Malibu is situated in western Los Angeles County, California, U.S. with a population of 12,575 inhabitants. The Malibu's City is a 27-mile (43.5 km) strip of Pacific coastline; a beachfront community popular for its warm, sandy beaches, and for being the home of countless movie stars and others associated with the Southern California entertainment industries. Majority of Malibu residents live within some hundred yards of Pacific Coast Highway (California State Route 1), that crosses the city; the city is also bounded (more or less) by Topanga Canyon to the east, the Santa Monica Mountains to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the south, and Ventura County to the west. Its beaches include Surfrider Beach, Zuma Beach, Malibu State Beach and Topanga State Beach; its neighboring parks include Malibu Creek State Park and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Malibu was a part of the territory of the Chumash Nation of Native Americans. They called it "Humaliwo" or "the surf sounds loudly." The city's current name derives from this, as the "Hu" syllable isn't stressed.

The city has a total area of 261.5 km² (101.0 mi²). Thus, Malibu is one of the biggest cities of California and of the United States in terms of land and water area. 51.5 km² (19.9 mi²) of it is land and 210.0 km² (81.1 mi²) of it is water.