Johor

Johor is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore to the south and Indonesia to the east and west. As of 2025, the state's population is 4.2 million, making it the second most populous state in Malaysia, after Selangor. Johor Bahru is the capital city and the economic centre of the state, Kota Iskandar is the state administrative centre and Muar serves as the royal capital.

Johor is one of Malaysia's most important economic hubs, having the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in Malaysia outside of the Klang Valley, making it the country's second largest state economy. Its household income and total salaries are also the second highest among all Malaysian states. Johor has the world's second largest artificial intelligence hub, robust manufacturing and logistics centres, and home to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, the 15th busiest port in the world. Located in southern Johor, Iskandar Malaysia is Malaysia's largest special economic zone by investment value.

Johor's history began with the Johor Sultanate, which emerged as a rump state of the Malacca Sultanate. It operated as a sovereign state until the arrival of European powers, when the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 divided the wider polity between the British and the Dutch and fixed Johor's modern boundaries. Johor remained largely self-governing until 1885, when British oversight increased through the appointment of a General Adviser who directed all affairs over the Sultan apart from matters of local religion and customs. Johor became a British protected state within the Unfederated Malay States in 1914, a position interrupted only by the Japanese occupation of Malaya. After the war, it joined the Malayan Union in 1946 and subsequently the Federation of Malaya in 1948, the latter of which gained its independence from the British in 1957, before entering modern-day Malaysia under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963.

Johor has high diversity in ethnicity, culture, language, and is known for its traditional dance of zapin and kuda kepang. The head of state is the Sultan of Johor, while the head of government is the Chief Minister. The government system is closely modelled on the Westminster system. Johor is divided into administrative districts, with Johor Bahru District being the second largest district in Malaysia by population and economy. Islam is the state religion, but other religions can be freely practised. Johor has diverse tropical rainforests and an equatorial climate. Situated at the southern foothills of the Tenasserim Hills, inselbergs and massifs dominate the state's flat landscape, with Mount Ledang being the highest point.