Iskandar Malaysia (formerly known as Iskandar Development Region and South Johor Economic Region), is the main southern development corridor in

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, 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 ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. It was established on 8 November 2006. Iskandar Malaysia is currently the largest

special economic zone A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

in Malaysia by investment value, having a total amount of over RM413.1 billion.

History

The investment corridor of Iskandar Malaysia (IM) grew out of a 2005 government requested feasibility study by the

Khazanah Nasional Khazanah Nasional Berhad (; Trade name, traded as Khazanah Nasional or simply Khazanah) is the sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Malaysia. One of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world, it was established to invest surplus ...

which found that the development of such a zone would be economically, socially and developmentally beneficial.Iskandar Regional Development Authority & Iskandar Malaysia Information Pack, 23 February 2007
Khazanah Nasional, pg 3, retrieved 3 March 2009 The National SJER Planning Committee (NSPC), hearing Khazanah's findings, put it in charge of developing a sustainable, holistic approach to development in the region. IM was singled out as among the high-impact developments of the

Ninth Malaysia Plan The Ninth Malaysian Plan (), abbreviated as '9MP', is a comprehensive blueprint prepared by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister's Department and the Finance Ministry of Malaysia with approval by the Cabinet of Malaysia. The pla ...

, put into action by the then

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia (; ) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the Government of Malaysia, federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister who is a membe ...

(

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi (, ; 26 November 1939 – 14 April 2025), also known as Pak Lah, was a Malaysian politician and civil servant who served as the fifth prime minister of Malaysia from 2003 to 2009. A member of UMNO, he was the party's ...

) in March 2006 to cover the period of 2006 to 2010. In November 2006, the Prime Minister, Chief Minister of Johor,

Abdul Ghani Othman Abdul Ghani bin Othman (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: عبدالغاني بن عثمان; born 14 November 1946) served as the 14th List of Menteris Besar of Johor, Menteri Besar of Johor in Malaysia from 1995 to 2013. He is a member of the United Malay ...

and Khazanah revealed the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). In 2007, the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) was established to meet annually and review cooperation and developments in IM. During the 16th meeting of the JMCIM on 14 July 2023, it was announced that a task force, led by the Ministry of Trade & Industry from Singapore and Ministry of Economy from Malaysia, would be formed to study the feasibility of setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Representatives of the two countries signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) on the SEZ on 11 January 2024.

Area

The development region encompasses an area of 2,300 km² covering

Johor Bahru District The Johor Bahru District is a Districts of Malaysia, district located in the southern part of Johor, Malaysia. It covers an area of 1,063.97km2 and has a population of 1.8 million, making it the second largest district in Malaysia by populatio ...

Kulai District The Kulai District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Its district capital is Kulai Town. It covers Kulai Town, Ayer Bemban, Bandar Putra Kulai, Bukit Batu, Indahpura, Bandar Baru Kangkar Pulai, Kelapa Sawit, Saleng, Sede ...

and part of

Pontian District Pontian District () is a district located in southwest part of the Malaysian state of Johor. It borders Batu Pahat and Kluang Districts to the north and Kulai and Johor Bahru Districts to the east. The district is home to Tanjung Piai, ...

. 5 local government authorities have jurisdiction over the covered area, including

Johor Bahru City Council Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB; ) is the city council which administrates Johor Bahru city centre and other areas of the Iskandar Malaysia area in Johor, Malaysia. This agency is under Johor state government. MBJB are responsible for public he ...

Iskandar Puteri City Council The Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP; ) is the city council which administrates Iskandar Puteri City in Johor, Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, ...

, Pasir Gudang City Council, Kulai Municipal Council, Pontian Municipal Council. The population of Iskandar Malaysia was slightly over 2 million in 2020.

Population by local government area

The population table is based on the official census of 2020 for the

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

areas within Iskandar Malaysia.

Major projects 2006-2025

* Iskandar Coastal Highway * Johor Bahru East Coast Highway * Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway * Johor Premium Outlets *

Kota Iskandar Kota Iskandar (Jawi: ) (formerly Johor State New Administrative Centre (JSNAC)) is the administrative centre of the state of Johor, Malaysia and its seat of government (Menteri Besar of Johor, Executive branch and Johor State Legislative Assembl ...

Larkin Sentral The Larkin Sentral (formerly Larkin Bus and Taxi Terminal) is a bus terminal located in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. It has direct bus services to and from many cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Hat Yai in Thailand. This ...

* Legoland Malaysia Resort *

Senai–Desaru Expressway Senai–Desaru Expressway (SDE; ; Malay language, Malay: ''Lebuhraya Senai–Desaru''), is an expressway in Johor, Malaysia. It connects Senai in central Johor to Desaru in eastern Johor. Measuring a total length of , it is the third east–west ...

* Iskandar Puteri HSR (shelved) *

Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System , , , , , The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is an international cross-border rapid transit system that will connect Malaysia's second largest city, Johor Bahru and Woodlands, Singapore, Woodlands, Si ...

* Forest City * Gerbang Nusajaya * Nusajaya Tech Park

Transportation

Air

The region is served by

Senai International Airport Senai International Airport , formerly known as Sultan Ismail International Airport, is an international airport serving Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second most populous district and other regions in southern Peninsular Malaysia. Located i ...

which is located in

Senai SENAI, or ' (), is a network of secondary level professional schools established and maintained by the Brazilian Confederation of Industry (a patronal syndicate). SENAI is one of the most important institutions in the country providing formal tr ...

