Hello sferguson,
This was an interesting topic to research! I hope you find this
information useful for your little fellow.
History of Aberdeen
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The name ?Aberdeen? is thought to have originated from the Pictish
words ?aber?, meaning ?mouth of the river? and ?Don?, which is the
river(!). Aberdeen ?was probably founded as a fishing settlement by
the 8th century.? Aberdeen actually sits between the Rivers Dee and
Don and is the administrative center of the Grampian Region. Known
since the 1970?s as Scotland?s ?Oil Capitol?, producing 85% of the
UK's primary energy production, Aberdeen is close to the North Sea oil
and gas fields, and is a leading fishing port, with over 2 miles of
recreational beaches.
http://www.geocities.com/localhistories/aberdeen.html
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/maps/I236.IMAGEMAP?339,214
A nice picture of the Bridge of Don, built between 1827 and 1830 ,
not surprisingly, of granite, can be found here:
http://www.ifb.net/webit/bridgdon.htm
Aberdeen, Scotland, is the third largest city in population,
industry and wealth in the country. Nicknamed, "Granite City", a
large part of the city is built of granite, ?but to appreciate its
more poetical designation of the "Silver City by the Sea", it should
be seen after a heavy rainfall when its stately structures and
countless houses gleam pure and white under brilliant sunshine.?
?Aberdeen has high Grampian mountains, a coastline that ranges from
jagged cliffs to sandy beaches, forested slopes, heather clad moor
land, winter skiing?
http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen,_Scotland
http://www.geocities.com/localhistories/aberdeen.html
http://www.aboutbritain.com/towns/Aberdeen.asp?RefID=1500678
http://www.ifb.net/webit/
The 14th century was not kind to Aberdeen. ?In 1336 Aberdeen was
burned by an English army.? Then, 14 years later, ?? in 1350 the Black
Death came to Aberdeen. It may have killed half the population of the
town. In 1401 a disease called the 'pest' came to the town. It is not
certain what this disease was, it may have been typhoid, but it killed
many people.? ?Black Death? was the terminology of the day for
?Plague?.
http://www.geocities.com/localhistories/aberdeen.html
http://www.ifb.net/webit/plague.htm
The oil industry, food canning and packing, fishing, paper
manufacturing, shipbuilding, cattle, wool, and whisky production are
the main industries in Aberdeen. ?However, the numerous castles,
stately homes, salmon and brown trout rivers attract more and more
visitors and Aberdeen has become a tourist attraction "par
excellence".
?Once you are in the city, everything is a within comfortable walking
distance. A regular and affordable bus service is available to take
you wherever you want to go in and around Aberdeen. The Robert Gordon
University also offer a shuttle bus service, providing low cost travel
to our campuses across the city.
Aberdeen?s motto 'Bon Accord' is linked to the City's toast: 'Happy
to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again?
http://www.rgu.ac.uk/about/localarea/page.cfm?pge=742gain.'
During World War II 178 people were killed by German bombing
http://www.geocities.com/localhistories/aberdeen.html
The country of Scotland has 2,300 miles of coastline, an incredible
length for the size of the mainland. Scottish terrain runs the gamut,
with Highland mountains, and Lowland valleys formed by the weight of
glaciers and lava flows. For a time, Scotland was separated from
England, by water. Scotland boasts 787 major islands; lochs(lakes)
and rivers are found in the entire country.
http://www.in-scotland.co.uk/index.asp?title=aberdeen%20scotland
?Gaelic, the old Celtic tongue of the Scots, is now spoken by little
more than 75,000 people, most of them in the Highlands and the
Hebrides. By their acceptance and use of the English translation of
the Bible, the Scottish reformers of the 16th century in effect
adopted English as the national language. But as any singer of "Auld
Lang Syne" knows, the Scots have made the English they speak
peculiarly their own. They have retained a high percentage of
vocabulary derived from Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon, and they speak with
a lilt
To the Scots, education is extremely important, and they start sending
their children to school at 5 years of age. At 12, Scottish youngsters
generally graduate from elementary to secondary schools, where they
must continue until they are 16. Higher education may be pursued at
eight universities and dozens of other specialized institutions. Four
of the Scottish universities, those of St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen,
and Edinburgh, are more than 400 years old.?
http://www.in-scotland.co.uk/index.asp?title=aberdeen%20scotland
According to this University of Aberdeen site, last updated May 2003,
the population of Aberdeen is 216,000. Popular activities in Aberdeen
include horseback riding, hiking, canoeing, fishing and wind-surfing,
attending movies, concerts, art galleries and museums.
