Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. The city is located in south-east Scotland, and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth estuary and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of
506,520 in mid-2020, making it the second-most populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area has a population of 912,490.
Image: Dugald Stewart Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh (cropped)
Image: Scott Monument Édimbourg 11 (cropped)
Image: Scottish Parliament building, Edinburgh geograph.org.uk 223821 (cropped) (cropped)
Image: Arthur's Seat from Calton Hill (cropped)
A capital city or just capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational division, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the government's offices and meeting places; the status as capital is often designated by its law or constitution. In some jurisdictions, including several countries, different branches of government are in different settlements, sometimes meaning multiple official capitals. In some cases, a distinction is made between the official (constitutional) capital and the seat of government, which is in another place.
Tokyo, the capital of Japan, and the most populous metropolitan area in the world
Rome, as the capital of the Roman Empire, acquired the nickname of Caput Mundi ("Capital of the world").
Beijing, as the last of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, has served as the country's political centre for most of the past eight centuries.
Tehran, the capital and largest city of Iran, and the capital of the Persian Empires in the last two centuries.