Johor Bahru
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- For other uses, see Johor Bahru (disambiguation).
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| Missing image Map_johor_bahru.gif Image:Map_johor_bahru.gif | |||||
| District | Johor Bahru District | ||||
| Area - Total (City) | 185 km² | ||||
| Population
- City (2004)
| 500,000 1,500,000 | ||||
| Time zone | UTC+8 | ||||
| Latitude
| Template:Coor dm | ||||
Johor Bahru, also spelled Johor Baru or Johore Bahru and near-universally abbreviated as JB, is the largest city and capital of the state of Johor, in southern Malaysia. It is the second largest city in Malaysia, after the national capital, Kuala Lumpur. With a population of 500,000 (1.5 million people in the metropolitan area), the city is an important industrial, tourism and commercial hub. Tourism is especially important, and the city receives 60% of the country's annual 16 million foreign tourists via bridge and road links to Singapore.
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History
Johor Bahru was founded in 1855 by Temenggung Daeng Ibrahim, the father of Sultan Abu Bakar, one of the best-remembered of all Malay Sultans. The town was originally named Tanjung Puteri, and it had its beginnings as a small Malay fishing village. Sultan Abu Bakar changed the name to Johor Bahru when he proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom in 1866, after he moved the seat of government from the old capital at Teluk Belanga in Singapore.
Sultan Abu Bakar was descended from Temenggong Abdul Rahman, the local chief who signed the initial treaty with the British when they sought permission to lease Singapore island in 1819. Much of the prosperity Johor enjoys today can be traced directly to Sultan Abu Bakar's success in persuading British and Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in agricultural estates in the area. Sultan Abu Bakar took a great interest in planning and laying out his royal city of Johor Bahru; consequently, much of the city today bears his name and marks. For example, the Royal Abu Bakar Museum and Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque are named after him.
Johor Bahru has witnessed a few major Malaysian historical events such as the establishment of the leading political party in Malaysia, UMNO (United Malays National Organisation), in 1946. With the coming of the independence of Malaysia, Johor Bahru has witnessed massive development under the Malaysian government. As of today, thousands of Singaporeans have visited Johor Bahru daily, from commercial to recreational purposes, which has let to a gain in the city's economy.
Government
Johor Bahru metropolitan area contains the following local councils:
- Johor Bahru City Council (Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru)
- Johor Bahru Tengah Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah)
- District Council of Kulai (Majlis Daerah Kulai)
- Local Authority Of Bandar Tenggara (Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan Bandar Tenggara)
- Local Authority of Pasir Gudang (Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan Pasir Gudang)
- District Council of Pontian (Majlis Daerah Pontian)
- District Council of Kota Tinggi (Majlis Daerah Kota Tinggi)
In a recent report by The Star Newspaper, the state of Johor was listed by the federal government as one with the highest budget deficit among the federal states of Malaysia.
Geography
Johor Bahru is located at Template:Coor dm. The city administers a total area of 185 Sq. Km. It is situated on the Straits of Johor (also know as the Straits of Tebrau), which separates Malaysia and Singapore. Metropolitan Johor Bahru occupies extensive coastal land consisting of ecologically rich swamp areas and important river systems such as Sungai Johor, Sungai Pulai and Sungai Tebrau.
Economy
As one of the three main urban centres on the Malaysian peninsula (Kuala Lumpur and Penang being the other two), Johor Bahru is an important industrial, logistical and commercial centre. Its major industries include electronics, resource and petrochemical refinery, and ship-building.
Johor Bahru is often thought of as Singapore's hinterland, similar to what Shenzhen is to Hong Kong. The presence of Singapore-owned companies and tourists are significant. Johor Bahru's many shopping complexes cater to tourists from Singapore who visit the city for shopping and entertainment, taking advantage of the stronger Singapore dollar. As such, Johor Bahru's retail scene is highly developed for a city of its size. The main shopping districts are located within Johor Bahru city, with a number of large shopping malls located in the suburbs.
The heavy industrial areas are Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Langsat, located east of the metropolitan area. They contain clusters of refineries, chemical processing plants, and ship-building factories. Light to medium industrial areas are mainly located north and north-west of the metropolitan area in Tebrau, Tampoi, Senai, Skudai and Kulai.
Infrastructure
Jbskyline.jpg
Johor Bahru Central Business District (CBD) or Daerah Sentral Johor Bahru, is located on the southern tip of the metropolitan area. Two major highways link the CBD to outlaying suburbs, with Tebrau Highway linking to the north-east and Tun Abdul Razak (TAR) Highway/Senai-Skudai Highway linking to the north-west. Pasir Gudang Highway and the connecting Johor Bahru Parkway crosses Tebrau Highway and TAR Highway about midway and serves as the middle ring road of the metropolitan area.
Additionally, the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road aids in controlling the traffic in and around the CBD. Access to the national expressway system is possible via the North-South Expressway, with entry-exit points located strategically within the metropolitan area. Additionally, the Causeway links the CBD to the city-state of Singapore with a six-lane road and a railway line. The Second Link Expressway located west of the metropolitan area was constructed in 1997 to help alleviate the congested Causeway. It is linked directly to Johor Bahru Parkway and North-South Expressway.
Senai International Airport is located north-west of the metropolitan area, and it is served by regional and national airlines. The Port of Tanjung Pelepas, located west of the metropolitan area, is Malaysia's biggest transshipment hub. Johor Port (or Pasir Gudang Port), located east of the metropolitan area. It is one of Malaysia's most important commodity seaports.
Johor Bahru is also home to three radio stations. Best 104 (http://www.best104.fm/) is the country's first private radio station, Johor FM (http://www.rtmjb.net.my/) is a government-owned regional station, and FMJB (http://www.rtmjb.net.my/fmjb/main.htm), is another government-owned station covering only the city.
Cover Up of Sungai Segget
Legaransegget.jpg
The Sungai Segget was covered up and turned into a pedestrian walk, The Legaran Segget. The process completed in 2005. Before the cover up, the river smelled so bad that they had to cover it up not to give a bad image of JB city centre. The project cost RM6 million.
Related article
- Johor Bahru landmarks (businesses, buildings, places of worship, etc.)
External links
Template:Districts of Johorms:Johor Bahru id:Johor Bahru ja:ジョホールバル zh:新山