The Malaysian flag, adopted in 1963, was inspired by the United States flag. The 14 stripes and the 14 points on the star stand for the original 14 Malaysian states. After Singapore seceded in 1965, the extra stripe and point were retained to represent the capital territory of Kuala Lumpur. The star and crescent represent Islam. Yellow is the official color of the monarchy; blue reflects the British colonial influence in Malaysia; and red and white are traditional Malaysian colors.

East and West Malaysia are separated by about 640 km (about 400 mi) of open sea, and together comprise an area of 329,758 sq km (127,320 sq mi).

The capital and largest city of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur.