Culture of Sylvania

The culture of Sylvania is difficult to speak of as there is a strong amount of cultural regionalism within the State however there are similarities between the regional cultures. These cultures are composed of the traditions, human activity and symbolism shared by the people of Sylvania or the individual regions. Sylvanian culture is heavily influenced by it's position as an island state and the liberal approach to democracy taken by the state. The fractured culture was produced by the early history of the state, in which the first settlers had been divided up between the followers of Arthur Nobel, settlers employed by the corporations of Collinia and independent settlers (who were further split up).

Despite a fractured beginning a state culture started to form out of the similarities that Sylvanians found with each other. Although most people from outside of Sylvania simply consider Sylvanian culture to be the Baysider culture that is found in the noble city bay area, despite its greater dilution due to heavy immigration to the capital. This attitude has created animosity between Baysiders and the other regional cultures and made them much more upstart in the defence of it. This attitude has lead to most Sylvanians identifying as their regional culture then their state culture and also has increased support for a separate Sylvanian state from the capital.

Despite internal divisions Sylvanians have contributed greatly to Lovian culture, mainly through the economic and political influence that they exert. Sylvania is famous for its writers, actors and politicians who have had great social power over the years, although this has waned recently, especially as Oceana and Kings have grown in social and political status in comparison to Sylvania. It's businesspeople are also famous for their hyper-independent attitude and pushes for high tech industries which have greatly influenced the Lovian economy. Although Sylvania has failed to have the same kind of social influence on the rest of the nation that other capital regions around the world have, it's economic influence is unquestionable as it remains as the largest state economy in Lovia and houses almost all of the financial businesses in the country.

Language
While the official language of Sylvania is English, only 54.8% of the population speak it as their first language.

Literature
Sylvania has inherited many literary traditions of the original immigrants to the State.

Architecture
The architecture of Sylvania is diverse and historical architecture is shaped by the major immigrant cultures. Modern Sylvanian architecture however is focused on post-modernist, sustainable and natural architecture.

Folklore
Sylvania has a small amount of folklore that mainly dates from when the State was first settled.