City of Edinburgh

§ This page gives an overview of the City of Edinburgh local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.

Overview ⁞ City of Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famed for its medieval Old Town, Georgian New Town, and cultural festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe. It is a political, economic, and educational hub, with tourism and financial services as key industries.

The administrative boundary of City of Edinburgh can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of City of Edinburgh.

Map of City of Edinburgh
Administrative Boundary of City of Edinburgh (Local Authority District)

Key Facts about City of Edinburgh

What region is City of Edinburgh in? City of Edinburgh is in Scotland, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.

Is City of Edinburgh a city? Yes, City of Edinburgh is a city. City of Edinburgh holds official city status as one of the 76 designated cities in the UK.

Who governs City of Edinburgh? The local government for this district is: City of Edinburgh Council (Scotland Council Area).

▶ Official website of City of Edinburgh Council 🔗 edinburgh.gov.uk

Website of City of Edinburgh Council
Website of City of Edinburgh Council (captured on 2025-09-21)

Which police force covers City of Edinburgh? Policing in City of Edinburgh is provided by Police Scotland 🔗 scotland.police.uk, which covers the whole of Scotland.

City of Edinburgh in International Geographies

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, City of Edinburgh is an ITLs Level 3 area:

  1. (ITL 1) Scotland
  2. (ITL 2) ⇒ East Central Scotland
  3. (ITL 3) ⇒⇒ City of Edinburgh

The International Territorial Levels are used by OECD member countries for statistical purposes to classify administrative areas. We have this listable page for easy browsing of ITL names and codes: International Territorial Levels.

This district page, City of Edinburgh, is a sub-page of this region page: Scotland. It zooms in to local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, and provides a list of wards in this district. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK local authority districts: List of Local Authority Districts.

Constituencies in City of Edinburgh

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 57 of them are in Scotland. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.

Wards in City of Edinburgh

City of Edinburgh is divided into 17 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Almond
  • City Centre
  • Colinton/Fairmilehead
  • Corstorphine/Murrayfield
  • Craigentinny/Duddingston
  • Drum Brae/Gyle
  • Forth
  • Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart
  • Inverleith
  • Leith
  • Leith Walk
  • Liberton/Gilmerton
  • Morningside
  • Pentland Hills
  • Portobello/Craigmillar
  • Sighthill/Gorgie
  • Southside/Newington

In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.

Built-up Areas in City of Edinburgh

City of Edinburgh covers 10 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.

  • Danderhall *
  • East Calder *
  • Edinburgh *
  • Ingliston
  • Kirkliston
  • Musselburgh *
  • Queensferry
  • Ratho
  • Ratho Station and Newbridge
  • Riccarton

In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of City of Edinburgh.)