Aberdeen, Scotland’s third largest city, stands on land between the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don, in the northeastern
part of the country. It is the main center of the oil industry in the UK and an important trading port.
The city originated as two separate burghs (boroughs): Old Aberdeen and New Aberdeen. Old Aberdeen, at the mouth of the Don, is said to have been founded by the Celtic missionary St. Machar, which was begun in 1424, and King’s college, which was founded in 1494 and is now part of Aberdeen University. New Aberdeen was originally a
fishing village on the River Dee. It is now the
commercial heart of the modern city.
Aberdeen has had a turbulent history. In 1336 it was burnt to the ground by Edward III, King of England, and in 1644 it was plundered at the hands of James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, during his campaign against the Covenanters. When, in the 18th century, the city had yet another serious fire, it was decided that it should be rebuilt of stone and brick. The local stone is granite and now more buildings are of granite than in any other British city. Union Street, Aberdeen’s principal street, is particularly noted for its fine granite buildings, and Marischal College of Aberdeen University is the second-largest granite building in the world.
The discovery in 1969 of oil in the North Sea brought a huge influx of new commercial and industrial organizations to Aberdeen, mostly concerned with supplying and servicing the off-shore installations. This led to Aberdeen Airport becoming one of the world’s busiest helicopter bases. Other important industries are chemicals, fertilizers, paper-making, engineering, tourism and fishing. Aberdeen’s population in more then 500,000.