Dundee is the fourth largest city in Scotland by population, although it has the second highest population density.

Situated on Scotland's east coast, Dundee is north of Edinburgh and south of Aberdeen. Dundee is on the north bank of the Firth of Tay on the eastern, North Sea coast of Scotland.

The Dundee area has been settled since the Mesolithic era, and possibly earlier. The city's history dates back to the 12th century, when it was a small fishing village on the banks of the River Tay.

Dundee grew in size gradually, becoming a thriving trade center and seaport for goods coming in and out of Scotland. Linen and other textiles were exported to other parts of Europe, and the city became known for its accomplished fabric weavers. During the 19th century, the city's textile mills continued to prosper, as raw jute from India was processed into textiles that were used across the world.

When the jute industry declined in the 20th century, the city's economy was impacted. for a time, but it was able to revitalize. Today, its economy depends in large part on its education, government, public service, and tourism sectors, although biomedical, biotechnology, manufacturing, and commercial sectors play a large part, as well.

Dundee played a consequential role in the political history of Scotland and was in the centre of various conflicts and battles.

Dundee became a major town when King William granted the earldom of Dundee to his younger brother, David, in 1179. Earl David is believed to have built Dundee Castle on the site that is now occupied by St. Paul's Cathedral. Earl David promoted the town as a burgh, and the town became a Royal Burgh when John Balliol, grandson of Earl David, was coronated as king in 1292.

Dundee experienced periods of occupation and destruction during the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Following John Balliol's renunciation in 1295, King Edward I claimed authority over Scotland, and revoked Dundee's royal charter, and occupied Dundee Castle at the start of the First War of Independence until it was retaken by William Wallace's forces in 1297. Dundee was again occupied from 1303 to 1312, and the castle was destroyed by Robert the Bruce, who had been proclaimed King of Scots in 1306, as his forces were retaking the city. Bruce granted a new Royal Burgh charter to Dundee. Later in the 14th century, King Richard II destroyed Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee during the Hundred Years War.

Dundee became a walled city in 1545 during a period of English hostilities. The Wishart Arch is believed to be the only remaining part of the wall, although a small section behind St. Paul's Cathedral may also be original. In 1547, the English occupied Edinburgh, which it used as a base from which to destroy much of Dundee by naval bombardment. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in 1645, Dundee was again besieged, and a few years later it was hit by the plague. Oliver Cromwell's forces destroyed a large part of the city during the Third English Civil War in 1651, in what was known as the Siege of Dundee. Hundreds of Dundee ships were confiscated or sunk, and a large force of English soldiers remained in Dundee, marrying local women.

Although the city has met with a great deal of destruction on several occasions, it still boasts several historical, architectural, and natural landmarks.

The city's landscape is dominated by Dundee Law and the Firth of Tay. At the centre of the city, The Law, as it is commonly known, is the highest point in Dundee. The result of volcanic activity around 400 million years ago, is the most prominent feature in the local skyline. The River Tay is the largest in Scotland, and the Firth of Tay refers to the coastal waters into which the river empties.

Although greatly altered in the 19th century, the waterfront still retains several of the docks that once served the jute and whaling industries. The Victoria Dock is home to the HMS Unicorn, a surviving sailing frigate built in 1824, and the North Carr, a Scottish lightship built in 1932, while the RRS Discovery, a barque-rigged auxiliary steamship, built in Dundee in 1901, is docked at Craig Pier.

The oldest surviving building in Dundee is Saint Mary's Tower, which dates from the late 15th century. It forms part of City Churches, which include St. Clement Church (1787), Old St. Paul's and St. David's Church (1841), and St. Mary's Church, which was rebuilt in 1843.

There are several castles in Dundee, mostly from the Early Modern Era. The oldest parts of Mains Castle were built in 1562, while Dudhope Castle was built in the late 16th century, and Claypotts Castle dates from 1569 to 1588. Projecting into the Firth, Broughty Castle was built in 1495 and remained in use until 1932. It played a role in the Anglo-Scottish Wars and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

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