One ancient art is a very popular tradition in Malaysia. This tradition is called, "Wau" (pronounced wow) and it's a kite.
Another important tradition in the Malaysian culture is Pencak Silat, or "fighting by using self defense techiniques." The goal to this is creating personality and building character. Also to train your mental, physical, and even spiritual strength.
There's a Malaysian sport called "Sepak Takraw", which translates into "Kick Volleyball". This sport has been popular in Malaysia since the 1400's. The rules to the game are basic; you can only touch and hit the ball with your head, or feet, and the ball is made out of palms (very similar to bamboo).
The population in Malaysia was 28.3 million in 2010, making it a very densely populated country.
There was 86 people per square kilometer in 2010, compared to 71 people in 2000.
Selangor, one of the 13 states in Malaysia, is the most populous; for every square kilometer there were 674 people.
In 2000, the urban population was at 62%, and rose since then. In 2010, it was found that the urban population grew to 71%.
The educational system in Malaysia is government responsible. Kids begin with Pre-School and end with going to a university.
The primary school system is lasts for six years, and is mandatory for kids ages 7-12. Year 1 to Year 3 at a primary school are called "Level One", and Year 4 to Year 6 are called "Level Two." Before attending secondary school, kids must take a Primary School Achievement Test and are tested in math, science, English, and written Malay.
Secondary school lasts for 5 years. The first 3 years are considered "lower secondary," and the last 2 years are considered "upper secondary."
Post-Secondary is an education pursued by students that graduated from secondary school and would like to enter a university, (which is NOT government responsible.) Students go through 1 or 2 years of preparation for entering a university, and must take a test beforehand (which is required.)
(Example of a secondary school found in Malaysia.)
Thousands of Malaysians gathered together in protest because they felt as if the elections for Prime Minister were fixed, and were unfair.
Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition politician, called for support from people after he lost the race to become prime minister. 50,000 people, according to AP news agency, were being held in a stadium outside the capital Kuala Lumpur, with protesters spilling out of the stands and onto the football field.
Ibrahim addressed the crowd, and thanked them for their support.
He said he was grateful to the crowd for "showing the courage and conviction to change the course of history'' in Malaysia.
"This is the beginning of a battle between the people and an illegitimate, corrupt and arrogant government,'' declared Anwar.
Najib, who was sworn in on Monday May 6th, 2013, insisted the polls were totally free and fair.
A joint report was released on Wednesday May 8th by two election watchdogs saying the elections were damaged by bias and irregularities that added up to "serious flaws" in the electoral system.
Najib Razak
The report claimed that the election was "only partially free and not fair."
The majority of Malaysia speaks Malaysian, the official language of Malaysia.
English, and Mandarin are two other dominant languages spoken in the country.
Malaysians have the constitutional right to practice any belief they want. Though everyone has religious freedom, the prominent and official religion of Malaysia is Islam. According to the 2010 census, 61% of the population is Muslim.
Malaysia has a large Chinese population making Buddhism the second largest religion practiced throughout the country. According to the 2010 census, 19.8% of the population are Buddhists.
Full List of Religions According to 2010 Census-
Islam- 61.3%
Buddhism- 19.8%
Christianity- 9.2%
Hinduism- 6.3%
Taoism, and other Chinese Religions- 1.3%
Atheism (even though it's not an actual religion)- 0.7%
