Seremban and Port Dickson Districts are the state's major economic hubs, both constituting the Malaysia Vision Valley corridor.

Unlike the hereditary monarchs of the other royal Malay states, the ruler of Negeri Sembilan is elected and is known as Yang di-Pertuan Besar instead of Sultan.

He is elected by the council of Undangs who lead the four largest territories of Sungai Ujong, Jelebu, Johol, and Rembau, from the legitimate male members of the Pagaruyung dynasty, with the surviving sons of the previous Yamtuan coming first in the considerations but not being obligatory to be voted on, making it one of the more democratic monarchies.

[5] The early inhabitants of Negeri Sembilan were the ancestors of the Semelai, Semai, Semang, and Jakun peoples, who lived either as hunter-gatherer nomads or as subsistence farmers.

[citation needed] According to the Malay Annals, Parameswara reportedly visited the settlement of Sening Ujong, which was located in what is now Seremban.

As Johor weakened in the 18th century,[citation needed] attacks by the Bugis forced the Minangkabaus to seek protection from their homeland.

[citation needed] At the time of its establishment, Negeri Sembilan was originally a loose confederation of nine chiefdoms (luaks), hence the name.

In addition to the entire modern-day Negeri Sembilan, it also encompassed parts of what are now Selangor, Malacca, Pahang and Johor.

[citation needed] Their presence was detested by the locals, which eventually paved the way to a deadly civil war and subsequent breakup.

The inhabitants of the Terachi Valley fled, villages were burned, and Yamtuan Antah's palace in Seri Menanti was destroyed.

[citation needed] The domains of Sungai Ujong and Jelebu joined this confederation in 1895, forming the state of Negeri Sembilan in its modern borders.

[citation needed] On 9 September 2009, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government approved the state capital of Seremban's application to become a city (Bandar Raya), as it had experienced significant population growth.

Later that same year on 9 November, Negeri Sembilan was placed under the Movement Control Order lockdown due to increasing COVID-19 infections.

[citation needed] Facing the Strait of Malacca, Negeri Sembilan is one of the West Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia.

[14][15] However, some sources define Negeri Sembilan as a central region state with Selangor and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

The Titiwangsa Mountains, the southernmost extension of the Tenasserim Hills and the wider Indo-Malayan Cordillera, spans approximately 92 km (57.1 mi) through the middle of the state.

Mount Besar Hantu, at 1,462 m (4,797 ft), located in Jelebu District and close to the border with Pahang, is the highest point in Negeri Sembilan.

In the corresponding Borneo-Australian Monsoon that blows from the northeast, Negeri Sembilan, along with the states of Melaka, Johor, and the East Coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang are the most affected by the monsoonal surge that brings persistently heavy rainfall and cause rough sea conditions in the South China Sea.

Negeri Sembilan has a total population of 1,098,500 as of 2015;[2][48] the ethnic composition consisting of 622,000 Malays (56.6%) (mostly are Minangkabau descent), 20,700 other Bumiputras (1.9%), 234,300 Chinese (21.3%), 154,000 Indian (14%), 4,200 Others (0.4%), and 63,300 non-citizens (5.8%).

Manufacturing activities include electrical supplies and electronics, textiles, furniture, chemicals, machinery, metal works and rubber products.

Notable companies also set up plants in Negeri Sembilan, such as Kellogg's, Dutch Lady, Ajinomoto and Coca-Cola in Bandar Enstek, Hino Motors in Bandar Sri Sendayan, Yakult in Seremban 2, Samsung SDI, Onsemi and NXP Semiconductors in Senawang, and Nestlé in Chembong.

Two districts in the western half of the state – Seremban and Port Dickson – have been gazetted as part of the Malaysia Vision Valley, a 1,534 square kilometres (592 sq mi) new growth corridor conceived from the joint venture between Sime Darby and both the federal and state governments in 2015 as part of the National Transformation Agenda, the National Physical Plan, the Eleventh Malaysia Plan and the 2045 Negeri Sembilan Structural Plan, in order to evenly balancing the existing development in the neighbouring Klang Valley area, providing ample space for the southern extension of the Greater Kuala Lumpur area, as well as to transform Negeri Sembilan into a developed state by 2045.

Meanwhile, districts east of the MVV – Rembau, Kuala Pilah, Tampin and Jempol – are yet to be developed into an agropolis, to boost foodstuff production in the state and national levels respectively.

[55] The agricultural activity includes rubber and oil palm plantations, livestock, fruit orchards and vegetable farming.

Both the Buapak and Ibu Soko play a vital role as people to refer to regarding the adat and religious matters among the subordinates of the Perut, known as Anak Buah.

Each beat, rhythm and movement in these dances combines to form a story, maybe of a bygone myth or simply a reflection of the lifestyles of another era.

[citation needed] There are also 3 lines of free bus services in the Seremban and Jempol districts funded by the state government, now operated by MARA Liner.

[61] Traditional Negri food is generally very hot and spicy, as one of the ingredients used is the cili padi, one of the hottest types of chili peppers.

Masak lemak lada api, a type of gulai made with turmeric and cili padi-infused coconut milk (santan), is a trademark dish in the state's cuisine.

Another Negeri Sembilan speciality is lemang, glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk in a bamboo stem over an open fire.