With a population of over 50,000, Larnaca is one of the largest cities in Cyprus.

Cyprus was a British protectorate under nominal Ottoman suzerainty, established by the Cyprus Convention in 1878, following the Russo-Turkish War, in exchange for British support of the Ottomans during the Congress of Berlin. This remained in place until 1914, when after the Ottomans joined the Central Powers, in turn entering WW I, Britain declared the complete annexation of Cyprus under a military administration status.

The Crown Colony of Cyprus was proclaimed in 1925, after Britain's annexation of Cyprus was verified and finally confirmed again in the Treaty of Lausanne.

Great Britain granted Cyprus independence in 1960 and founded the modern Republic of Cyprus. Archbishop Makarios III was elected as the first president of independent Cyprus. As part of the independence agreement, Great Britain retained the sovereign base areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia as British overseas territories.

A British cemetery in the center of Larnaca