The Southern Gateway to Malaysia Quiz

Answer: Iskandar Puteri

Johor Bahru was originally a fishing village named Tanjung Puteri. In 1855, under an agreement with the British Government, the territory of the State of Johor was transferred to Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim, a nobleman, who renamed Tanjung Puteri as Iskandar Puteri. The name was changed to Johor Bahru in 1866 by Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim's successor, Temenggong Abu Bakar, who eventually assumed the title of Sultan Abu Bakar. Johor Bahru was granted city status in 1994.

Today, the city lies within a district of the same name and functions as the capital city of both the District of Johor Bahru and the State of Johor. A neighbouring city, Iskandar Puteri, also located within the District of Johor Bahru, serves as the administrative capital of the state. The city of Iskandar Puteri was established when a second land connection to Singapore was constructed in the 1990s and the area adjacent to the bridge was developed as Nusajaya. In 2016, Nusajaya was renamed Iskandar Puteri in honour of the historical name of Johor Bahru.

This question was penned then reworded by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Queen Victoria

Abu Bakar became the Temenggong of Johor upon the death of his father Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim in 1862. In 1868 he changed his title to Maharaja as the Malay title of Temenggong held little significance in the other parts of the world. In 1885, in reaction to hostile politics by the then British Governor of the Straits Settlements, Abu Bakar sought to change his title once again to Sultan and requested legal recognition for the change from Britain, which he received.

Abu Bakar became the first Malay leader to travel to Europe where he met Queen Victoria in 1866. They formed a lifelong friendship during the visit. Because of his diplomatic skills he was able to maintain internal autonomy for Johor while other states on Peninsular Malaya came under more and more British control.

Through his leadership the agricultural economy of Johor, which was founded by ethnic Chinese, flourished. He also helped establish Westernized infrastructure, administrative systems, and military and civil service.

This question was copied into the quiz by royal scribe and Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Equatorial

Johor Bahru is in the northern hemisphere and situated about 160 km (100 mi) from the equator. An equatorial climate is the same as saying that it has a tropical rainforest climate. As such, its temperature is relatively consistent the year round and it rains a lot there. Average rainfall is about 2,350 mm (93 in) a year.

The city endures two monsoon periods during the year. The Northeast monsoon arrives around November and runs through to March. This one will bring much heavier rains to the city. The Southwest monsoon is between May and September and does not change the rainfall significantly.

Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 decided to rain on his own parade when he wrote this question.

Answer: No

Johor's (State) flag seeks to showcase/symbolize the state as a whole. As such, the field of the flag is a dark blue colour to represent the universe that is Johor. In the upper left corner (canton) is a bright red field that denotes the soldiers that have given up their lives in the defence of the state. Within this red field is a white crescent and star. This shows the state's devotion to both Islam and its sovereign ruler. A slight twist here is that the red canton does not (geometrically) represent a quarter. Instead, it takes up 60% of the hoist side of the flag.

Technically, Johor Bahru City does not have a flag, it belongs to the Johor Bahru City Council (Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru). Some may argue that this is the same and is representative of the city, but it's a debate that won't be entered into here. The City Council flag's field is made up of three horizontal stripes of (in descending order) red, white and blue. The red represents the city's status as the leading developing region in the south. The white represents the city's multi-racial residents who support the council in developing the city. The blue represents the function of the council as it serves the city and the council's hope and vision for Johor Bahru. The crescent and the star also appear though, on this flag, they are yellow in colour and resides entirely within the white stripe.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who once spoke to a flag. It didn't answer back, but it did wave.

Answer: The Second Link

The Johor-Singapore Causeway is a 1 km (0.6 mi) link between Johor Bahru and Singapore. Its construction was proposed in 1917 to replace the overloaded existing ferry services. The Causeway is a combination of a railway and a motorway bridge. Since its opening in 1924, it has grown into one of the busiest land border crossings in the world, with an estimated 300,000 crossings daily.

To alleviate traffic congestion on the Causeway, a second bridge was built. The Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, measuring 1.9 km (1.2 mi), lies about 32 km (20 mi) west of the Causeway and joins Iskandar Puteri in Johor Bahru District to Tuas in Singapore. Although traffic on the Second Link is generally lighter than on the Causeway, congestion still occurs during festive periods and school holidays as travellers visit both sides of the border.

Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing thought about bridging this question but couldn't get over it.

Answer: A transportation hub

The Southern Integrated Gateway is a complex that houses the Customs, Immigrations and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, the city's railway station, and a bus terminal. The railway station and bus terminal are contained within a building known as Johor Bahru Sentral. From the Gateway, travellers can board buses and trains or exit the country through the CIQ. Buses that call at the JB Sentral terminal ply routes around the city and its suburbs. There are also shuttle services for tourists who wish to visit major shopping centres in the city or theme parks that are located outside the city.

Trains that stop at JB Sentral bring travellers north to other parts of the country or south to Singapore via the Causeway. Cross-border buses are also available at the CIQ, which is located at the Johor Bahru end of the Causeway. Private vehicles also pass through the CIQ to get to Singapore.

The different parts of this question were centralised by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

Answer: Indonesia

As the Southern Gateway to Malaysia, Johor Bahru has multiple access points. There are two bridges (Causeway and Second Link) that connect to Singapore, an international airport (Senai International Airport) that offers direct flights to selected destinations in the region and several ferry terminals that offer routes to the nearby islands of Bintan and Batam in Indonesia.

Domestically, one can board express bus services to other cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia and even to Singapore or Thailand from Johor Bahru's largest public transport terminal, the Larkin Sentral Bus Terminal.

Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing shipped this question by land, sea and air to its destination.

Answer: Segget

The English word was "sea-gate", according to Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, former CEO of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), an organization set up to develop the centre of the city. The Seagate sat at the end of the river, just before it flowed into the Straits of Johor. The locals contracted the word and, in the local language, it became Segget.

The river had been the hub of the city from its inception, being a vital port for trade. However, developments in other forms of transport and infrastructure saw the need for the river diminish. Allowed to degrade, the river was eventually labelled the "dirtiest river in Malaysia".

The Johor Bahru City Centre Transformation Plan, led by IRDA, was put in place to re-invigorate the city centre with an emphasis being placed on rejuvenating Segget and returning it to its place of prominence as the heartbeat of the city. Not only is it being cleaned up but also divided into three sections to highlight (a) the city's history and heritage (b) provide a zone for culture and the arts to flourish and (c) provide for families with fun and leisure areas.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19, who was pleased to see that the river had been cleaned... it had such a dirty mouth.

Answer: Kite museum

There has been an International Kite Festival in Pasir Gudang since 1995. In 2002, a museum was built to house an exhibition dedicated to Malaysian kite making called Wau, pronounced "wow". In fact the wau bulan, or moon kite, is a national symbol of Malaysia and is the basis of the logo for Malaysia Airlines. The wau kucing, or cat kite, is another very popular design. The designs on the kites usually follow floral and vine motifs with the flowers representing the female and the vines the male.

Pasir Gudang, located adjacent to Johor Bahru City in the District of Johor Bahru, started out as a sand mine to supply sand to Singapore in 1918. "Pasir" means "sand" in Malay and "gudang" means "godown" or "warehouse". Over time it has developed into a large industrial area supporting shipbuilding, transportation and logistics, petrochemicals, and oil palm storage and distribution. Pasir Gudang was designated a city in 2020. Together with Johor Bahru City and Iskandar Puteri City, the three cities and their surrounding areas make up Iskandar Malaysia, a development corridor in Johor State and the second largest urban agglomeration in Malaysia.

This question was flown into the quiz on a string by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

Answer: Along streets

The night markets consist of hawker stalls that are set up along a stretch of road in residential areas. Each area holds the market one night a week and it is possible to shop at a night market every night of the week by visiting the different residential areas. The main draw of the night markets is the street food sold there. One can expect to find a tempting array of local delights ranging from finger food to snacks to substantial meals. In addition to food, hawkers also offer clothes, footwear, accessories, household products, fresh produce, and much more, all at bargain prices. It is a charming way to experience the heartbeat of Johor Bahru.

Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing shopped at a pasar malam and haggled over this tasty little question.