   #copyright

Aberdeen

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

   Aberdeen
   Obar Dheathain
   Aiberdeen
   Granite City, Oil Capital of Europe, Silver City

   Coordinates: 57°09′09″N 2°06′36″W﻿ / ﻿57.1526, -2.11
   Aberdeen (Scotland )
   Aberdeen
   Population 202,370
    -  Density 2819  mile² (1,089  km²)
   Language English
   Scots ( Doric)
   OS grid reference NJ925065
    - Edinburgh 94 miles (151 km)
    - London 403 miles (649 km)
   Parish Presbytery of Aberdeen
   Council area Aberdeen City Council
   Lieutenancy area Aberdeen
   Constituent country Scotland
   Sovereign state United Kingdom
   Post town ABERDEEN
   Postcode district AB10-AB13 (part), AB15, AB16, AB22-AB25
   Dial code 01224
   Vehicle code SU-SW
   Police Grampian
   Fire Grampian
   Ambulance Scottish
   UK Parliament Aberdeen South
   Aberdeen North
   Gordon
   Scottish Parliament North East Scotland
   Aberdeen Central
   Aberdeen North
   Aberdeen South
   European Parliament Scotland
   Website: aberdeencity.gov.uk
   List of places: UK • Scotland • Aberdeen

   Aberdeen ( IPA: /abɚdin/ ; Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain) is
   Scotland's third largest city with a population of 202,370. Locals call
   it the Granite City and the Silver City with the Golden Sands, since
   much of the city was built of grey granite which the loyal locals see
   as shimmering like silver in the sun.. It is also called the Oil
   Capital of Europe after the discovery of North Sea oil.

   The area around Aberdeen has had human settlement for at least 8,000
   years, when small villages lay around the mouths of the River Dee and
   River Don. The city's name came from the Celtic 'Aber' meaning "the
   mouth of" and the river name Dee, literally meaning at the mouth of the
   Dee. Old Aberdeen, to the north of the modern city and on the river
   Don, was formerly known as "Aberdon".

   In 1319, it received Royal Burgh status from Robert the Bruce,
   transforming the city economically. The city's two universities,
   University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495, and the Robert Gordon
   University, which was awarded university status in 1992, make Aberdeen
   the educational centre of the north-east. The traditional industries
   were fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding and textiles, but they have
   been overtaken by the oil industry and Aberdeen's seaport. The seaport
   is the largest in the northeast of Scotland.

   Aberdeen has won the Britain in Bloom competition ten times, and hosts
   the Aberdeen International Youth Festival.

History

   Aberdeen Mercat Cross
   Aberdeen Mercat Cross
   Aberdeen (c.1900)

                              Aberdeen (c.1900)

   The Aberdeen area has seen human settlement for at least 8,000 years.
   The city began as two separate burghs: Old Aberdeen at the mouth of the
   river Don; and New Aberdeen, a fishing and trading settlement, where
   the Denburn waterway entered the river Dee estuary. The earliest
   charter was granted by William the Lion in 1179 and confirmed the
   corporate rights granted by David I. In 1319, the Great Charter of
   Robert the Bruce transformed Aberdeen into a property-owning and
   financially independent community. Granted with it was the nearby
   Forest of Stocket, whose income formed the basis for the city's Common
   Good Fund which still benefits Aberdonians.

   During the Wars of Scottish Independence, Aberdeen was under English
   rule, so Robert the Bruce laid siege to Aberdeen Castle before
   destroying it in 1308 followed by the massacring of the English
   garrison and the retaking of Aberdeen for the townspeople. When Bruce
   took over the castle and finished the siege, Bon Accord was used as the
   code to initiate the final attack and has been the city's motto ever
   since. The city was burned by Edward III of England in 1336, but was
   rebuilt and extended, and called New Aberdeen. The city was strongly
   fortified to prevent attacks by neighbouring lords, but the gates were
   removed by 1770. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1644-1647 the
   city was impartially plundered by both sides. In 1644, it was taken and
   ransacked by Royalist troops after the Battle of Aberdeen. A quarter of
   the population died in 1647 from an outbreak of bubonic plague.

