The Importance Of Aberdeen To Scotland

Aberdeen is one of the largest cities in Scotland. It has many nicknames’ that include the Silver City with the Golden Sands, the Grey city and the Granite City. These names arose because most of the buildings in Aberdeen are constructed of grey granite that contains mica which sparkles. The coastline is expansive with plenty of sandy beaches.

Aberdeen is very old as there were settlers in the area since prehistoric times. This is because Aberdeen is situated at the mount of several rivers and there are two different sections; the old and the new. The older section of Aberdeen was originally big for trading and fishing. The newer section of the city was formed when Robert the Bruce took over and he wanted to create a financially independent city where people owned their own property.

The original buildings of Aberdeen were burned down and the castle was completely destroyed during the Scottish wars of independence as Aberdeen was originally ruled by the British. The newer section of Aberdeen was built after the wars were over and with the construction of the South Breakwater and Victoria Dock the fishing and shipbuilding industries became prominent.

There are three different castles located on the symbol of Aberdeen. These three buildings represent three buildings that once resided on the neighboring hills of Aberdeen; Aberdeen castle, an unknown building on Windmill Hill and the church that was once located on St. Catherine’s Hill. The leopard is frequently found throughout the city and on the crest. The town motto was first said by Robert the Bruce and is Bon Accord.

Aberdeen actually has a very mild climate which is surprising for a city that is so far north. However in winter there are only about 6 hours of daylight and during the summer there are 18 hours of daylight. However the temperature does not get very warm with an average of 17 degrees during the day.

Historically the main industries were fishing, paper making, shipbuilding and textile mills though these have declined and in their place fishing and agricultural research, high technology and oil have become prominent. Aberdeen is home to some world class research institutes including the Macaulay Institute and the Rowett Research Institute.

Aberdeen is the source for much of the oil industry in the North Sea and many of the businesses support the off shore oil rigs. Renewable energy sources are also being developed in Aberdeen.