In this review, the current theoretical methods for the interpretation of XANES are discussed, and some applications of XANES to surface science are illustrated. For theoretical problems, we discuss the cluster size to be included in the calculations, polarization dependence, multiple scatterings and many-body effects. For the applications to surface science, two examples are given. One is the measurement of the surface XANES under nonvacuum conditions, the other is the bond-length determination from intramolecular multiple scattering.
