Province

Province view

For a list of all provinces, see List of provinces.

In Europa Universalis IV, the world is divided into continents, regions, areas, and provinces. Provinces are the smallest of these divisions and are the basic unit of the game mechanics. They contribute to a nation's tax, manpower, unrest, overextension, and trade.

Each province comprises a small geographic region, with a town or city at its center, although cities currently have no functionality outside of aesthetics.

There are 3272 land provinces in total.

Terms and mechanics

Provinces are the heart of any nation in Europa Universalis IV. They provide income, manpower, and trade goods.

Development

Main article: Development

Development is the measure of a province wealth and productivity. The level of development of a province contributes to local trade power, land and naval force limits, supply limit modifier and the total number of buildings that can be built in a province. Development is further divided into base tax, production and manpower. Each can be improved further with the appropriate monarch points.

Tax

Main article: Tax

Each province has a base tax, roughly corresponding to the population and wealth of the area. The amount shown is the tax earned each month from that province, after all the modifiers have been accounted for.

Production

Main articles: Production, Trade goods

Each province produces a specific type of resource or trade good. See Trade for a complete list of trade goods. The figure given ingame is the monthly production income. Production efficiency further increases the income received.

Manpower

Main article: Manpower

Every province contributes a certain amount of manpower to the manpower pool of a nation. This is affected by the province manpower development level, and are modified by ideas, government type and buildings.

Defence

Main article: Land warfare

Provinces can be defended by forts. Provinces that lack a fort will fall easily to the enemy. Forts exert a Zone of Control around itself and surrounding provinces, and must be taken before an enemy army may pass through. In times of peace, a fort may be mothballed in order to save maintenance, at the cost of it falling into disrepair and possibly not being able to defend the province. Nations may start off with forts in strategic locations. Capital provinces without a fort starts with a special level 1 fort that does not exert Zone of Control around itself, and has a smaller garrison.

Trade

Main article: Trade

Related closely to production is trade. Each province produces a certain amount of trade power and contributes trade value to the trade node it is attached to.

Autonomy

Main article: Local autonomy

Autonomy represents the degree of control the government of the nation exerts over a province. The lower it is, the more control the government has. Autonomy determines how productive a province is to a nation.A province with 100 local autonomy won't pay tax and won't give manpower and trade power.

Unrest

Main article: Rebellion

In troubled times, various parties may decide to rebel against the national government. This is represented in-game by unrest. The type of rebels that may appear are shown in the province screen, and also in the stability and expansion government tab. Unrest can also be lowered by increasing the local autonomy, but will decrease the income and manpower that province produces.

Devastation

Provinces that have been besieged or occupied or where their owner has scorched the earth gain devastation.

Devastation is expressed as a percentage: 0% indicates that no devastation is present in the province, while 100% represents an extreme amount of devastation.

Effects

The effects of devastation are scaled linearly according to the percentage value. At 100% devastation, a province would incur the following penalties:

	−200%	Local goods produced modifier
	−50%	Supply limit modifier
	−200%	Institution spread
	+20%	Local development cost
	−200%	Manpower modifier
	−200%	Sailors modifier
	−25%	Local hostile movement speed
	−25%	Local friendly movement speed

On the state level, prosperity cannot be achieved while any province in the state has any amount of devastation.

Causes and remedies

Devastation changes according to the following factors:

Monthly change	Factor
+10 once	Scorched Earth
+variable	Tribal grazing (only for migratory tribes)
+0.1	Under siege (even friendly)
+0.25	Under blockade (even friendly)
+0.2	Occupied
+0.25	Scorched Earth
−0.08	Under its owner's control
−0.83	In the zone of control of a friendly active fort (not if occupied; modifier is reduced for obsolete forts)
−0.25	Edict of Absolutism (requires Mandate of Heaven)
−0.05	In states with Metropolitan (requires Third Rome)
−0.05	In states with the Franciscans Holy order (requires Golden Century)

Looting a province increases devastation by significant (but unspecified) amounts, observed anywhere from +0.07 to +2.1. Once the province's loot is depleted, the devastation increase reverts to the usual +0.2 for being occupied.

Devastation can be manually removed by developing a province. Development removes devastation at 5% per point (with adjustment according to local autonomy).

Cores and claims

Main articles: Core, Claim

Cores represent the parts of the nation that it considers rightfully theirs. Cores belonging to nations that do not exist are greyed out. A province can have an unlimited amount of cores. A nation may claim another province through espionage or boundary disputes.

Culture and religion

Main articles: Culture, Religion

Each province has a primary culture and religion. Provinces that have foreign cultures or do not share the state religion tend to be more rebellious and less productive.

Buildings

Main article: Buildings

Nations may further develop their provinces by building improvements and infrastructure. The number of buildings that can be built in a province is limited by its development level.

City

The term City is used for fully colonized provinces. In contrast colony denotes provinces which are in the process of being colonized.

Capital

Main article: Capital

Every nation in Europa Universalis IV has a capital province. The capital is considered the political center of the nation and should be defended at all costs. Capitals can be moved at the cost of 200 administrative points.

Main trading port

Every nation has a main trading port province which is by default located in the same province as the capital. Trade is automatically collected in a nation's main trading port without the need to station a merchant there, and without suffering from the -50% total trade power cut suffered when collecting trade income in another node than the one of the main trading port.

Relocate main trading port

The main trading port can be moved to another province at the cost of 200 diplomatic power. This enables countries to move their trade collection to richer trade nodes over the course of a game, without needing to move their capital city as well.

After the move, trade collection will automatically occur in the trade node which now contains the main trading port. Automatic collection will immediately cease in the original trade node.

Within a given trade node, the effects of the main trading port will be identical regardless of which province is chosen as the main trading port.

Straits

Straits are connections between two provinces which do not share a land border but instead can be accessed over a water body. They count as a land border for most purposes. A list of straits in the base map is below.

• Mallorca – Menorca
• Ibiza – Mallorca
• Gran Canaria – Tenerife
• Lund – Sjælland
• Sjælland – Fyn
• Fyn – Østjylland
• Fyn – Kolding
• Fyn – Lolland
• Sjælland – Lolland
• Calabria – