Historic county of Scotland
Aberdeenshire
Siorrachd Obar Dheathain
Buchan and North Sea east, Dee and Don through the heart, Grampians rising west.
Aberdeenshire reaches from the North Sea deep into the eastern Highlands. Its northern and eastern country is broad, fertile and maritime, with Buchan projecting towards the sea; further inland the great valleys of the Dee and Don provide natural routes westwards; beyond them the ground rises into increasingly mountainous country towards the Grampians.
That progression gives the county remarkable range. Fishing coast, agricultural plain, wooded river valley and high mountain landscape all belong within the same geography. The traditional districts of Buchan, Formartine, Garioch, Strathbogie and Mar give further order to a county whose scale can otherwise disguise its strong internal structure.
- Ancient heart of the Picts
- Sheriff of Aberdeen recorded c.1260
- Castles and royal burghs
- Area 1,950 sq mi 5,050 km²
- Population 380,495
- County top: Ben Macdhui 4,295 ft / 1,309 m
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
Scotland Census 2022. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 195.6 people per sq mi (75.52 people per km²)
Dee and Don
The Dee and Don are Aberdeenshire’s two great river systems. Both descend from mountain country towards the North Sea, creating long corridors through terrain which becomes progressively higher towards the west.
The valleys connect the county’s maritime and agricultural east with its Highland interior rather than dividing them into separate worlds.
Buchan and the north-east coast
Buchan gives north-eastern Aberdeenshire a particularly strong identity. Open farmland reaches towards an exposed coast of cliffs, bays and fishing harbours.
Further south the coast becomes increasingly associated with the Dee and Don mouths and the county’s great urban centre. Sea and river therefore meet repeatedly along Aberdeenshire’s eastern side.
From farmland to mountain
Western Aberdeenshire changes decisively as cultivated country narrows into glens and higher ground. Upper Deeside and the mountain country beyond form a landscape dramatically different from Buchan or the coastal plain.
That east-to-west transition is the simplest way to understand the county as a whole.
County questions
Questions about Aberdeenshire
Is the council area called Aberdeenshire the same thing as Aberdeenshire?
No. Aberdeenshire is the geographic county. The council area using its name is a separate local-government area and does not define the county.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Aberdeen
- Local name
- Siorrachd Obar Dheathain
- Foundation
- Sheriffdom by 12th century
Aberdeenshire and County of Aberdeen are forms of the same county name. Coast, river valleys, agricultural interior and Grampian uplands continue to give the county its enduring geographical coherence.