| Malekan County | |
| Native Name: | fa|شهرستان ملکان |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Image Map1: | IranEastAzerbaijan-SVG.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of East Azerbaijan province in Iran |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Iran |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | East Azerbaijan |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Malekan |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | Central |
| P2: | Aq Manar |
| P3: | Leylan |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 111319 |
| Coordinates: | 37.1°N 58°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [1] |
| Timezone: | IRST |
| Utc Offset: | +3:30 |
Malekan County (fa|شهرستان ملکان) is in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Malekan.[2] The county is one of the most productive regions for grapes in Iran.
The word Malekan is derived from Malek Kandi, "the village of the king." However, there are various theories pertaining to the origin of the name "Malekan Kandi." The first hypothesis is that because the grounds are owned by Qajar government, the city has been named after the founder and the king of the dynasty. The second conjecture holds that because there have been several kings that have come and gone in the past, it has been named this way. The third and the last supposition is that the name Malek Kandi is derived from the name of a king named Maleknia.
After the 2011 National Census, the village of Mobarakabad was elevated to the status of the city of Mobarak Shahr.[3]
After the 2016 census, Leylan District was separated from the county in the establishment of Leylan County. Gavdul-e Sharqi Rural District was separated from the Central District in the formation of Aq Manar District, which was divided into two rural districts, including the new Gavdul-e Jonubi Rural District.[4]
At the time of the 2006 census, the county's population was 100,366 in 24,823 households.[5] The following census in 2011 counted 106,118 people in 29,686 households.[6] The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 111,319 in 33,598 households.[7]
Malekan County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
| Administrative Divisions | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central District | 77,132 | 81,949 | 85,938 | |
| 19,256 | 20,762 | 17,573 | ||
| 26,623 | 28,383 | 29,010 | ||
| Gavdul-e Sharqi RD | 7,264 | 7,492 | 7,468 | |
| Malekan (city) | 23,989 | 25,312 | 27,431 | |
| Mobarak Shahr (city) | 4,456 | |||
| Aq Manar District | ||||
| Leylan District | 23,234 | 24,169 | 25,381 | |
| 13,317 | 13,656 | 14,853 | ||
| 3,838 | 4,338 | 4,172 | ||
| Leylan (city) | 6,079 | 6,175 | 6,356 | |
| Total | 100,366 | 106,118 | 111,319 | |