Aberdeen

This article is about the city in Scotland. For other uses, see Aberdeen (disambiguation).

Aberdeen
Obar Dheathain (Scottish Gaelic)
Aiberdeen (Doric)
City and council area
Flag of Aberdeen
Flag
Coat of arms of Aberdeen
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): 
Granite City, the Silver City by Sea, Oil Capital of Europe
Aberdeen shown within Scotland
Aberdeen shown within Scotland
Coordinates: 57°09′N 2°07′W / 57.15°N 2.11°W / 57.15; -2.11
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
CountryScotland
Lieutenancy areaAberdeen
Earliest Charter1179
City status1891
Unitary authority1 April 1996
Administrative HQTown House
Government
[1]
 • TypeCouncil
 • BodyAberdeen City Council
 • ControlNo overall control
 • MPs
3 MPs
 • MSPs
3 MSPs
Area
[2]
 • Total
72 sq mi (186 km2)
 • Rank25th
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Total
224,190
 • Rank8th
 • Density3,130/sq mi (1,208/km2)
DemonymAberdonian
Time zoneUTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode areas
AB10–13 (part), AB14–16, AB21–25
Dialling codes01224
ISO 3166 codeGB-ABE
GSS codeS12000033
Websiteaberdeencity.gov.uk

Aberdeen (/ˌæbərˈdiːn/ ⓘ AB-ər-DEEN; locally [ˌeːbərˈdin] ⓘ or [ˈeːbərdin] ⓘ; Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain [ˈopəɾ ˈʝɛ.ɪɲ]) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeenshire, but is now separate from the council area of Aberdeenshire.

Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City[3]), and has a population of 198,590 (mid-2020 est.) for the urban area,[4] making it the United Kingdom's 39th most populous built-up area, and 224,190 (2022) for the wider council area including outlying localities.[2] The city is 127 mi (204 km) northeast of Edinburgh and 536 mi (863 km) north of London. Aberdeen has a long, sandy coastline and features an oceanic climate, with cool summers and mild, rainy winters.[5]

During the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries, Aberdeen's buildings incorporated locally quarried grey granite, which may sparkle like silver because of its high mica content.[6] Since the discovery of North Sea oil in 1969, Aberdeen has been known as the offshore oil capital of Europe.[7] Based upon the discovery of prehistoric villages around the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don, the area around Aberdeen has been thought to have been settled for at least 6,000 years.[8]

Aberdeen received royal burgh status from David I of Scotland (1124–1153),[9] which transformed the city economically. The traditional industries of fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding, and textiles have been overtaken by the oil industry and Aberdeen's seaport. Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world,[10] and the seaport is the largest in the north-east part of Scotland.[11] A university town, the city is known for the University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495 as the fifth oldest university in the English-speaking world and located in Old Aberdeen.

In 2012, HSBC named Aberdeen as a leading business hub and one of eight 'super cities' spearheading the UK's economy, marking it as the only city in Scotland so designated.[12] In 2018, Aberdeen was found to be the best city in the UK to start a business in a study released by card payment firm Paymentsense.[13]

  1. ^ "Council and Democracy". Aberdeen City Council. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Aberdeen City". Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Climate of Aberdeen, Scotland". Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  6. ^ "People associated with Aberdeen – CSUB Events". events.csub.edu. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  7. ^ Shepherd, Mike (2015). Oil Strike North Sea: A first-hand history of North Sea oil. Luath Press.
  8. ^ "Welcome to Aberdeen". Aberdeen Accommodation Index. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
  9. ^ "The old burghs of Aberdeen". Aberdeen Civic Society. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  10. ^ "Flights delayed as climate protesters invade Aberdeen airport". The Daily Telegraph. 3 March 2009. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Architecture of Aberdeen, Scotland". Archived from the original on 9 June 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2007.
  12. ^ "Aberdeen named among 'Supercities' by HSBC". BBC News. 19 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  13. ^ Keith Findlay (8 January 2018). "Why the Granite City is the best place to launch new business". The Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.