Karaj ( Persian : کرج , pronounced [kæˈɾædʒ] ( listen ) ) is the fourth-largest city in Iran and is near the country's capital, Tehran . It is in the Central District of Karaj County , Alborz province , Iran , and serves as the county seat. [4] [5]
Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, [3] most of the 1,419 km 2 (548 sq mi) county is rugged mountain. The urban area is the fourth-largest in Iran, after Tehran, Mashhad , and Isfahan . [6] Eshtehard County and Fardis County were split off from Karaj County since the previous census. [7]
At the National Census of 2006, Karaj had a population of 1,377,450 in 385,955 households, when it was in Tehran province. [8] The latest census in 2016 counted 1,592,492 people in 508,420 households, by which time the county had separated from the province and become a part of recently established Alborz province. [8]