Akarak is a village in the Zangezur uezd of the former Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, later in the former Gafan district, and currently in the Syunik province. The provincial centre lies 12 km to the east of the town of Gapan, at a height of 1,025 m above sea level. The settlement was integrated into the administrative area of Armenia following the establishment of the Zangezur uezd in Soviet Armenia on 31 August 1921. The village was mentioned as “Aqarak” in the works of Armenian authors on the five- verst map of the Caucasus. The village is mentioned also in the 12th-13th century sources.

The village was initially inhabited by the Azerbaijanis who left it after Armenians had been settled in the region.

The name of the settlement was coined by adding the suffix “-ak” to the Turkic ethnonym “akar”.

According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it was integrated into the administrative area of the Syunik province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 39°12’ N., longitude: 46°32′ E.