A 95-metre flagpole, one of the tallest in the world, is located at the southern end of the square. A flat, round black marble plaque marks the location where the Malayan flag was raised for the first time. Near the flagpole at the corner of the Padang is a fountain, the Cop's Fountain, built in 1897 as a memorial to Steve Harper, a popular police inspector.

A carpark and retail area, the Plaza Putra which was later renamed Plaza Dataran Merdeka, was built beneath the Merdeka Square; however, the location had been affected by flooding.

According to wikipedia