Malibu

Residential and resort district of Los Angeles, California, situated 39 km/24 mi west of the city centre, between the Santa Monica Mountains (to the north) and northern Santa Monica Bay. It is one of the conurbation's most affluent areas, and is famous for its miles of bathing and surfing beaches and its expensive homes, many of which belong to Hollywood stars. Malibu is also the site of the J Paul Getty Museum, which houses a major art collection.

Malibu was given its name by its original inhabitants, the Chumash people. In 1892 the entrepreneur Frederick H Rindge purchased 67 sq mi/26 sq mi of land along the shore to create an exclusive resort. Development boomed in the 1920s after the Pacific Coast Highway cut through the area. Pepperdine University (1937) is sited here. Pacific Palisades lies immediately to the east, and the Topanga, Malibu and other canyons run north from here into the mountains.