Straits of Johor

The Johor-Singapore Causeway spanning the Strait, as viewed from the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore.

The Eastern entrance of the Johore Strait, as viewed from a plane landing at Changi Airport, with Singapore Island on the left and Pulau Ubin in the background

The Strait of Johore (also known as the Tebrau Strait, Johore Strait, Selat Johor, Selat Tebrau, and Tebrau Reach) is a strait that separates the Malaysian state of Johor on mainland Eurasia to the north from Singapore to the south.

History

The Strait of Johore is the location of two Victoria Cross deeds. The award was for Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser and Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis for the sinking of the 9,850-tonne Japanese cruiser Takao on 31 July 1945.

There are currently two man-made land connections over the strait. The Johor-Singapore Causeway, known simply as "The Causeway", links Johor Bahru and Woodlands in Singapore, while a bridge, known as the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, further west of the strait links Gelang Patah in Johor and Tuas in Singapore.

In 2003, Malaysia wanted to build a bridge across the strait to replace the existing causeway, but negotiations with Singapore were not successful. The main reasons cited for the change were:

1. a bridge would allow free flow of water across both sides of the strait which were artificially cut in two with the building of the causeway before (this would allow ships to bypass the port of Singapore).
2. a bridge would help ease congestion in Johor Bahru.

In August 2003, Malaysia announced that it was going ahead with a plan to build a gently sloping, curved bridge that would join up with Singapore's half of the existing causeway. The plans included a swing bridge for the railway line. However, plans to build the bridge have been called off as of 2006.

The area is also a source of contention due to Singapore's land reclamation projects on its north-eastern islands. There have been suggestions that the ongoing land reclamation projects may impact the maritime boundary, shipping lanes, and water ecology of the Malaysian side. Reclamation projects may also endanger the habitat and food source of dugongs, which are native to the strait.

Places of interest

Strait of Johore's most famous tourist attraction is Lido Beach, located on the Malaysian side of the strait. Here, visitors can walk or cycle along the 2 km stretch of the beach. There are also numerous restaurants and food stalls like Tepian Tebrau where one can sample delicacies that Johor Bahru has to offer.

Tributaries

Major tributaries which empty into the Strait of Johore include:

• Sungai Tebrau
• Sungai Segget
• Johor River
• Sungai Sengkuang
• Sungai Haji Rahmat
• Sungai Kempas
• Sungai Sri Buntan
• Sungai Abd Samad
• Sungai Air Molek
• Sungai Stulang
• Sungai Setanggong
• Sungai Tampoi
• Sungai Sebulong
• Sungai Bala
• Sungai Pandan
• Sungai Tengkorak
• Sungai Plentong
• Sungai Senibong
• Sungai Pulai

Note: Sungai is the Malay word for river.