Scotland's third city and the "Oil Capital" of Scotland also known as the "Granite City" because of its granite based buildings. Situated at the confluence of the rivers Dee and Don with the North Sea, 150 miles north east of Edinburgh. This once very busy fishing port is now a major base for oil exploration in the North Sea and is also the main ferry terminal for Shetland and Orkney. Dating back to the 7th century, the city is, not surprisingly, made up of 2 intrinsic parts - Old Aberdeen and New Aberdeen. Old Aberdeen is situated at the mouth of the River Don and includes such buildings as St Machar's Cathedral, former seat of the Bishops of Aberdeen, completed in the early 16th century, the Cruickshank Botanical Gardens established in 1898 and King's College Chapel. Aberdeen University is also one of the oldest universities in the UK. New Aberdeen includes notable buildings such as James Dun's House, The Music Hall, Aberdeen Art Gallery, the Tolbooth ... < more >