拉纳卡城一面临海，每到夏季，海滩上到处都是太阳伞。城市的中心区域是沿海大街和与其并行的Zinonos Kitieos大街。沿海大街有石板铺路，两旁有很多餐馆和饭店；与其平行的Zinonos Kitieos大街上有皮埃里德斯基金博物馆（Pierides Foundation Museum），是拉纳卡市民生活娱乐区域。夜里，俱乐部、游戏中心、迪斯科舞场等灯火通明，热闹非凡。
Larnaca, (Greek: Λ?ρνακα, Lárnaka; Turkish: Larnaka or ?skele) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus. It has a population of 12,000 (2001) and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort. The island's largest airport, Larnaca International Airport is located on the outskirts of the city.
To the north of the city lies the island's oil refinery, which has been reduced to a storage facility after the refinery itself has been sold in 2008. To the south is the Larnaca International Airport. The city of Larnaka is well-known for its picturesque seafront which includes rows of palm trees (oi finikoudes, in the Cypriot dialect). Larnaca Marina is one of the four official entry points, by sea, to Cyprus.
History
Larnaca was founded by Phoenicians and was known as Kition, or (in Latin) Citium. The biblical name Kittim, though derived from Citium, was in fact used quite generally for Cyprus as a whole, and occasionally by the Jews for the Greeks and Romans. Larnaca is colloquially known as "Skala" (Greek: Σκ?λα) meaning "ladder" or "landing stage", referring to the town's status in history as an important port.
Like most Cypriote cities, Kition belonged to the Persian or Achaemenid Empire. In 450 BC, the Athenian general Cimon, died at sea defending the city of Citium in a major battle with the Persians. On his deathbed, he urged his officers to conceal his death from both their allies and the Persians. The quote "Και Νεκρ?? Εν?κα" ("Even in death he was victorious") refers to Kimon. A statue of "Kimon the Athenian" stands proudly on the sea front promenade of modern Larnaca.
Like other cities of Cyprus, it has suffered repeatedly from earthquakes, and in medieval times when its harbour silted up (a sign that the island was deforested and overgrazed) the population moved to Larnaca, on the open seafront farther south. The harbour and citadel have now disappeared. Traces remain of the circuit wall, and of a sanctuary with copious terra-cotta offerings; the large cemetery has yielded constant loot from illicit excavations for more than a century.
