Johor, formerly Johore, is the southernmost and third largest state of Peninsular Malaysia. It also has the second largest economy among the states of Peninsular Malaysia, only behind Selangor.

Cities and Towns

Cities

• 1 Johor Bahru - the largest city and capital of Johor
• 2 Iskandar Puteri - essentially suburban Johor Bahru, and de facto seat of the Johor government
• 3 Pasir Gudang - the port and industrial city of Johor

Towns

• Batu Pahat District: Batu Pahat (capital), Ayer Hitam, Parit Raja, Parit Sulong, Rengit, Senggarang, Yong Peng
• Kluang District: Kluang (capital), Kahang, Simpang Renggam
• Kota Tinggi District: Kota Tinggi (capital), Bandar Penawar, Johor Lama, Pengerang, Sedili, Teluk Sengat
• Kulai District: Kulai (capital), Senai
• Mersing District: Mersing (capital), Endau, Jemaluang
• Muar District: Muar (district capital and de jure royal capital of Johor), Parit Jawa
• Pontian District: Pontian Kechil (capital), Pekan Nanas, Kukup
• Segamat District: Segamat (capital), Bekok, Chaah, Jementah, Labis
• Tangkak District: Tangkak (capital), Bukit Gambir

Other destinations

• 1 Desaru — local beach resort on the east coast
• 2 Endau Rompin National Park — hiking in ancient jungles
• 3 Sibu Island — marine park island off the eastern coast, popular with divers
• 4 Pulau Dayang — an island popular with divers, reachable by dive boat from Mersing
• 5 Tanjung Resang
• 6 Gunung Ledang
• 7 Pulau Pisang – contains the Pulau Pisang Lighthouse. Although undisputed Malaysian sovereign territory, the lighthouse and the road leading to it are managed and operated by Singapore.

Understand

History

The Sultanate of Johor was founded in the early 16th century by the Alauddin Riayat Shah II, the son of Mahmud Shah, the last Sultan of Malacca who fled from the invading Portuguese. On its verge, the territory of Johor includes not only the present-day state of Malacca, but also Pahang, Singapore, the Riau Islands and part of Sumatra. In 1855, the British appointed Temenggong Daing Ibrahim as the de facto ruler of Johor. His son, Temenggong Abu Bakar, became Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor and started a period of modernisation for the country. In 1948, Johor joined the Federation of Malaya, which gained independence in 1957, and subsequently merged with Singapore, British North Borneo (today known as Sabah) and Sarawak to form Malaysia in 1963. Today, Johor is unique among the states of Malaysia for being the only one that has its own state army (separate from the Malaysian army).

In the 2000s, Johor started an ambitious economic development program named Iskandar Malaysia, aimed at leveraging Johor Bahru's proximity with Singapore to become a wealthy, bustling city and attracting foreign investment, similar to the way that the Chinese city of Shenzhen used its proximity to Hong Kong in order to develop. Nusajaya (current Iskandar Puteri) was conceived as a planned city set to become the new administrative capital of the state, and a period of massive construction has begun, specially in the areas of Johor Bahru and Iskandar Puteri.

Geography

Johor is the southernmost state in Peninsular Malaysia, and the third largest in land area, behind Pahang and Perak. Like the rest of Peninsular Malaysia, the east and west coasts of Johor are separated by the Banjaran Titiwangsa mountain range, with its larger cities being along the west coast, and the east coast being more rural and less developed.

Talk

Malay learners rejoice! Standard Malay is based on the Johor dialect, making this a good place to practise your Malay.

As with elsewhere in Malaysia, English is spoken by most middle-to-upper class Johoreans, so you should be able to get by in the cities. Various Chinese dialects are spoken by the ethnic Chinese community, differing from city to city (e.g. Teochew in Johor Bahru, Foochow/Hokchiu in Yong Peng), with most of them also able to speak Mandarin, while most Indians speak Tamil.

Get in

By plane

Senai International Airport

1 Senai International Airport (JHB ^IATA) located in Senai is the only airport in the state that serves commercial flights.

Alternative options include flying into Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and making your way into Johor overland.

By train

Johor Bahru is on the Malaysian rail network along Peninsular Malaysia which connects up to Thailand and Singapore. Train stations in Johor are 2 Batu Anam, 3 Segamat, Genuang, Tenang, 4 Labis, Bekok, Paloh, Chamek, 5 Kluang, Mengkibol, Rengam, Layang-Layang, 6 Kempas Baru and 7 JB Sentral.

Get around

Transportation between cities and towns in Johor are served by Causeway Link express or local bus services, connecting Johor Bahru to Batu Pahat (Ayer Hitam), Iskandar Puteri (Gelang Patah, Kota Iskandar), Kota Tinggi, Kulai (Senai) and Mersing.

