Johor

State in southern Peninsular Malaysia; area 19,000 sq km/7,000 sq mi; population (2000 est) 2,565,700. The capital is Johor Bahru. The southernmost point of mainland Asia, the state is mainly flat and low-lying, and is joined to Singapore by a causeway. It has a long coastline (400 km/250 mi) on the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca. Johor is mainly forested, with extensive areas of swamp, and for a long time inaccessibility hindered economic development. However, in 1919 the railway network of the Malay Peninsula was extended to Singapore, and large-scale plantation agriculture became established, producing rubber, palm oil, coconuts, and pineapples. The state also has mineral wealth: bauxite is mined at Teluk Ramunia, and reserves of tin and iron have also been identified.

Johor lacks deepwater harbours, so much of its international trade passes through Singapore, which is, in turn, dependent on Johor for much of its raw materials and for a water supply from the Teberau River.