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/central/abdn/index.hti
You can get population estimates for 2002 in your choice of Excel,
Lotus or Adobe formats here:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/grosweb/grosweb.nsf/pages/02-mid-year-tables
http://search.britannica.com/search?ref=A01001&query=Aberdeen%2C+Scotland&exact
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Attractions in Aberdeen:
======================================
The Satrosphere, a delightful looking children?s ?hands on? learning
?museum? . Workshops and exhibitions cover science, history and
environmental issues.
http://www.satrosphere.net/
http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Scotland/aberdeen.htm
Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland
A quaint looking museum, where one can learn about the British Army's
kilted soldiers. This website plays bagpipe music as you browse.
http://www.gordonhighlanders.com/
This page has a small picture of the gardens, which once belonged to
the famous 19th century painter, Sir George Reid. Scattered amongst
the plants are monuments and areas dedicated to regiment soldiers.
http://www.gordonhighlanders.com/home.cfm?p=gardens
Aberdeen Marine Lab, a governmental research laboratory providing
scientific and technical advice about marine and freshwater fisheries,
the protection of the aquatic environment.
http://www.marlab.ac.uk/
======================================
Amusement Parks:
Storybook Glen
http://www.scotlandby.com/general/frame_park03.htm
http://www.travelbritain.com/scotland/cityguide/aberdeen/
Codonas Amusement Park, is next to the beach in Aberdeen.
http://www.rcdb.com/locationdetail388.htm
Codonas Amusement Park?s web site is not yet open!
http://www.codonas.com/park/main.htm
======================================
Aberdeen International Airport
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/jcurry/abz.html
======================================
Performing Arts:
======================================
His Majesty?s Theater, and Music hall give various performances yearly
to over 400,000 people.
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acc/WhatsOn/PerformanceVenues/Default.asp
The Lemon Tree presents concerts, comedy, music and dance
http://www.lemontree.org/
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Sports:
======================================
Scottish Highland games:
These games, date back more than 1000 years when local men liked to
show off their physical strengths, are played in the summer, in the
Aberdeen and Grampian Highlands.
http://www.agtb.org/Scottish-highland-games.htm
You can dive in a shark tank, at Aberdeen Water Sports
http://www.aberdeenwatersports.com/sites/aberdeen-watersports/diving/expeditions.asp
Aberdeen Football Club (Soccer to those of us across the pond)
http://www.afc.co.uk/
Links to Aberdeen?s sports facilities, beaches and pools.
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acc/services/leisureFacilities/facilities.asp
Granite City (Aberdeen) Rally Cars, hosts one of the UK?s best known events,
http://www.granitecityrally.org.uk/
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Maps:
======================================
Map of Aberdeenshire, showing location of the city of Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/web/home.nsf/html/57EPHJ?OpenDocument
A second map of Aberdeenshire
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/scotland.imagemap?383,213
Small street map of Aberdeen
http://www.agtb.org/aberdeenmap.htm
Map of counties of Scotland
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/downloads/uk_cty_ua.pdf
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Pictures of Aberdeen, Scotland:
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Castles:
Drum Castle, just a bit SW of Aberdeen. Drum Castle was built in the
late 13th century, and is one of the oldest castles in Scotland.
http://www.agtb.org/castledrum.htm
http://www.darkisle.com/d/drum/drum.html
http://www.lochkinord.com/attractions/castles.htm
Castle Fraser, 16 miles west of Aberdeen, built in the 16th century.
