According to one embodiment, a servo area of a magnetic recording medium includes magnetic dots arrayed at a period L0. The magnetic dots include a plurality of magnetic dot regions divided in the cross track direction. A width Wm in the down track direction of the mth magnetic dot region from the innermost circumference and a number Nm of dot rows in the down track direction of the mth region meet a relationship represented by L0{Nm√3/2−0.3}≦Wm≦L0{Nm√3/2+0.3}  (1).