About Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is a county located in the northeast of Scotland. The county town is Aberdeen, the largest city in the north-east of Scotland. Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. It takes its name from the historic county of Aberdeen which had different boundaries. Modern Aberdeenshire includes all of what was once Kincardineshire, as well as parts of Banffshire, Morayshire and Angus. The old county town, Aberdeen, is a separate council area.

Aberdeenshire Council is headquartered at Woodhill House in Aberdeen. The council covers an area of 6,313 square kilometres (2,438 sq mi), making it the fourth largest local authority area by land area in Scotland. Local government functions are devolved to four area committees: Buchan, Formartine, Garioch and Marr. Each committee elects three councillors to represent their area on Aberdeenshire Council. There are a total of 45 councillors on the authority.

Aberdeenshire borders onto Angus and Perth and Kinross to the south and Moray to the west. Other neighbouring council areas are Highland and Aberdeen City. To the north lie Aberdeenshire's two main landward areas: the Mearns and Buchan. Buchan is a large peninsula bounded by the North Sea to the east and northeast, and by Aberdeenshire's other landward area, Formartine, to the west. The coast of Buchan forms part of the Aberdeenshire Coast Path, which joins up with similar coastal routes in Angus and Moray.

The Mearns is an area of lowland plateau which lies south of the River Dee and extends into Angus to the south. The western part of The Mearns is covered by farmland, while the eastern part is covered by hills and moorland. To the south of The Mearns lies Strathbogie, another area of lowland plateau which extends into Angus.

The landscape of Aberdeenshire has been shaped by glaciers during the Quaternary period. The most recent glaciation was the Loch Lomond Stadial, which lasted from around 12,900 years ago until 11,700 years ago. This glaciation left behind many features including U-shaped valleys, cirques and moraines.

Aberdeenshire has a temperate climate similar to much of the rest of Scotland. The weather is usually cool and overcast with rain showers throughout the year. However, there are also occasional sunny days and snowfall in winter months.

The economy of Aberdeenshire is largely dependent on agriculture, fishing and forestry. Tourism is also important to the local economy, with visitors attracted to the region's coastline and countryside. Aberdeen city is a major centre for oil and gas exploration and production, and this industry also plays a role in Aberdeenshire's economy