct volcanic cones and rocky cragscrag n.峭壁 and has been inhabited since around 1500 BC. making it one of the longest continuously inhabited places in northern Europe.
Brooding， with an unequalledunequalled adj.无与伦比的 chilly beauty unlike anything found anywhere else in Britain it offers a lot for business or leisure travellers， visiting the area. The city has successfully established itself as a leading international centre for business， finance and education and after London， it is the most important financial centre in Britain.
Although it is more conservativeconservative adj.保守的， 守旧的 n.保守派 than other Scottish cities， such as Glasgow， Edinburgh is still a very exciting capital to explore. Home to art， culture and history， it has manifold art galleries and museums， theatres and a yearround calendar of international festivals. The city is also a World Heritage Site， thanks to its medievalmedieval adj.中世纪的， 仿中世纪的， 老式的， （贬）原始的 Old Town， 12th century castle and 18th century Georgian New Town. To complete the picture， a large proportion of the city is composed of parks and gardens worth exploration in their own right， especially if visiting with children.