Midlothian (Scots: Midlowden, Scottish Gaelic: Meadhan Lodainn) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders council areas.

Midlothian also gives its name to a lieutenancy area and a registration county for which purposes Edinburgh is included. The county was formerly known as Edinburghshire.

Midlothian Council area was created in 1996, under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, with the boundaries of the Midlothian district of the Lothian region. The district had been created in 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and it consisted of the local government county of Midlothian, minus the burgh of Musselburgh with the areas of Inveresk, Wallyford and Whitecraig being lost to East Lothian, the Calders (East Calder, Midcalder and West Calder) and the Midlothian part of Livingston to West Lothian, the electoral division of Heriot and Stow to the Ettrick and Lauderdale district of Borders Region, and Currie, Balerno, Ratho and Newbridge to Edinburgh.