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Johor Bahru (Malaysian:), colloquially referred to as JB, is the core city of Johor Bahru District, and the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia (the second-largest district in the country, by population). It is the second-largest national GDP-contributor among the major cities in Malaysia, and forms a part of Iskandar Malaysia, the nation's largest special economic zone, by investment value. The city has a population of 858,118 people within an area of 391.25 km.

As the financial centre and logistics hub of southern Peninsular Malaysia, Johor Bahru has been ranked the second-most competitive city in the nation behind the capital, Kuala Lumpur. Geographically, it is located at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, north of the city-state metropolis of Singapore, specifically Woodlands. Johor Bahru serves as one of two international border crossings, on the Malaysian side, between the country and Singapore, making it the busiest international border crossing in the world; its direct land link to Singapore, via the JB-Woodlands Causeway (the other being the (Tuas) Second Link at Iskandar Puteri), KTM Intercity (Shuttle Tebrau) and the future RTS Link (under construction), is a key economic driver of the border city. Johor Bahru is categorised as Zone A of Iskandar Malaysia, adjacent to Senai International Airport and the 16th-busiest port in the world, Tanjung Pelepas.

During the reign of Sultan Abu Bakar (between 1886–1895), there was further development and modernisation within the city, with the construction of administrative centres, offices, schools, civic and religious buildings, and railways connecting to Woodlands in Northern Singapore. Along with most of Southeast Asia, Japanese forces occupied Johor Bahru from 1942 to 1945 during the Pacific War. Johor Bahru thus became the post-war cradle of Malay nationalism, and a major political party (known as the United Malays National Organisation, or UMNO) was founded at the Istana Besar of Johor Bahru in 1946. After the formation of modern Malaysia in 1963, Johor Bahru retained its status as state capital, and was eventually granted city status, in 1994.