Midlothian is a registration county, lieutenancy area, and one of 32 council areas in Scotland used for local government. It is situated in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council area, East Lothian, and the Scottish Borders.
The modern council area was established in 1975 following substantial alterations to the historic county of Midlothian, also known as Edinburghshire. During these local government reforms, the southern part of the historic county formed a new Midlothian District within the Region of Lothian, while peripheral areas were assigned to other districts or the city of Edinburgh. In 1996, Midlothian became a unitary authority area using the same name and territory established in 1975.