Edinburgh. Edinburgh is a city in South East Scotland, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, with a population of 495,360 in 2011

Edinburgh is a city in South East Scotland, on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, with a population of 495,360 in 2011. It is the capital city of Scotland.

While the city originally formed on and around the famous Castle Rock, the modern city is often said to be built on seven hills.

Edinburgh has a high proportion of independent schools, four universities (including the University of Edinburgh, rated 21st in world rankings) and one college, providing a highly educated population.

The city was named European Best Large City of the Future for Foreign Direct Investment and Best Large City for Foreign Direct Investment Strategy in the Financial Times magazine awards 2012/13. It has the UK's strongest economy outside London and has won more than 12 UK Best City Awards in 8 years to 2013. Residents' satisfaction was rated the highest of any city surveyed by MORI, at 92 % in 2006.

The city hosts several annual festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Other annual events include the Hogmanay street party and Beltane Fire Festival.

The economy of Edinburgh is largely based on the services sector, centred around banking, financial services, higher education and tourism. Unemployment in Edinburgh is comparatively low and remains consistently below the Scottish average. Banking has been a part of the economic life of Edinburgh for over 300 years, with the establishment of the Bank of Scotland – now part of the Lloyds Banking Group – by an act of the original Parliament of Scotland in 1695. Today, together with the financial services industry, Edinburgh is the UK's second financial centre after London and Europe's fourth by equity assets. The Royal Bank of Scotland opened its new global headquarters in the west of the city in October 2005. Edinburgh has recently become home to the headquarters of Tesco Bank and Virgin Money.

Tourism is an important economic mainstay in the city. As a World Heritage Site, tourists come to visit such historical sites as Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Georgian New Town. This is augmented in August of each year with the presence of the Edinburgh Festivals, which bring in over 4.4 million visitors and generate in excess of £100m for the Edinburgh economy.

As the centre of Scotland's government, as well as its legal system, the public sector plays a central role in the economy of Edinburgh, with many departments of the Scottish Government located in the city.

Письменно ответьте на следующие вопросы по-английски или по-русски:

1). Is Edinburgh the capital of the UK?

2). What festivals does the city host every year?

3). Why is tourism an important mainstay in the city?

6. Переведите письменно на русский язык 5,6,7 и 8 абзацы текста.