   In the 18th century, a new Town Hall was built and the first social
   services appeared with the Infirmary at Woolmanhill in 1742 and the
   Lunatic Asylum in 1779. The council began major road improvements at
   the end of the century with the main thoroughfares of George Street,
   King Street and Union Street all completed at the start of the next
   century.

   A century later, the increasing economic importance of Aberdeen and the
   development of the shipbuilding and fishing industries led to the
   existing harbour with Victoria Dock, the South Breakwater, and the
   extension to the North Pier. The expensive infrastructure program had
   repercussions, and in 1817 the city was bankrupt. However, a recovery
   was made in the general prosperity which followed the Napoleonic wars.
   Gas street lighting arrived in 1824 and an enhanced water supply
   appeared in 1830 when water was pumped from the Dee to a reservoir in
   Union Place. An underground sewer system replaced open sewers in 1865.

   The city was first incorporated in 1891. Although Old Aberdeen still
   has a separate charter and history, it and New Aberdeen are no longer
   truly distinct. They are both part of the city, along with Woodside and
   the Royal Burgh of Torry to the south of the River Dee.

Architecture

   Seamount Court and Porthill Court (foreground)
   Seamount Court and Porthill Court (foreground)

   Union Street, built of granite in 1801-05, runs from Castle Street for
   nearly a mile (1.5 km), is 70 feet (21 m) wide, and originally
   contained the principal shops and most public buildings. Part of the
   street crosses the Denburn ravine (utilised for the line of the Great
   North of Scotland Railway) by Union Bridge, a granite arch of 132 feet
   (40 m) span, with portions of the older town still fringing the gorge,
   50 feet (15 m) below the level of Union Street.

   The Town House, built in Franco-Scottish Gothic style, is at the east
   end of Union Street. Containing the great hall, with an open timber
   ceiling and oak-panel walls, the Sheriff Court House and the Town and
   County Hall contains portraits of various Lord Provosts and
   distinguished citizens. On the south-western corner is the 210 foot
   (64 m) grand tower high enough to give a view of the city and
   surrounding country. Adjoining the Town House is the old North of
   Scotland Bank building, in Greek Revival style.

   Other notable buildings on the street are the Town and County Bank, the
   Music Hall, the Trinity Hall of the incorporated trades (1398-1527, now
   a shopping centre), the Palace Hotel, and the former office of the
   Northern Assurance Company. Many of the city's most renowned buildings
   were designed by local architect Archibald Simpson. Just off Union
   Street, Marischal College is the second largest granite building in the
   world. Its present frontage was inaugurated by King Edward VII in 1906,
   but the central parts by Archibald Simpson are considerably older.

   The Mercat Cross, built in 1686 by John Montgomery, is an open-arched
   structure, 21 feet (6 m) in diameter and 18 feet (5 m) high with a
   large hexagonal base from the centre of which rises a shaft with a
   Corinthian capital, on which is the royal unicorn. The base is highly
   decorated, including medallions illustrating Scottish monarchs from
   James I to James VII.

   Notable religious buildings are the Kirk of St Nicholas, in the centre
   of the city, with a large kirkyard separated from Union Street by a
   147 foot (45 m) long Ionic facade, built in 1830. The divided church
   within, with a central tower and spire, forms one continuous building
   220 feet (67 m) in length. In Old Aberdeen, St. Machar's Cathedral was
   started in the 12th century but took centuries to complete with the
   exception of the period of the episcopates of William Elphinstone and
   Gavin Dunbar, who completed the structure by adding the two western
   spires and the southern transept.

   The ancient Brig o' Balgownie, a picturesque single arch spanning the
   deep black stream, is said to have been built by King Robert I. The
   Bridge of Dee consists of seven semicircular ribbed arches, is about
   30 feet (10 m) high, and was built early in the 16th century by Bishops
   Elphinstone and Dunbar. It was nearly all rebuilt in 1718-1723 and in
   1842 was widened from 14 to 26 feet (4 to 8 m) wide.
   Granite terrace in central Aberdeen
   Granite terrace in central Aberdeen

Religion

   St. Machar's Cathedral
   St. Machar's Cathedral

   Traditionally Christian, Aberdeen's largest denominations are the
   Church of Scotland through the Presbytery of Aberdeen and the Catholic
   faith. The last census revealed that Aberdeen is the least religious
   city in Scotland, with nearly 43 % of people claiming to have no
   religion and several former churches in the city have been converted
   into bars and restaurants.

   There is also an Islamic Mosque in Old Aberdeen and a small informal
   Jewish congregation. There is no formal Buddhist or Hindu building. The
   University of Aberdeen has a small Bahá'í society.

   In the Middle Ages, the Kirk of St Nicholas was the only burgh kirk and
   one of Scotland's largest parish churches. Like a number of other
   Scottish kirks, it was subdivided after the Reformation, in this case
   into the East and West churches. At this time, the city also was home
   to houses of the Carmelites ( Whitefriars) and Franciscans Greyfriars),
   the latter or which surviving in modified form as the chapel of
   Marischal College as late as the early 20th Century.

   St Machar's Cathedral was formed twenty years after David I (1124-53)
   transferred the pre-Reformation Diocese from Mortlach in Banffshire to
   Old Aberdeen in 1137. With the exception of the episcopate of William
   Elphinstone (1484-1511), building progressed slowly. Gavin Dunbar, who
   followed him in 1518, completed the structure by adding the two western
   spires and the southern transept.

   St. Mary's Cathedral is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Gothic style,
   erected in 1859.

   St. Andrew's Cathedral is the Scottish Episcopal Cathedral, constructed
   in 1817 as Archibald Simpson's first commission. It is notable for
   having consecrated the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the
   United States of America.

Economy

   Donside Paper Mill under demolition, February 15 2006
   Donside Paper Mill under demolition, February 15 2006
   North Sea Oil Platforms
   North Sea Oil Platforms
   Belmont Street Farmers Market
   Belmont Street Farmers Market

   Traditionally, Aberdeen was home to fishing, textile mills, ship
   building and paper making. These industries have all but gone now and
   have been replaced. High technology developments in the electronics
   design and development industry, research in agriculture and fishing
   and of course the oil industry, which has been largely responsible for
   Aberdeen's economic boom in the last three decades, are now major parts
   of Aberdeen's economy.

   Until the 1970s, most of Aberdeen's leading industries dated from the
   18th Century; mainly these were textiles, foundry work, shipbuilding
   and paper-making &mdash, the oldest industry in the city, with paper
   having been first made there in 1694. Paper-making has reduced in
   importance since the closures of Donside Paper Mill in 2001 and the
   Davidson Mill in 2005 leaving the Stoneywood Paper Mill with a
   workforce of approximately 500. Textile production ended in 2004 when
   Richards of Aberdeen closed.

   Grey granite was quarried at Rubislaw quarry for more than 300 years,
   and used for paving setts, kerb and building stones, and monumental and
   other ornamental pieces. Aberdeen granite was used to build the
   terraces of the Houses of Parliament and Waterloo Bridge in London.
   Quarrying finally ceased in 1971.

   Fishing was once the predominant industry, but was surpassed by
   deep-sea fisheries, which derived a great impetus from improved
   technologies throughout the 20th Century. Catches have fallen due to
   overfishing and the use of the harbour by oil support vessels, and so
   although still an mportant fishing port it is now eclipsed by the more
   northerly ports of Peterhead and Fraserburgh. The Fisheries Research
   Services is based in Aberdeen, including its headquarters, and a marine
   research lab in Torry.

   Aberdeen is well regarded for the agricultural and soil research that
   takes place at The Macaulay Institute, which has close links to the
   city's two universities. The Rowett Research Institute is a world
   renowned research centre for studies into food and nutrition located in
   Aberdeen. It has produced three Nobel laureates and there is a high
   concentration of life scientists working in the city.