http://www.geocities.com/thetropics/shores/2932/fraser.htm
Pitfichie Castle, another 16th century castle, was built during the
reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. It is located 21 miles from central
Aberdeen, is often used for weddings and family outings.
http://www.scottishcastles-info.co.uk/pitfichie/
Dunnottar Castle, 15 miles from Aberdeen
http://www.castles.org/Chatelaine/DUNNOTTAR.HTM
http://www.darkisle.com/d/dunnottar/dunnottar1.html
======================================
City pictures:
http://www.doughoughton.com/webpage/page/page001.html
About the middle of the page is a picture of the Aberdeen skyline.
http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/kokusai/ijin_e.html
Pictures of the coast, Aberdeen
http://www.flex.net/~furneaux/scotland/
Kilt Factory, and men wearing kilts in Aberdeen
http://www.kiltmakers.co.uk/about.htm
http://www.kiltmakers.co.uk/kilts.htm
More pictures of kilts:
http://www.scottishthemes.com/tartan.htm
Interesting street sign in Aberdeen, scroll down almost to the bottom of the page.
http://www.compapp.dcu.ie/~humphrys/FamTree/Gibbon/
Here is one traveler?s Web album, of Aberdeen. Look in the green
column, to the left, under ?Webalbums? and click on Aberdeen/Edinburgh
http://ivyai.blogspot.com/2003_01_19_ivyai_archive.html#87953603
Aberdeen countryside
http://www2.uiah.fi/~jdevries/log_pictures/scotland.jpg
Golf courses overlooking the sea
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/royalaberdeen000143.html
Some famous Aberdeen statues:
http://www.ifb.net/webit/statues.htm
Aberdeen has a new industry ? Silver Mile Records. Silver Mile Records
makes music for children. You can even listen and download some
samples on this site!
http://www.silvermile.co.uk/content/home.html
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Famous Aberdonians
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Annie Lennox, of the ?Eurythmics, was born in Aberdeen, on Christmas Day.
http://www.ifb.net/webit/lennox.htm
George Washington Wilson, a pioneering photographer, took photos of Queen Victoria.
http://www.ifb.net/webit/gwwilson.htm
Evelyn Glennie, one of the world's most talented percussionists, has
perfored with many of the greatest orchestras.
Sir John Steell, sculptor for Queen Victoria
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/greatscots.html
Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, was born in
Edinburgh, near Aberdeen!
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/greatscots.html
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of ?Sherlock Holmes?, and ?The Hound of
the Baskervilles? was born in Edinburgh
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/greatscots.html
http://www.rampantscotland.com/famous/famous.htm
http://scotlandvacations.com/conandoyle.htm
Sir David Gill, the first person to take a picture of the moon.
http://www.tower-electronics.com/ABZ.HTML
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Education:
======================================
The University of Aberdeen
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/
Moray College, has 7,000 students
http://www.moray.ac.uk/
Robert Gordon University
http://www.rgu.ac.uk/
Rowett Research Institute, focuses on nutritional research
http://www.rowett.ac.uk/
Scottish Agricultural College
http://www.sac.ac.uk/
University of the Highlands
http://www.uhi.ac.uk/
20,000 students attend Aberdeen universities
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ataglance/profile/aberdeen.shtml
========================
A weather forecast for the next 5 days, of Aberdeen
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=14&links
The mean temperature of the city for the year is 45.8 deg. F., for
summer 56 deg. F., and for winter 37.3 deg. F. The average yearly
rainfall is 30.57 inches. The city is one of the healthiest in
Scotland
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Aberdeen,-Scotland
About kilts and tartan:
The earliest found piece of tartan plaid fabric(not a kilt, but the
fabric) is now over 1700 years old. ?Highland dress became fashionable
after King George IV wore a kilt during a visit to Scotland in 1822 ?
