Johor Bahru

As a major financial and business centre in Malaysia, Johor Bahru is Malaysia's second best-performing city behind only Kuala Lumpur, in terms of economic competitiveness, prosperity, and ease of doing business, according to the World Bank. It has the third highest quality of life in ASEAN, after Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, with the fastest urbanisation growth and internet speed among Malaysian cities. As one of the world's 100 most visited cities, Johor Bahru has the busiest land border crossing globally, via the Johor-Singapore Causeway, KTM Intercity and the future RTS Link to Singapore. Johor Bahru is served by Senai International Airport and the world's 15th-busiest port, Tanjung Pelepas.

During the reign of Sultan Abu Bakar between 1886 and 1895, the city witnessed modernisation from a fishing village, with the construction of administrative centres, offices, schools, and railways to Woodlands, Singapore. Japanese forces occupied Johor Bahru during the Pacific War.