   There is also a dynamic and fast growing electronics design and
   development industry.

   With the discovery of significant oil deposits in the North Sea during
   the late 20th Century, Aberdeen became the centre of Europe's petroleum
   industry. With the second largest heliport in the world and an
   important service ship harbour port serving oil rigs off-shore,
   Aberdeen is often called the Oil Capital of Europe.

   Local political attempts have been made to turn Aberdeen's reputation
   as the Oil Capital of Europe into the Energy Capital of Europe as oil
   supplies may start to dwindle in coming years, and there is
   considerable interest in the development of new energy sources;
   technology transfer from oil to other industries is anticipated.

   Aberdeen has managed to avoid the dilapidation of city centres as often
   seen in the late 20th century, with only supermarkets and "warehouse"
   style stores in the outlying areas of the city. The city ranks fourth
   in Scotland for shopping. The centre has remained relatively
   prosperous, although Union Street has more than its fair share of
   discount stores and empty units. The traditional shopping streets are
   Union Street and George Street which are now backed up by inner-city
   shopping centres, notably the Bon Accord-St Nicholas Centre and the The
   Mall Trinity.

Education

   University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Hall
   University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Hall
   King's College, Old Aberdeen
   King's College, Old Aberdeen

Universities and colleges

   Aberdeen has two universities, the University of Aberdeen and Robert
   Gordon University. Aberdeen has a higher student rate than the national
   average of 11.5% compared to 7% nationally.

   The University of Aberdeen began life as King's College, Aberdeen,
   which was founded in 1495 by William Elphinstone (1431-1514), Bishop of
   Aberdeen and Chancellor of Scotland. Marischal College, a separate
   institution, was founded in "New" Aberdeen by George Keith, 5th Earl
   Marischal of Scotland in 1593. These institutions were amalgamated to
   form the present University of Aberdeen in 1860. The university is the
   fifth oldest in the English speaking world.

   Robert Gordon's College (originally Robert Gordon's Hospital) was
   founded in 1729 by the merchant Robert Gordon, grandson of the map
   maker Robert Gordon of Straloch, and was further endowed in 1816 by
   Alexander Simpson of Collyhill. Originally devoted to the instruction
   and maintenance of the sons of poor burgesses of guild and trade in the
   city, it was reorganised in 1881 as a day and night school for
   secondary and technical education. In 1903, the vocational education
   component of the college was designated a Central Institution and was
   renamed as the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology in 1965. In 1992,
   university status was gained and it became the Robert Gordon
   University.

   Aberdeen is also home to two artistic schools: Gray's School of Art,
   founded in 1886, which is one of the oldest established colleges of art
   in the UK, and is now incorporated into Robert Gordon University; and
   The Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and The Built Environment,
   which is situated on the Garthdee Campus of the Robert Gordon
   University, next to Gray's School of Art.

   Aberdeen College has several campuses in the city and offers a wide
   variety of part-time and full-time courses leading to several different
   qualifications. It is the largest further education institution in
   Scotland.

Schools

   There are currently 12 secondary schools and 54 primary schools which
   are run by the city council. The most notable are Cults Academy,
   Oldmachar Academy and Aberdeen Grammar School (founded in 1263) which
   were all rated in the top 50 Scottish secondary schools league tables
   published by The Times in 2005.

   There are a number of private schools in Aberdeen; Albyn School for
   Girls (co-educational as of 2005), St Margaret's School for Girls, the
   Hamilton School (a Montessori school), Robert Gordon's College, the
   Total French School (for French oil industry families), the
   International School of Aberdeen and a Waldorf/Steiner School.

Geography

   Snow in Aberdeen, on Union Terrace
   Snow in Aberdeen, on Union Terrace
   Aberdeen demographics
   Aberdeen demographics

Climate

   The mean temperature is 8  °C (47  °F) and it varies between an average
   low of 5 °C (41 °F) and 11 °C (52 °F). In summer (June - August) the
   average high is 16 °C (63 °F) and average low 9 °C (49 °F). In winter
   (December - February) the average high is 6 °C (43 °F) and average low
   0 °C (33 °F).

