D Aberdeen is an administrative center of Grampian Region, Northeastern Scotland, on the North Sea at the mouths of the Dee and Don rivers. It is the third largest in Scotland and the principal industrial center of North Scotland. It is also an important seaport and the country’s largest fishing port. Aberdeen’s harbor facilities were improved in the 1970s, and the city has become the major service center for the North Sea oil industry. Manufactures include chemicals, machinery, textiles, and paper. Aberdeen is a tourist city known for its sandy beaches, seaside rocks and fishing boats; it is popularly known as the Granite City because many of its buildings are constructed of local granite, the chief export. Points of interest include the Cathedral of Saint Machar (begun 15th cent.) and the University of Aberdeen, formed in 1860 by the merger of the Roman Catholic King’s College(1495) and the Protestant Marischal College (1593). The city also has several museums and colleges of agriculture and technology. Aberdeen was made a royal burgh in 1159. In 1337 the town and its cathedral were burned by Edward Ⅲ, king of England. The harbor was improved in the late 18th century, and Aberdeen developed as a fishing port. Its population is 201 099, estimated in 2001.