See

Eat

See also: Cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei

Satay

Cuisine in Johor is influenced by Arabs and cultures of the surrounding Maritime Southeast Asia. Some dishes are a blend of ingredients not found anywhere else in Malaysia. Due to their difficult and sometimes complicated recipes, some can only be sampled during celebrations and state banquets. Johor's culinary specialities include mee rebus, spicy noodles in sweet potato soup, and Johor laksa, an offbeat version of the ubiquitous noodle dish: in Johor's version, the usual rice noodles are replaced with yellow egg noodles (not spaghetti) and topped with a thick paste of fish, onion, peanuts, chili peppers and spices. Mee rebus stulang, kacang pol haji, sayur kangkung cincin mas and others will surely bring up the mood plus with the nicely done ABC special, cendol and other varieties of hot drink to choose from.

• Laksa Johor is from Johor. It differs from laksa Penang by having coconut milk added during cooking. It also differs from other laksas by using spaghetti instead of rice-based noodles.
• Mee bandung Muar is also a dish originating from Johor, specifically from Muar Town. The term 'bandung' is not derived from Bandung, Indonesia but is a term for anything that is a mix of many ingredients. One of the most important ingredients is dried shrimp.
• Penganan kacau keledek is a dessert normally reserved for the Johor monarch and elites. It is made from sweet potatoes, a lot of eggs (at least 40), fresh coconut milk (not instant) and huge amounts of sugar. It is mixed together and stirred on a simmering heat for at least 4 hours.
• Mee rebus is a noodle dish that consists of mee (a spaghetti-like mixture of flour, salt and egg) and is served with a tangy, spicy brown sauce. Usually crumbs and boiled eggs are added.
• Arisa – A unique chicken dish that is very rare nowadays, and is normally served to royalty and social elites of Johor at formal functions and celebrations.
• Satay – is a popular food in Malaysia. Made from marinated meat or chicken and barbecued on a charcoal grill. Cooked satay is dipped in special peanut sauce. A favourite Malay food in Johor, mostly found in Johor Bahru and Muar Town.
• Telur pindang – Eggs boiled together with herbs and spices, popular during wedding feasts in Johor.
• Roti jala or Roti kirai – The name is derived from the Malay word roti (bread) and jala (net). A special ladle with a five-hole perforation used to make the bread look like a fish net (picture in the works). It is usually eaten spicy with curry or sweet with serawa. Serawa is made from a mixture of boiled coconut milk, brown sugar and pandan leaf.
• Nasi beriani gam – A biryani rice dish originating from India with a cooking method very similar to Hyderabad biryani but with spices adjusted to suit the Malay palate. This dish is very popular in Batu Pahat District.
• Ikan masak asam pedas – A sour stew of fish (usually mackerel), tamarind, chili, tomatoes, okra and Vietnamese coriander (daun kesum)
• Kacang pol - This dish is influenced by Arab cuisine in which special baked bread is served with a special sauce and a 'sunny side up' egg.
• Pisang salai or gimpi - Smoked banana
• Otak-otak – Steamed/Grilled fish cake usually served wrapped in sticks of coconut leaves. Two of the most popular varieties are Otak-otak Muar (spicy) and Otak-otak Gelang Patah (sweet).
• Mee soto – This Indonesian origin food is very popular in Johor. A combination of either noodles, rice or rice vermicelli, according to preference, is added with peanuts, beansprouts and chicken meat. This combination then is poured with special soup. This soup is made from chicken stock and some other spices. Enjoy it while it's hot.
• Mee bakso is almost identical to soto, but with meatballs instead of slices of chicken.
• Lontong is a combination of pressed rice and coconut soup with vegetables, served with boiled egg and chili.
• Burasak is a type of Buginese food.
• Halwa Maskat is a dessert that may have originated in Muscat, Oman.
• Kerutup ikan is fish steamed with a variety of local fragrant leaves.
• Pecal is a Javanese traditional cuisine made from long beans, slices of cucumber, beansprouts, tofu, tempe mix, and a peanut sauce.
• Tauhu bakar is made from tofu cooked on a grill and cut into cubes and dipped in a sauce.
• Pendaram
• Mee siput is a mixture of flour that expands in size when deep fried.
• Rojak petis is a combination of local vegetables mixed with black sauce made mostly from shrimp (otak udang).
• ABC – ABC is an abbreviation for air batu campur, also known as ais kacang Johor (ice kacang Johor). It is a special dessert created from shaved ice with corn, jelly, red beans, peanuts, syrup, pasteurised milk, and chocolate syrup. The meaning translates to bean ice.

Javanese-influenced cuisine

There are a few Johorean dishes with Javanese influences due to the high number of Javanese settlers in the state. These include lontong, nasi ambeng, satay and bontrot or berkat – both traditionally served after feasts like wedding ceremonies, Yasinan and others; and ungkep.

Stay safe

Take care of your personal belongings whilst strolling along the streets, particularly when alone. Do not dress inappropriately (primarily out of respect for local customs and cultures) and do not show expensive jewellery or count large amounts of money in public places. Take the same common-sense precautions you would elsewhere.

Go next

• Melaka
• Pahang