Firth of Forth

The Firth of Forth is the broad tidal mouth of the River Forth on Scotland's eastern coast. Its waters extend inland past islands and ports toward the narrowing river, with Fife on the northern shore and Edinburgh to the south. Leith, at the mouth of the Water of Leith, served as Edinburgh's port after Robert I granted it to the burgh in 1329. Ships entering the firth brought merchants and goods to its shores, while its position near the Scottish capital made it a waterway of strategic importance.