Johor Bahru - City of Malaysia

Johor Bahru, also spelled Johor Baharu, Johor Baru or Johore Bahru and abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of Johor in southern Malaysia. Johor Bahru is the southernmost city of the Eurasian mainland, and Pasir Pelangi, the royal village, is located within Johor Bahru city.

With a population of approximately 900,000 in the city, and over 1.8 million in its metropolitan area, it is the second largest urban area in the country after the national capital, Kuala Lumpur and its associated Klang Valley region. The total population of the Singapore-Johor Bahru conurbation is 6.5 million, which is one of the highest in Southeast Asia. Johor Bahru is within walking distance from Singapore, and receives more than 60% of the country's annual 16 million foreign tourists via its bridges and road links to Singapore. The city is an important industrial, tourism and commercial hub for southern Malaysia and one of the biggest industrial centers of the country. The population growth rate of Johor Bahru is among the highest in Southeast Asia.

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, and Chinese businessman Wong Ah Fook. 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.

Johor Bahru has witnessed a few major Malaysian historical events such as the establishment of the leading political party in Malaysia, UMNO , in 1946.

On 1 January 1994, Johor Bahru was officially granted city status and Dato Hashim Yahya became the first mayor. The City Square was constructed to commemorate this event.