Kirkcaldy ( ) is the largest town in Fife, Scotland. The population of the town according to the 2001 Census stands at 46,912. . Kirkcaldy is known as The Lang Toun (Long Town) in Scots. This name derived from the original expansion of the town in a thin strip parallel to the sea front. The town has since developed further up and down the coast, encompassing formerly separate communities, but also extensively inland, so the term "The Lang Toun" is now only a reference to its historical shape.

The name Kirkcaldy is now generally believed to derive from the Brythonic words caer, meaning fort, and caled, meaning hard, and the Gaelic word dun, also meaning fort, hence the modern Gaelic Cathair Challdainn.

The town lies on the north shore of the Firth of Forth. The former burghs of Linktown and Pathhead, and the villages of Sinclairtown and Gallatown are now incorporated into Kirkcaldy. The burgh of Dysart was merged into Kirkcaldy in 1930. blank">http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kirkcaldy/dysart/index.html

Kirkcaldy is the largest coastal settlement between Edinburgh and Dundee, reflecting its historical importance. Its location in a relatively sheltered bay in the Firth of Forth enabled the growth of the port, which also supported a sizeable fishing fleet. Its hinterland includes good farmland and mineral wealth in coal

Kirkcaldy was famous throughout much of the 19th and 20th Centuries for linoleum manufacturing, notably Nairn's, linked with Dundee jute imports; linen produced from local flax; and for its annual week-long _Links Market - Europe's longest street fair - that celebrated its 700th anniversary in 2004. The town still has one of the longest developed sea-fronts in Europe, overlooking the Firth of Forth.