Lesson 1:

Edinburgh Site and Situation

What you should know by the end of this lesson:

The terms Site and Situation

Be able to describe:

Site of Edinburgh
Situation of Edinburgh

Key Terms!! - Copy into your Jotter!

Site

The actual place that the town or city was built upon.

Situation

it’s relation to other places and the ability to accessibility and availability of natural resources and trade.

Edinburgh Complete Worksheets

Edinburgh is a city which has very much grown up influenced by its physical geography (site) and its location to the rest of Scotland and Europe (situation).

Digital Workbook and Paper Jotter

Collect a blank piece of paper or a castle template
Cut them into the shape of a castle or town
Inside the shape summarise the important points from the worksheet or website

Make your writing bold or bubble
Use colour
Put in the crag and tail diagram

History of Edinburgh

Around 350 million years ago a volcanic intrusion left a hard dolerite rock surrounded by softer sedimentary rock.

Over the next several million years, glacial erosion swept through Scotland several times.

The hard Dolerite rock resisted and protected the soft rock behind it, creating a “Crag and Tail”.

Site - Edinburgh Castle is on top of an ancient volcano. The Royal Mile stretches downhill towards Holyrood House.

A Crag and tail formation in Edinburgh gave the following benefits:

A narrow ridge or tail to allow the castle to develop down the hill
Two deep hollows on both sides to improve defence
Protection on three sides
Vantage point

Situation of Edinburgh

The natural narrowing of Scotland by land meant people were funneled through Glasgow and Edinburgh heading north.
The nearby water of Leith gave access to good food supply and a global market.
The city expanded especially to the North - ‘New Town’
The original site was defensive but Edinburgh grew into a route centre
Trade between Pentland Hills, Firth of Forth and Europe
Important route from England to centre and North of Scotland

Why Edinburgh

It is the Centre of politics in Scotland, has a lot more focus on its development. It is also the second biggest financial centre in the U.K, so there is a lot more money available which creates a bigger wealth gap between rich and poor. Historically is the centre of education in fields of medicine, law and literature. Edinburgh is the U.K’s second most popular tourist destination so has a large visual representation of life in Scotland.