 Aberdeenshire or 'Siorrachd Obar Dheathain' in the Scottish Gaelic tounge is a Scottish county situated in the eastern highlands of the country with a North Sea coastline and with the city of Aberdeen as its county town. The area was originally inhabited by the warlike Celtic clans of the Picts whose main settlement was know as Devana and on which now stands Aberdeen itself. Evidence of these early people abounds throughout the county in the form of the remains of earth houses, lake dwellings and ceremonial monoliths. These fiercely proud Celtic warriors resisted invasion from Romans, Saxons and the Normans, producing many famous heroes such as William Wallace, famously known as Braveheart (thanks to Mel Gibson and a little manipulation of history, courtesy of Hollywood) and King Robert the Bruce who for a while had his capital in Aberdeen. During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Scots fought bitter skirmishes with the English troops, and occasionally took the fight to their enemy by invading parts of England. Highlanders from Aberdeenshire seem to have been at the forefront of most Scottish rebellions throughout the centuries, supporting the Royalist cause in the English Civil War against Cromwellian forces and the Stuart cause, disastrously fighting for The Young Pretender against the Hanovarian English King in the 18th century. It was during this last conflict that the clans were finally decimated and defeated by the Duke of Cumberland and peace descended. The people of the county settled to agriculture, trade, fishing and shipbuilding and with typical Scottish efficiency, turned their county into a prosperous and progressive example of Scottish success. GeographyAberdeenshire covers an area of around 3500 square miles and has county borders with Banffshire, Inverness-shire, Perthshire, Angus and Kincardineshire. It is a hilly region The County is generally hilly, and indeed mountainous along its western edge, where the Grampian Mountains spread up county to its north east. The range contains Ben Macdhui, the United Kingdom's second highest peak. The Queen's Scottish residence lies within the county at Balmoral in the shadow of these highlands. Aberdeenshire's main rivers are the Don and the Dee. Both are famous for their salmon and trout stocks that attract fisherman from all over the world. The Aberdeenshire Highlands are also notable for the herds of wild red deer that inhabit the extensive deer forests around Braemar in the centre of the county. IndustryThe majority of the people of Aberdeenshire rely almost entirely on agriculture. Oats and barley are extensively grown, but the main form of production is that of stock rearing. Cattle, pigs and sheep are farmed in large numbers for their meat to satisfy a mainly UK market. Tourism also plays a major part in the economy of the county with the beautiful rugged countryside, linked with the romance of the Scottish clan traditions such as the annual highland games drawing thousands of visitors each year. Fisheries also play a part, with a still viable fishing fleet operating out of the small east coast ports. Aberdeenshire also owes its continuing prosperity to North Sea oil with Aberdeen being the major centre for the processing of the crude oil and the natural gas. |
