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Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and is the seventh
largest city in the UK and the second largest Scottish city, after
Glasgow. The city forms part of the City of Edinburgh council
area which includes urban Edinburgh and a 30-square-mile (78 km2)
rural area. Edinburgh is also the seat of the Scottish Parliament.
In the 2008 mid-year population estimates, Edinburgh had a total
resident population of 471,650.
The Old Town and New Town districts of Edinburgh were listed
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. 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 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.
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