Aberdeenshire

For other uses, see Aberdeenshire (disambiguation).

Aberdeenshire
Council area
Aberdeenshire shown within Scotland
Aberdeenshire shown within Scotland
Coordinates: 57°9′3.6″N 2°7′22.8″W / 57.151000°N 2.123000°W / 57.151000; -2.123000
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Lieutenancy areaAberdeenshire, Banffshire (part), Kincardineshire
Incorporated1 April 1996
Named forAberdeenshire
Administrative HQAberdeen
Government
[1]
 • TypeCouncil
 • BodyAberdeenshire Council
 • ControlNo overall control
 • MPs
3 MPs
 • MSPs
7 MSPs
Area
[2]
 • Total2,437 sq mi (6,313 km2)
 • Rank4th
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total263,750
 • Rank6th
 • Density110/sq mi (42/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ISO 3166 codeGB-ABD
GSS codeS12000034
Websiteaberdeenshire.gov.uk

Aberdeenshire (Scots: Aiberdeenshire; Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland.

It takes its name from the historic county of Aberdeenshire, which had substantially different boundaries. The Aberdeenshire Council area includes all of the areas of the historic counties of Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire except the area making up Aberdeen City Council area, as well as part of Banffshire. The historic county boundaries are still officially used for a few purposes, namely land registration and lieutenancy.[3]

Aberdeenshire Council is headquartered at Woodhill House in Aberdeen, making it the only Scottish council whose headquarters are located outside its jurisdiction. Aberdeen itself forms a different council area (Aberdeen City). Aberdeenshire borders onto Angus and Perth and Kinross to the south, Highland and Moray to the west and Aberdeen City to the east.

Traditionally, it has depended economically on the primary sector (agriculture, fishing, and forestry) and related processing industries. Over the last 40 years, the development of the oil and gas industry and associated service sector has broadened Aberdeenshire's economic base, and contributed to a rapid population growth of some 50% since 1975.[4] Its land represents 8% of Scotland's overall territory. It covers an area of 6,313 square kilometres (2,437 sq mi).[5][6]

  1. ^ "Council and democracy". Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ^ Land Register Counties & Operational Dates Archived 28 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Aberdeenshire Council – Profile 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Aberdeenshire profile" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
  6. ^ Turner, Barry, ed. (2013). "Scotland". The Statesman's Yearbook 2014. Macmillan Publishers Ltd. p. 1301. ISBN 978-0-230-37769-1.