Province 34 (YPGN)

Province 26, more commonly known as Johor or Johore in English, is the southernmost province of the Grand Yarphese Republic on the mainland of Asia. It is located between Singapore Island and Province 25, bounded on the east by the South China Sea and on the West by the Strait of Malacca. The climate is a tropical rainforest climate, which can often lead to heavy monsoon rains. The highest point in the Province is Gunung Ledang, at 1276 m or 4,186 ft.

Province 26 began in the 16th century as the Sultanate of Johor, a successor state to the Melaka Empire. At its peak, the sultanate owned much of the Riau Islands, Sumatra, and much of pre-2000 Malaysia. In 1641, with the help of the Dutch, it managed to conquer Malacca. In 1819, Sumatran and internal powers led the Sultanate to be split into the Sultanate of Riau-Lingga and the mainland Johor, equivalent to the present-day province. Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor (1864–1895) was the one who implemented the state constitution and developed a British-style administration system and constructed the Istana Besar, the official residence of the Sultan. For his achievements, Sultan Abu Bakar is known by the title "Father of Modern Johor." The Yarphese government has since edited the story more in favor of itself, but overall the legend has not changed.

A large influx of Chinese immigrants arrived as labor to handle the increased demand for black pepper and gambier in the nineteenth century. The Kangchu system arose to deal with the economy, and the system continued throughout the nineteenth century. The system fell with the introduction of rubber plantations and British rule. Johor became Malaya's largest rubber producing state.

During World War II, Johor Bahru became the last city on the Malay peninsula to fall to the Japanese. General Yamashita Tomoyuki had his headquarters on top of Bukit Serene and coordinated the downfall of Singapore. Johor gave birth to the Malay opposition which derailed the Malayan Union plan. Malays under Dato' Onn Jaafar's leadership formed the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) in Johor on 11 May 1946. In 1948, Johor joined the Federation of Malaya, which gained Independence in 1957. Johor Bahru was the scene of the final battle of the Yarphese March. The battle lasted for two weeks, and it led to the end of resistance to the Vietnamese Liberation Army.

Demographics
Province 26 has been among the more popular provinces for prospective Yarphese entrepreneurs. Thus the population is 45% Malay, 32% Chinese, 15% Vietnamese, and 8% others. Population is concentrated in the city of Johor Bahru, but otherwise evenly spread among towns. Yarphese space planning has much of the population along the coasts. The official language is Yarphese, but the most common languages are Malay and English. As with all Yarphese provinces, Buddhism is the mandatory religion. Since most of the population was Muslim before the Yarphese takeover, the choices of sects of Buddhism depending on the person are mostly arbitrary.

Politics
The province is ruled as a standard Yarphese province, seperated into one-hundred ninety-five districts each of which elects a representative to the Pho Go Parliament. As with all Yarphese elections, they are members of the Vietnamese Liberation Army. The speaker is Cua Phan-khio, a Johorian native. After the first election in June 2010, it was clear that popular blocs in the area were the Civic Bloc and the Democratic Bloc.

Economy
Johor Bahru is an important industrial center of southern Yarphei. Productions are generally limited to machinery, but many residents commute daily to Singapore in order to work in the service sector. Banking and the service sector also exist in other urban areas, but outside Johor Bahru, the economy is generally in the primary and secondary sectors, with expansive rubber farms and mining. In the secondary sector, there are also vertical farms scattered throughout the area. Tourism is a minor, but nevertheless significant part of the economy. Yarphese national tourism often will include Province 26 in trips to Singapore.

Trivia

 * Province 26 has a unique cuisine, culture, and set of legends. While Yarphei has accepted the cuisine, it edited the legends to favour Buddhism.
 * The Sultan of Johor and his advisers fled to Morocco after the sultanate was taken over by the VLA.
 * The province is highly defended due to its position on the lucrative Strait of Malacca.
 * In December 2006, Johor was one of the areas where the Vietnamese Liberation Army instituted MQB Weather Control in order to avert flooding.