Yearly, our capital city welcomes 3.69 million visitors from all across the globe (a number akin to the entire population of Eritrea paying us a visit in just 1 year!).
So, with a steady population and an endless supply of tourists, you’d assume we’ve got the city figured out right? Wrong. What do we mean? Well, continue reading to discover 10 bizarre facts about Auld Reekie. (Scots: ‘Old Smoky’)
For more information on this article’s facts, check out the following sources:
5. Colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian King’s Guard lives in Edinburgh Zoo… He’s a penguin
Sir Nils Olav is the world’s only knighted penguin and he is the mascot of his guard. Guardsmen like to visit this soldierly King Penguin every few years during their visit to perform at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Photo: Contributed
6. Edinburgh wasn’t always the capital city of Scotland
In 1437, Scone was replaced by Edinburgh as the capital. In the Middle Ages, Scone was an important royal centre and – unsurprisingly – to this day Scone Palace is a popular tourist attraction. Photo: Contributed
7. If you enjoy hiking in Edinburgh then you have the Ice Age to thank
Edinburgh’s iconic landscapes such as Castle Rock, Arthur’s Seat and the Salisbury Crags were all shaped by moving glaciers. The last one in Scotland melted about 11,500 years ago. Photo: Contributed
8. “You’re hot then you’re cold…” Edinburgh Castle sits on an extinct volcano
The rock that Edinburgh Castle is built upon is the plug of an extinct volcano that erupted approximately 340 million years ago, long before Scotland’s last Ice Age. Photo: Contributed