. Six airlines,

AirAsia Capital A Berhad (), operating as AirAsia (stylised as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Established in 1993 and commencing operations in 1996, the airline is the largest in M ...

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines ( Malay: ''Penerbangan Malaysia'') is the flag carrier of Malaysia, headquartered at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The airline flies to destinations across Europe, Oceania and Asia from its main hub at Kuala Lumpur Int ...

Malindo Air Batik Air Malaysia (formerly known as Malindo Air) is a Malaysian full-service airline and a subsidiary of Indonesia's Lion Air Group. Headquartered in Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, the airline operates domestic and international fligh ...

Jin Air Jin Air Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean low-cost airline. As of April 2018, it operates flights to six domestic cities and 26 international destinations. It launched its first long haul route, between Incheon and Honolulu, in December 2015. It has ...

and

Xpress Air Xpress Air was an Indonesian domestic regular airline that offered direct flights to the eastern parts of Indonesia, with its first flight in 2005, and from 2014 international routes to Malaysia. Beginning with two Boeing 737s, Xpress Air was th ...

, provide flights internationally and domestically.

Train

The region consists of Johor Bahru Sentral, Kempas Baru and Kulai Station. The under-construction

in Johor Bahru city centre, is the first LRT system in Malaysia outside

Klang Valley Klang Valley () is an urban agglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and including their adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is the urban area of the much larger Ku ...

Sea

Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal

For cargo ports, the region consists of Johor Port in

Pasir Gudang Pasir Gudang is a city located in eastern Johor Bahru District, Johor, which is the second largest district in Malaysia by population. The main industries are transportation and logistics, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and other heavy industries ...

, Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in

Iskandar Puteri Iskandar Puteri (formerly known as Nusajaya) is a Cities of Malaysia, city and the administrative capital of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is situated along the Straits of Johor at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula and the southernmos ...

and Port of Tanjung Langsat in Pasir Gudang. PTP is currently the 15th busiest port in the world. For passenger service boats, the region consists of Johor Bahru International Ferry Terminal in Stulang, Johor Bahru, Kukup International Ferry Terminal in Kukup,

, Pasir Gudang Ferry Terminal in

and Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal in

Road

Iskandar Puteri houses Gelang Patah, GP Sentral, Kota Iskandar, Taman U, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah terminals. Johor Bahru houses JB Sentral,

, Taman Johor Jaya and Ulu Tiram terminals. Kulai houses Kulai Terminal. Pasir Gudang houses Masai and Pasir Gudang terminal. Pontian houses Pontian Public Transportation Terminal. Grab operates in the city. The internal roads linking different parts of the region are mostly federal roads constructed and maintained by

Malaysian Public Works Department The Malaysian Public Works Department (; Jawi: ) is the federal government department in Malaysia under Ministry of Works Malaysia (MOW) which is responsible for construction and maintenance of public infrastructure in West Malaysia and Labu ...

. The five major highways linking the Johor Bahru Central Business District to outlying suburbs are Tebrau Highway and Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway in the northeast, Skudai Highway in the northwest, Iskandar Coastal Highway in the west, and Johor Bahru East Coast Highway in the east. Pasir Gudang Highway and the connecting Johor Bahru Parkway cross Tebrau Highway and Skudai Highway, which serve as the middle

ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...

of the metropolitan area. The Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road aids in controlling traffic around the city center of

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru, abbreviated as JB, is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Johor. It is the core city of Johor Bahru District, Malaysia's second-largest district by population and the second-largest district economy. Covering an area of ...

. Access to the national expressway is provided through the North–South Expressway and the

. The

Johor–Singapore Causeway The Johor–Singapore Causeway is a causeway consisting of a combined railway and motorway crossing that links Malaysia's second largest city of Johor Bahru across the Straits of Johor to the district and town of Woodlands in Singapore. It ...

links the city to

Woodlands, Singapore Woodlands is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential town located in the North Region, Singapore, North Region of Singapore. As of 2019, the town has a population of 254,733. Located approximately ...

with a six-lane road and a railway line terminating at the Southern Integrated Gateway. The

Malaysia–Singapore Second Link The Malaysia–Singapore Second Link (, zh, 馬新第二通道) is a bridge connecting Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In Singapore, it is officially known as the Tuas Second Link. The bridge was built to reduce the traffic congestion at the Jo ...

, located west of the metropolitan area, was constructed in 1997 to alleviate congestion on the Causeway. It is linked directly to the

Second Link Expressway The Second Link Expressway is a controlled-access highway in Johor, Malaysia. It runs from Senai, Kulai District near the Senai International Airport, international airport to the Malaysia–Singapore Second Link at Tanjung Kupang, Johor Bahru ...

, Johor Bahru Parkway, the railway station, and the North–South Expressway. Further expansion of other major highways in the city were currently ie process. Iskandar Malaysia Bus Service (BIM) was a joint venture between the Johor State Government and the Iskandar Malaysia Public Transport Corporation (PAIM), under the supervision of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) that operated 16 routes in 2014.

References

{{Economy of Malaysia Geography of Johor * Development Corridors in Malaysia 2006 establishments in Malaysia Metropolitan areas of Malaysia