   The average yearly precipitation is 753  millimetres (29.7 in), with
   64 millimetres (2.5  in) in summer (June - August) and 62 millimetres
   (2.5 in) in winter (December - February). The wettest months are
   October and November.

Demographics

   In 1396 the population was about 3,000. By 1801 it had become 26,992;
   (1901) 153,503; (1941) 182,467. In 2001 the UK census records the
   Aberdeen City Council area's population at 212,125, but the Aberdeen
   locality's population at 184,788. The latest official population
   estimate, published by the General Register for Scotland for 2005, is
   202,370. Data from the Aberdeen specific locality of the 2001 UK census
   shows that the demographics include a median male age of 35 and female
   age of 38 which are younger than Scotland's average and a 49% to 51%
   male to female ratio.

   The census showed that there are less young people in Aberdeen, with
   16.4 % under 16, opposed to the national average of 19.2 %. Ethnically,
   15.7 % were born outside of Scotland, higher than the national average
   of 12.9 %. Of this population 8.4 % were born in England. 3 % of
   Aberdonians stated to be from an ethnic minority (non-white) in the
   2001 census, with 0.7% from the Indian-subcontinent and 0.6% Asian, in
   comparison Scotland's overall population of non-white origin is 2 %.
   However this is a lower percentage than any of Scotland's other three
   main cities, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee.

   In the household, there were 97,013 individual dwellings recorded in
   the city of which 61% were privately owned, 9% privately rented and 23%
   rented from the council. The most popular type of dwellings are
   apartments which compromise 49% of residences followed by semi-detached
   at just below 22%. The average income of a household in the city is
   £16,813 (2005) which places approximately 18% households in the city
   below the poverty line (defined as 60% of the mean income).

Geology

   Aberdeen has grown over a site of mainly metamorphic quartzite mica
   schist, formed during the Dalradian period (approximately 480-600
   million years ago) with sporadic areas of igneous Diorite grainites to
   be found, such as that at the Rubislaw quarry which was used to build
   much of the Victorian parts of the city.

   On the coast, Aberdeen has a long sand beach between the two rivers,
   the Dee and the Don, which turns into high sand dunes north of the Don
   stretching as far as Fraserburgh and to the south of the Dee rocky
   cliff faces with pebble and shingle beaches.

Topography

   The city extends to 71.22  square miles (184.46  km²), and includes the
   former burghs of Old Aberdeen, New Aberdeen, Woodside and the Royal
   Burgh of Torry to the south of River Dee. This gives the city a
   population density of 2819  square miles (1,089  km²).The city is built
   on many hills, with the original beginnings of the city growing from
   Castle Hill, St. Catherine's Hill and Windmill Hill (also known as the
   Gallowgate).

Culture

   His Majesty's Theatre
   His Majesty's Theatre
   Looking down Shiprow with Provost Ross's house on the right
   Looking down Shiprow with Provost Ross's house on the right

   The city is blessed with amenities which cover a wide range of cultural
   activities and boasts a selection of museums. The city is regularly
   visited by Scotland's National Arts Companies. The Aberdeen Art Gallery
   houses a collection of Impressionist, Victorian, Scottish and 20th
   Century British paintings as well as collections of silver and glass.
   It also includes The Alexander Macdonald Bequest, a collection of late
   19th century works donated by the museum's first benefactor and a
   constantly changing collection of contemporary work and regular
   visiting exhibitions.

Museums and galleries

   The Aberdeen Maritime Museum, located in Shiprow, tells the story of
   Aberdeen's links with the sea from the days of sail and clipper ships
   to the latest oil and gas exploration technology. It includes an 8.5m
   (28 feet) high model of the Murchison oil production platform and a
   19th century assembly taken from Rattray Headlighthouse.

   Provost Ross' House is the second oldest dwelling house in the city. It
   was built in 1593 and became the residence of Provost John Ross of
   Arnage in 1702. The house retains some original medieval features,
   including a kitchen, fire places and beam-and-board ceilings. The
   Gordon Highlanders Museum tells the story of one of Scotland's best
   known regiments.

