Dundee (pop. 148,697) is a major industrial center and one of the largest cities in Scotland. Dundee lies on Scotland’s east coast on the Firth of Tay—an arm of the North Sea. The city sits on and around Dundee Law, the hilly remnants of an extinct volcano. Several castles from the 1400’s and 1500’s stand in and about Dundee, reminders of the city’s long and sometimes violent history.
Dundee has long been an important trading center. In the 1800’s, it became famous for “jam, jute, and journalism”—that is, for making marmalade and jute (a natural fiber used in rough cloth), and for newspaper and magazine publishing. Since the mid-1900’s, the city’s fastest-growing industries have included software development, biotechnology, and retail.
Dundee is the home of the University of Dundee. Cultural attractions in the city include V&A Dundee, a design museum; Broughty Castle Museum; Verdant Works, an interactive textile museum; and the Antarctic research vessel RRS Discovery.
