Aberdeen, city in northeastern Scotland, situated on the North Sea at the mouths of the Dee and Don rivers. Aberdeen is the third largest city in Scotland, after Glasgow and Edinburgh, and is the principal industrial center of northern Scotland. It is also an important seaport and the country's largest fishing port. Aberdeen's harbor facilities were improved in the 1970s, and the city has become the major service center for the North Sea petroleum industry. Manufactures include chemicals, machinery, textiles, and paper. Aberdeen is a tourist resort known for its sandy beaches. It is popularly known as the Granite City because many of its buildings are constructed of local granite, the city's chief export. Points of interest include the Church of Saint Nicholas (founded in the 12th century), the largest parish church in Scotland; the Cathedral of Saint Machar (begun 15th century); and the University of Aberdeen, formed in 1860 from the merger of the Roman Catholic King's College (1495) and the Protestant Marischal College (1593). The city also has several museums, an art gallery, and colleges of agriculture and technology. Aberdeen was made a royal burgh in 1179. In 1337 the town and its cathedral were burned by Edward III, king of England. The harbor was improved in the late 18th century, after which Aberdeen developed as a fishing port. Between 1974 and 1996, Aberdeen was the administrative center of the former Grampian Region. In the 1996 reorganization of local government, Aberdeen City was made a unitary authority. Population 227,430 (1996 estimate).