   Marischal Museum holds the principal collections of the University of
   Aberdeen, comprising some 80,000 items in the areas of fine art,
   Scottish history and archaeology, and European, Mediterranean & Near
   Eastern archaeology. The permanent displays and reference collections
   are augmented by regular temporary exhibitions.

Performing arts

   Aberdeen is home to a host of events and festivals including the
   Aberdeen International Youth Festival (the world's largest arts
   festival for young performers), Aberdeen Jazz Festival, Rootin' Aboot
   (folk and roots music event based at The Lemon Tree), Triptych, and the
   University of Aberdeen's literature festival Word.

   In 2006 Simon Farquhar's play Rainbow Kiss was staged at London's Royal
   Court Theatre. Directed by Richard Wilson and starring Joe McFadden and
   Dawn Steele, the play was an uncompromising depiction of Aberdeen life
   which, despite its strong sexual and violent content, won rave reviews
   from the liberal press and was applauded by MP for Aberdeen South Anne
   Begg.

Music and film

   Aberdeen's music scene includes a variety of live music venues
   including pubs, clubs, and a number of churches with thriving choirs.
   The music scene is particularly prevalent in the bars of Belmont
   Street. Cèilidhs are also common in some of the city's halls. Popular
   venues include The Lemon Tree, The Tunnels, the Aberdeen Exhibition and
   Conference Centre, and Aberdeen Music Hall. Aberdonian musicians
   include Evelyn Glennie and Annie Lennox.

   Cultural cinema, educational work and local film events are provided by
   The Belmont Picturehouse on Belmont Street, Peacock Visual Arts and The
   Foyer.

Open spaces

   Union Terrace Gardens
   Union Terrace Gardens
   Duthie Park Winter Gardens
   Duthie Park Winter Gardens
   Aberdeen Beach
   Aberdeen Beach

   Aberdeen has long been famous for its 45 outstanding parks and gardens,
   and citywide floral displays which include two million roses, eleven
   million daffodils and three million crocuses. The city has won the
   Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom 'Best City' award ten
   times, the overall Scotland in Bloom competition twenty times and the
   large city category every year since 1968. At one point after winning a
   period of nine years straight, Aberdeen was banned from the Britain in
   Bloom competition to give another city a chance. The city won the 2006
   Scotland in Bloom "Best City" award along with the International Cities
   in Bloom award. The suburb of Dyce also won the Small Towns award.

   Duthie Park opened in 1899 on the north bank of the river Dee. It was
   named after and gifted to the city by Miss Elizabeth Crombie Duthie of
   Ruthrieston in 1881. It has extensive gardens, a rose hill, boating
   pond, bandstand, and play area as well Europe's second largest enclosed
   gardens the David Welch Winter Gardens. Hazlehead Park, is large and
   forested, located on the outskirts of the city, it is popular with
   walkers in the forests, sports enthusiasts, naturalists and picnickers.
   There are football pitches, two golf courses, a pitch and putt course
   and a horse riding school.

   Aberdeen's success in the Britain in Bloom competitions is often
   attributed to Johnston Gardens, a small park of one hectare in the west
   end of the city containing many different flowers and plants which have
   been renowned for their beauty. The garden was in 2002, named the best
   garden in Britain.

   Seaton Park, formerly the grounds of a private house, is on the edge of
   the grounds of St Machar's Cathedral. The Cathedral Walk is maintained
   in a formal style with a great variety of plants providing a popular
   display. The park includes several other areas with contrasting styles
   to this.

   Union Terrace Gardens opened in 1879 and is situated in the centre of
   the city. It is a popular rendezvous location in the heart of the city
   with locals, in particular students and other young locals and is
   filled with trees of over 200 years old and flowers arranged in the
   city's coat of arms in summer.

