Coordinates: 55°40′30″N 3°46′37″W / 55.674903°N 3.777019°W / 55.674903; -3.777019

Lanark (Scottish Gaelic: Lannraig,Scots: Lanrik) is a small town in the central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8,253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric Lanerc meaning "clear space, glade".

Lanark was the county town of the former county of Lanarkshire, though for many years Hamilton was the county town, before the formation of Strathclyde. Lanark railway station and coach station has frequent services to Glasgow. There is little industry in Lanark and some residents commute to work in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Its shops serve the local agricultural community and surrounding villages. There is a large modern livestock auction market on the outskirts of the town.

Lanark has served as an important market town since medieval times, and King David I made it a Royal Burgh in 1140, giving it certain mercantile privileges relating to government and taxation. King David I realised that greater prosperity could result from encouraging trade. He decided to create a chain of new towns across Scotland. These would be centres of Norman civilisation in a largely Celtic country, and would be established in such a way as to encourage the development of trade within their area. These new towns were to be known as Burghs. Bastides were established in France for much the same reason.