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Aberdeen is Scotland's third
largest city with a population of over 214,000
Aberdeen has all the amenities you
would expect in a city, but it's compact enough to get to know quickly, and
get around easily. The North Sea oil and gas industry is the main pillar of
the economy, but education is also important: in fact, Aberdeen is the largest
centre for higher education in the North of Scotland, with nearly 20,000
students studying at its two universities. Sometimes called the 'Silver City'
because of the handsome silver-grey granite buildings which reflect the wealth
brought in the past by farming, fishing and seaborne trade, it is one of the
most prosperous cities in the UK.
Aberdeen covers an area of 184.47 square
kilometres (71.22 square miles).
Aberdeen is
a cosmopolitan place, with a
bustling business, commercial and social life. All the major supermarket and
retail chains have a local presence, and there are three large city-centre
shopping malls. The Academy, a brand-new piazza-style development, has cafes,
bars and stylish shops.
Culturally, there's something
for everybody. The magnificent Edwardian theatre, His Majesty's, attracts
national and international companies, and there are music venues of all sizes
from the student-friendly Lemon Tree, with its cafe-bar atmosphere and mix of
live rock, folk and world music with stand-up comedy, dance and drama to the
vast Exhibition Centre, often the northernmost stop for major tours. The
Queens Links Leisure Park, half a mile or so from the campus, boasts a
nine-screen Virgin multiplex, 'Amadeus', Scotland's largest night-club, and a
host of eating places from Burger King to Harry Ramsden's.
Aberdeen is the
nearest university city to Britain's main skiing grounds at the Lecht and
Cairngorm. On the coast are cliffs which shelter nurseries of seabirds and
winter migrants, interspersed with miles of dunes and golden sandy beaches.
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