   Situated next to each other, Victoria Park and Westburn Park cover 26
   acres between them. Victoria Park opened in 1871. There is a
   conservatory used as a seating area and a fountain made of fourteen
   different granites, presented to the people by the granite polishers
   and master builders of Aberdeen. Opposite to the north is Westburn Park
   opened in 1901. With large grass pitches it is widely used for field
   sports. There is large tennis centre with indoor and outdoor courts, a
   children's cycle track, play area and a grass boules lawn.

Dialect

   The local dialect of Lowland Scots is often known as the Doric, and is
   spoken not just in the city, but across the north-east of Scotland. It
   differs somewhat from other Scots dialects most noticeable are the
   pronunciation f for what is normally written wh and ee for what in
   standard English would usually be written oo (Scots ui). Every year the
   annual Doric Festival takes place in Aberdeenshire to celebrate the
   history of the north-east's language.

   As with all Scots dialects in urban areas, it is not spoken as widely
   as it used to be in Aberdeen. In the surrounding Aberdeenshire it can
   be heard quite commonly but within the city, some words are still
   commonly used, such as:
     * "Fit like?" (Whit like): A greeting, essentially, "How are you
       doing?", to which the response is "Aye... tyauvin on." (Aye tawin
       on) "Fine, thanks"
     * "Fit?" (Whit): "What?"
     * "Fit ye deein?" (Whit ye daein?): "What are you doing?"
     * "Far aboots?" (Whaur aboots?): "Whereabouts?" [often with the
       humorous spelling "Furry boots?"]
     * "Bide": "Reside" or "live"
     * "Far div ye bide?" (Whaur div ye bide?): "Where do you live?"

     * "Fou's yer dous?" (Hou's yer dous?): Literally "How are your
       pigeons?", now used as "How are you?"
     * "Aye peckin": Literally "Always pecking." This is the reply to
       "Fou's yer dous?"
     * "Louns an quines": Lads and lassies, boys and girls
     * "Fair dingin doun": Raining heavily (i.e., pouring down)
     * "It's auld, ding it doun!": Speaking of buildings, "It's old,
       demolish it!"

     * Listen to recordings of a speaker of Scots from Aberdeen

Sport

   Pittodrie's Dick Donald Stand
   Pittodrie's Dick Donald Stand

   Football is best represented in Aberdeen with the Scottish Premier
   League football club, Aberdeen FC, who play at Pittodrie. The club's
   major success was winning the European Cup Winners Cup and the European
   Super Cup in 1983, and three Scottish Premier League Championships
   between 1980 and 1985. The other senior team is Cove Rangers F.C. of
   the Highland Football League (HFL), who play at Allan Park in the
   suburb of Cove Bay.. Cove won the HFL championship in 2001.

   In rugby, the city is home to the BT Premiership Division One rugby
   club Aberdeen GSFP RFC who play at Rubislaw Playing Fields, and also
   Aberdeen Wanderers RFC whose most famous former player Jason White, is
   captain of the Scotland national rugby union team.

   Golfing provision is excellent, and The Open Championship winner of
   1999 Paul Lawrie hails from the city. The oldest golf club in the city
   is the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club which was founded in 1780 and which
   hosted the Senior British Open in 2005. The club has a second course,
   and there are public golf courses at Auchmill, Balnagask, Hazlehead and
   King's Links.

   The City of Aberdeen Swim Team (COAST) is based in Northfield swimming
   pool and have been in operation since 1996. The team comprises several
   smaller swimming clubs, and has enjoyed success throughout Scotland and
   in international competitions. Three of the team's swimmers qualified
   for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

   The city council operates public tennis courts in various parks
   including an indoor tennis centre at Westburn Park. The Beach Leisure
   Centre is home to a climbing wall and gymnasium and there are numerous
   swimming pools dotted around the city notably the largest, the
   Bon-Accord Baths.

Infrastructure

Health

   Aberdeen's health is provided for most people by NHS Scotland through
   the NHS Grampian health board. Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is the main
   hospital in the city, with the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital for
   children, the Royal Cornhill Hospital for mental health and the Woodend
   Hospital and Woolmanhill Hospitals.

