JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA

Johor Bahru is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia, located just to the north of Singapore. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city on the Eurasian mainland. Pasir Pelangi, the royal village, is located within Johor Bahru. In 2010 the city had a population of about 1,400,000. The population is 47.5 percent Malay, 34.2 percent Chinese, 9.0 percent Indian, 0.6 percent other minorities and 8.7 percent non-citizens.
Johor Bahru was founded in 1855 when the sovereign ruler of Johor, Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, established his administrative headquarters there. Johor Bahru quickly expanded into a town under Abu Bakar's direction. Many of the town's buildings were constructed during Abu Bakar's reign, notably the State Mosque, Istana Besar, and the Menteri Besar's residence—many of which were built by Wong Ah Fook, a Toisanese-Chinese contractor who became a close patron of Abu Bakar. The town also saw an influx of Chinese immigrants.

Johor Bahru expanded in size from the 1960s onwards. During the 1970s and 1980s, new townships and industrial estates were built in villages and hamlets north and east of Johor Bahru, such as Tebrau and Plentong. By the early 1990s, Johor Bahru had considerably expanded in size, and was officially granted recognition as a city on 1 January 1994. Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru, the city council, was formed and the city's current main square, Dataran Bandaraya Johor Bahru, was constructed to commemorate this event.

A central business district was developed in the centre of the city from the mid-1990s in the area around Jalan Wong Ah Fook and the Johor-Singapore Causeway. The state and federal government channelled considerable funds for the development of the city—particularly more so after 2006, when the Iskandar Malaysia development region blueprint was formalised. Johor government decided to moved their administrative headquarters since 1859 from Bukit Timbalan to Nusajaya, Gelang Patah, and renames it as Kota Iskandar.

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme.