Portal:Scotland/Selected articles/24
Aberdeen (/ˌæbərˈdiːn/ ⓘ; Scots: Aiberdeen [ˌeːbərˈdin] ⓘ; Scottish Gaelic: Obar Dheathain [ˈopəɾ ˈʝɛ.ɪɲ]; Latin: Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city.
Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and has a population estimate of 198,590 for the city, making it the United Kingdom's 39th most populous built-up area, and 224,190 for the wider council area including outlying localities. The city is 93 mi (150 km) northeast of Edinburgh and 398 mi (641 km) north of London, and is the northernmost major city in the United Kingdom. Aberdeen has a long, sandy coastline and features an oceanic climate, with cool summers and mild, rainy winters.
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. Since the discovery of North Sea oil in 1969, Aberdeen has been known as the offshore oil capital of Europe. 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.