This constituency stretches from the Port of Leith along the Firth of Forth, taking in the Victorian seaside resort of Portobello with its long sandy beach, to Musselburgh an old fishing village.
Like many Scottish constituencies, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh is a mixture of high quality housing, some on private estates, and more run-down council housing - in areas like Craigmillar and Niddrie. The Craigmillar estate is undergoing a radical redevelopment, with the demolition, replanning and rebuilding of the estate.
This seat has been held by Labour since 1935, and by sitting MP Dr Gavin Strang since 1970. The SNP jumped from third to second place at the last general election, overtaking the Conservatives. However the Nationalists still trailed Labour in 1997 by over 14,000 votes.