Map of Johor
Johor is a first-level division of Malaysia. Its largest mapped city is Johor Bahru, with about 875,000 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Johor, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- Johor Bahru
- Country
- Malaysia
Interactive Map of Johor
About Johor
Johor is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore to the south and Indonesia to the east and west. As of 2025, the state's population is 4.2 million, making it the second most populous state in Malaysia, after Selangor. Johor Bahru is the capital city and the economic centre of the state, and Muar serves as the royal capital.
Johor is one of Malaysia's most important economic hubs, having the highest gross domestic product in Malaysia outside of the Klang Valley, making it the country's second largest state economy. Its household income and total salaries are also the second highest among all Malaysian states. Johor has the world's second largest artificial intelligence hub, robust manufacturing and logistics centres, and home to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, the 15th busiest port in the world. Located in southern Johor, Iskandar Malaysia is Malaysia's largest special economic zone by investment value.
Johor's history began with the Johor Sultanate, which emerged as a rump state of the Malacca Sultanate. It operated as a sovereign state until the arrival of European powers, when the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 divided the wider polity between the British and the Dutch and fixed Johor's modern boundaries. Johor remained largely self-governing until 1885, when British oversight increased through the appointment of a General Adviser who directed all affairs over the Sultan apart from matters of local religion and customs. Johor became a British protected state within the Unfederated Malay States in 1914, a position interrupted only by the Japanese occupation of Malaya. After the war, it joined the Malayan Union in 1946 and subsequently the Federation of Malaya in 1948, the latter of which gained its independence from the British in 1957, before entering modern-day Malaysia under the Malaysia Agreement of 1963.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Johor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Johor in Depth
History
A bronze bell estimated to be from 150 AD was found in Kampong Sungai Penchu near the Muar River. The bell is believed to have been used as a ceremonial object rather than a trade object as a similar ceremonial bell with the same decorations was found in Battambang province, Cambodia, suggesting that the Malay coast came in contact with Funan, with the bell being a gift from the early kingdom in mainland Asia to local chieftains in the Malay Peninsula. Another important archaeological find was the ancient lost city of Kota Gelanggi, which was discovered by following trails described in an old Malay manuscript once owned by Stamford Raffles. Artefacts gathered in the area have reinforced claims of early human settlement in the state.
Geography
The total land area of Johor is nearly 19,166 square kilometres (7,400 sq mi), and it is surrounded by the South China Sea to the east, the Straits of Johor to the south and the Straits of Malacca to the west. The southernmost point of mainland Eurasia, is located at Tanjung Piai. The state has 400 kilometres (250 mi) of coastline, of which 237.7 kilometres (147.7 mi) have been eroding. A majority of its coastline, especially on the west coast is covered with mangrove and nipah forests. The east coast is dominated by sand beaches and rocky headlands, while the south coast consists of a series of alternating headlands and bays. Its exclusive economic zone extends much further in the South China Sea than in the Straits of Malacca.
Economy
Johor's economy is mainly based on the tertiary sector, namely services, manufacturing, construction, etc. In 2023, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Johor was RM148.2 billion, the second highest among Malaysian states after Selangor and the largest outside the Klang Valley. The state's median income was RM5,652 in 2024, making it the state with the second highest median household income. In 2024, Johor had the fastest GDP growth rate among all Malaysian states and accounted for 9.6 per cent of Malaysia's GDP. The state has the largest services sector and real estate development outside the Klang Valley, with the former contributing 8.6 percent of the country's services sector's GDP in 2023.
Johor is the top investment destination in Malaysia.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Johor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Johor: Key Facts
| Population | 3,348,283 (2010) |
|---|---|
| Area | 19,210 km² |
| Capital | Johor Bahru |
| Head of government | Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor |
Facts from Wikidata Q183032 (CC0).
History of Johor: Empires and States
The atlas records 10 polities whose mapped territory included part of Johor, from Srivijaya in 692 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Srivijaya | 692–1293 CE |
| Malaya | 1294–1351 CE |
| Majapahit | 1352–1474 CE |
| The Majapahit Empire | 1352–1474 CE |
| Sultanate of Malacca | 1459–1511 CE |
| The Portuguese Empire | 1512–1528 CE |
| Sultanate of Johor | 1529–1884 CE |
| British Colonial Empire | 1885–1957 CE |
| The British Empire | 1885–1957 CE |
| Malaysia | 1963–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Johor
Johor on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Johor
Johor, formerly Johore, is the southernmost and third largest state of Peninsular Malaysia. It also has the second largest economy among the states of Peninsular Malaysia, only behind Selangor.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Johor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Johor
4 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johor Bahru | 875,000 | Johor | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Batu Pahat | 199,619 | Johor | Populated place |
| 3 | Muar | 191,346 | Johor | Populated place |
| 4 | Keluang | 169,828 | Johor | Populated place |
Ports in Johor
4 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muar | 56.7 m | Very Small | Strait of Malacca & Singapore | medium vessels |
| 2 | Tanjung Pelepas | 27.4 m | Minor | Strait of Malacca & Singapore | large vessels |
| 3 | Pelabuhan Sungai Udang | 20.1 m | Very Small | Strait of Malacca & Singapore | medium vessels |
| 4 | Melaka | — | Small | Strait of Malacca & Singapore | medium vessels |
Johor: Quick Answers
- Where is Johor?
- Johor is a first-level division of Malaysia, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 1.8511° N, 103.1365° E.
- What is the largest city in Johor?
- Johor Bahru is the largest city mapped in Johor, with a metropolitan population of about 875,000.
- How many cities are in Johor?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in Johor, with a combined metropolitan population of about 1.44 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.