Aberdeen is the third largest city in Scotland by population, and is home to around 217,000 people. Aberdeen is also the largest seaport in the North-East of Scotland. Aberdeen has a growing student population with two universities in the city; the University of Aberdeen and the Robert Gordon University.
Aberdeen has come to be known as the Oil Capital of Europe due to the volume of oil that has been procured from the North Sea within the twentieth century.
Traditionally, Aberdeen's economy was home to textile mills, shipbuilding, paper making and fishing. These are no longer the predominant industries in today's Aberdeen. Electronics design and the development industry along with research in agriculture, fishing and the oil industry have contributed to Aberdeen's economic boom and are now big players in Aberdeen's modern economy.
Aberdeen has a large commercial heliport, which transports over 500,000 passengers per year. It is the second largest heliport in the world and is located at Aberdeen Airport, a busy airport serving over 3 million travellers annually. The heliport also assists the North Sea oil and gas industry, which forms a key part of Aberdeen's economy.
Aberdeen is a city famed for its parks and gardens. It has beautiful floral displays throughout the city and has won many awards including the Royal Horticultural Society's Britain in Bloom 'Best City' award which it has won 10 times. Aberdeen is also home to the Cairngorms National Park which is Scotland's largest national park.
Museums in the city of Aberdeen include the Aberdeen Maritime Museum and the Marischal Museum. Aberdeen has a wide variety of shops, parks, bars and theatres and is a popular place to live and work within Scotland.