Johor, Kota Iskandar
Credit: EldinesHoo

Johor, located in the south of the Malay Peninsula, is a state of Malaysia. It shares borders with Pahang, Malacca, and Negeri Sembilan to the north, and maritime borders with Singapore to the south and Indonesia to both the west and east. Johor has a 250-mile (400-km) coastline along the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea, which also winds around the Republic of Singapore’s northern border and is dotted with small islands. The state is generally flat and jungle-covered. Johor Bahru, the capital city and the economic center of the state, is the most populous city in Johor.

The history of Johor dates back to 1528, founded by Mahmud Shah, the fugitive sultan of Malacca (now spelled Melaka), and his son Alauddin after the Malaccan kingdom fell to the Portuguese. The region’s economy developed after 1919, when the railway was extended southward from the tin and rubber belt of the Malay Peninsula to Singapore, bringing to an end Johor’s historical isolation (by swamps) from the rest of the peninsula. Today, Johor remains the nation’s largest trade contributor among all Malaysian states. The state is known for its diverse tropical rainforest and experiences an equatorial climate.

The Map of Johor

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