The word ?Kilt? means ?folds? or ?pleats? in old English.
http://www.scottishthemes.com/tartan.htm
http://www.siliconglen.com/Scotland/12_3.html
http://www.royal-stuarts.org/kilt.htm
It has been said ?A man in a kilt is a man and a half? The wearing of
kilts actually started in the Highlands, and was not used throughout
the entire country of Scotland. ?The belted plaid had many advantages
in the Highland climate and terrain. It allowed freedom of movement,
it was warm, the upper half could provide a voluminous cloak against
the weather, it dried out quickly and with much less discomfort than
trousers and if required it could, by the mere undoing of the belt,
provide a very adequate overnight blanketing. The tightly woven wool
proved almost completely waterproof, something the lose woven wool of
today, is not. When complete freedom of action was required in battle
it was easily discarded, and one famous Highland clan battle, that
between the Frasers the MacDonalds and Camerons in 1544, is known as
Blar-na-Leine, which can be translated as ' Field of the Shirts'.?
http://www.e-kilts.com/kilts.html
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Food:
The Aberdeen-Angus breed of beef cattle are known for their delicious
beef. http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/fooddrink.html
Porridge, which is actually boiled oatmeal, is commonly eaten in
Scotland.? Traditionally crofters in the Highlands of Scotland would
make a large pot of porridge at the beginning of the week. Once
allowed to cool, it would be cut into slices, and the crofter would
places a slice in his pocket eack day for lunch. (See below for
definition of ?crofter?)
Porridge must be cooked with salt to obtain the correct flavour. Those
eating porridge outside Scotland have been know to cook it without
salt and indeed eat it with sugar or even syrup, which is a habit
which would turn the stomach of any Scotsman (or Scots-woman).?
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/fooddrink.html
What is a crofter? Originally a crofter was a Scotsman who lived on,
and farmed land belonging to others. (We call them ?sharecroppers? in
the US)
http://www.scottishcrofters.com/croft_defined.htm
Haggis is the best known delicacy in Scotland. Haggis is made of the
windpipe, lungs, heart and liver of sheep, which are boiled and then
chopped, mixed with beef suet and lightly toasted oatmeal. ?The
mixture is placed inside a sheep's stomach, which is sewn closed. The
resulting haggis is traditionally cooked by further boiling (for up to
three hours) although the part-cooked haggis can be cooked in the oven
which prevents the risk of bursting and spoiling.?
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/fooddrink.html
Aberdeen is famous for its whiskey, considered the ?Water of Life? in
Scotland, and the national drink.
http://www.aberdeentoday.co.uk/whisky.htm
http://www.scotlandby.com/local_products/beverages_whisky.htm
Today, there are many fast food restaurants in Aberdeen.
http://www.scotland.org.uk/Web_Links+index-req-viewlink-cid-13.html
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Industry and Exports:
Granite from Aberdeen is shipped all around the world, but not just in
its plain form? sculptures, monuments, and ornamental granite work are
exported as well. Fish and seafood, gas, oil, and paper are the city?s
prime industries.
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Aberdeen,-Scotland
About the Pictish (Above and beyond for a 7 year old, but thought you
may find this interesting, as the word ?Aberdeen? has its roots in the
Pictish language.)
http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/robpict.htm
http://members.tripod.com/~Halfmoon/
http://www.highlanderweb.co.uk/pictrail.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picts
Your 7 year old might like to see this BBC web page for children,
about Scottish languages.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/seeyouseeme/
====================================================
A Few Additional Facts about Aberdeen:
Aberdeen has the busiest civilian heliport in the world.
Robert Henderson designed the first iron lung, in Aberdeen, in 1933
The first self-sealing envelope was invented in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Water polo began around 1863 on the River Dee in Aberdeen, Scotland
http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/acc/YourCity/fact.asp
http://www.tower-electronics.com/ABZ.HTML
Average weekly earnings for Aberdonians: £542.66
http://www.scotiaweb.co.uk/Aberdeen/facts.html
I hope the information contained in this answer helps your little guy
construct his report. If any part of this answer is unclear, or the
links are unsatisfactory, please request an Answer Clarification
before rating, and I will be happy to assist you further.
Regards,
crabcakes-ga
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