Iskandar Puteri

Iskandar Puteri is a city and the administrative capital of the state of Johor, Malaysia. Situated along the Straits of Johor at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, it functions as the southernmost city of continental Eurasia.

Historically, the surrounding territory was occupied largely by fishing villages and populated by Malays and Orang Laut tribes. Early records note that the area facing the narrowest point of the Tebrau Straits was designated as Sempit Puteri. A historical turning point arrived in 1855 when Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim secured his claim over the Johor throne, relocating the divided kingdom's capital from Telok Blangah in Singapore to Tanjung Puteri and renaming the location Iskandar Puteri. Subsequent developments over generations transformed the district. In 1993, under the leadership of the fourth Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, plans advanced for a second bridge linking Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Entrepreneur Halim Saad secured financing through the Bank for Renong Berhad to acquire extensive land alongside this Second Link, laying the groundwork for a new township initially known as Nusajaya. The area experienced further administrative evolution following earlier municipal reorganizations in the 1950s and 1960s, including the 1978 formation of the Johor Bahru Tengah District Council and its 2001 upgrade to municipal status.

Today, the municipal area of Iskandar Puteri holds a population of 575,597 inhabitants based on 2020 data, ranking as the second largest city in Johor and the 13th most populous urban centre in Malaysia. The city contains Kota Iskandar, which serves as the seat of government encompassing the executive and legislative branches for the state of Johor. Within its boundaries also sits the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, noted as the 15th busiest container port globally. The locality operates within the Johor Bahru District alongside adjacent cities such as Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang.