Source identity and administrative path
The source row behind Arak is GeoNames ID 143127. Its recorded administrative path is Markazi → Iran, and GeoNames classifies the place as a first-order administrative seat. Arāk occurs once as a primary city label in this atlas sample; the numeric ID remains the durable source key if names change. The city row itself was updated 2024-09-05; that date belongs to the source record, not to every transport or visitor detail in the real destination.
Population position inside fixed cohorts
Within the fixed 1,206-record atlas, Arak ranks 1,139 by recorded population. Inside the 15 selected Iran entries it ranks 15; inside the 243 entries in its broad region it ranks 232. Its 503,647 population value is 0.60 times the 841,145 median for the country cohort and 0.56 times the 902,588 regional median. Arak sits in the lower half of this atlas's selected Iran entries. Arak's recorded value is materially below the country-cohort median used here. These comparisons describe this selected dataset only; they are not current census rankings or official urban-area boundaries.
Nearest-reference pattern
Arak's three nearest other atlas coordinates are Qom at 123.979 km with 900,000 recorded people; Hamadan at 133.83 km with 528,256 recorded people; Karaj at 226.333 km with 1,448,075 recorded people. The closest-to-farthest distance spread is 102.354 km. Compared with Qom, Arak's recorded population is 0.56 times as large. Against Arak, Qom follows Qom Province → Iran in the source. Its point has higher latitude and higher longitude; it belongs to the same selected Iran cohort, uses the shared Asia/Tehran identifier, and carries the same first-order administrative seat class. Its recorded population is above Arak's. Against Arak, Hamadan follows Hamadan Province → Iran in the source. Its point has higher latitude and lower longitude; it belongs to the same selected Iran cohort, uses the shared Asia/Tehran identifier, and carries the same first-order administrative seat class. Its recorded population is above Arak's. Against Arak, Karaj follows Alborz Province → Iran in the source. Its point has higher latitude and higher longitude; it belongs to the same selected Iran cohort, uses the shared Asia/Tehran identifier, and carries the same first-order administrative seat class. Its recorded population is above Arak's. Its nearest-neighbor distance ranks 787 of 1,206 from shortest to longest in the same snapshot. Arak's nearest-coordinate gap belongs to the wider half of atlas distances. This pattern can reveal whether other catalog references are geographically close, but it cannot establish whether a border crossing is possible or practical, or whether rail, road, fare, or journey-time connections exist. Read as one record signature, GeoNames 143127, the coordinate pair 34.0949 / 49.6981, country rank 15 of 15, and neighbor GeoNames 119208 at 123.979 km bind Arak to a reproducible comparison. That combined key distinguishes the row; it is not a recommendation or evidence of a physical connection.
Coordinate, time-zone and class cohorts
Arak's reference point is 34.0949° north and 49.6981° east. The IANA identifier Asia/Tehran is shared by 15 city rows in this catalog, while the GeoNames class PPLA is shared by 429 rows. Arak's row carries a first-order administrative label but no second-order label. Arak's point falls in the middle-latitude coordinate band used by this atlas's row checks. Arak's time-zone field defines the narrower catalog cohort; its place class is shared more broadly. GeoNames supplies no elevation for Arak, so the profile preserves that missing value instead of guessing terrain. Together these fields form a reproducible identity check for this page, not a claim about walkability, climate or accessibility.
- Record keys
- Arak · GeoNames 143127 · Q212628
- Name scope
- Arāk · 1 atlas row share this source label · qualifier not required
- Administrative chain
- Markazi · Iran
- Coordinate signature
- 34.0949° N · 49.6981° E
- Population snapshot
- 503,647 · atlas rank 1,139 of 1,206
- Country comparison
- Iran rank 15 of 15 · median 841,145 · ratio 0.60×
- Regional comparison
- Africa and the Middle East rank 232 of 243 · median 902,588 · ratio 0.56×
- Time-zone cohort
- Asia/Tehran · 15 of 1,206 atlas rows
- Place-class cohort
- PPLA first-order administrative seat · 429 of 1,206 rows
- Elevation field
- Arak · missing in GeoNames
- Nearest reference
- Qom · 123.979 km · population 900,000 · atlas rank 618
- Second reference
- Hamadan · 133.83 km · population 528,256 · atlas rank 1,069
- Third reference
- Karaj · 226.333 km · population 1,448,075 · atlas rank 338
- Neighbour geometry
- Arak · nearest-distance rank 787 of 1,206 · three-reference spread 102.354 km
- Source dates
- Arak row updated 2024-09-05 · atlas dataset checked 2026-08-04