   Privately there is the Albyn Hospital on Albyn Place which is owned and
   operated by BMI Healthcare.

Transport

   Aberdeen Railway Station
   Aberdeen Railway Station

   Aberdeen Airport (ABZ), at Dyce in the north of the city, serves a
   number of domestic and international destinations including France,
   Netherlands and Scandinavian countries. The heliport which serves the
   oil industry and rescue services is the busiest commercial heliport in
   the world.

   Aberdeen railway station is on the main UK rail network and connects
   directly to major cities such as Edinburgh and London. Many services
   from London actually terminate at Dyce, serving the airport.

   There are five major roads in and out of the city. The A90 is the main
   arterial route into the city from the north and south, linking Aberdeen
   to Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth in the south and Ellon, Peterhead and
   Fraserburgh in the north. The A96 links to Elgin and Inverness and the
   north west. The A93 is the main route to the west, heading towards
   Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms. After Braemar, it turns south,
   providing an alternative tourist route to Perth. The A92 was the
   original southerly road to Aberdeen prior to the building of the A90,
   and is now used as a tourist route, connecting the towns of Montrose,
   Arbroath and Brechin on the east coast. The A947 exits the city at Dyce
   and goes on to Newmachar, Oldmeldrum and Turriff finally ending at
   Banff and Macduff

   Aberdeen Harbour is important as the largest in the north of Scotland
   and as a ferry route to Orkney and Shetland. Established in 1136, it
   has been referred to as the oldest business in Britain.

   First Group, headquartered in Aberdeen, operate the city buses in the
   city under the name FirstBus Aberdeen. There are 19 routes (numbered
   1-2, 5-6, 9, 11-17, X18, 19-20, 22-24, 27, 40-41).

   Aberdeen is connected to the UK National Cycle Network, and has a track
   to the south connecting to cities such as Dundee and Edinburgh and one
   to the north that forks about 10 miles from the city into two different
   tracks heading to Inverness and Fraserburgh respectively. Two
   particularly popular footpaths along old railway tracks are the Deeside
   Way to Banchory (which will eventually connect to Ballater) and the
   Formartine and Buchan Way to Ellon, both are used by a mixture of
   cyclists, walkers and occasionally horses.

Utilities

   Aberdeen City Council is responsible for city owned infrastructure
   which is paid for by a mixture of council tax and income from HM
   Treasury. Infrastructure and services run by the council include;
   clearing snow in winter, maintaining parks, refuse collection, sewage,
   street cleaning and street lighting. Infrastructure in private hands
   includes electricity, gas, telecoms and water supplies.

Politics

   Aberdeen is locally governed by Aberdeen City Council, which comprises
   forty-three councillors who represent the city's wards and is headed by
   the Lord Provost who is currently Provost John Reynolds.

   Since May 2003 the council, with a Liberal Democrat and Conservatives
   coalition, consists of: 20 Liberal Democrat, 3 Conservatives, 14 Labour
   and 6 Scottish National Party councillors. All council seats will
   become vacant for the next general election to the council on 5 May
   2007.

   Aberdeen is represented in the United Kingdom Parliament, by three
   constituencies: Aberdeen North, Aberdeen South and Gordon, of which the
   first two are wholly within the Aberdeen City council area while the
   latter also encompasses a large swathe of Aberdeenshire.

   In the Scottish Parliament the city is represented again by three
   constituencies, all of which are solely within the council area:
   Aberdeen North, Aberdeen Central and Aberdeen South and by a further
   seven MSPs elected as part of the North East Scotland electoral region.

   In the European Union, the city is represented by seven MEPs, as part
   of the all inclusive Scotland constituency in the European Parliament.

   Aberdeen is twinned with several cities across Europe and throughout
   the rest of the world, these are:
     * Flag of Germany - Regensburg, Germany (1955)
     * Flag of France - Clermont-Ferrand, France (1983)
     * Flag of Norway - Stavanger, Norway (1955)

     * Flag of Belarus - Gomel, Belarus (1990)
     * Flag of Zimbabwe - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (1990)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
