Arrecife is a city and municipality in the Canary Islands (Spain) situated in the centre-east of the island of Lanzarote, of which it has been the capital since 1852. The city owes its name to the rock reef (''Arrecife'' is Spanish for ''reef'') which covers the beach located in the city. It is a port town on the east coast, served by ferries to the other islands and also Europe and mainland Africa.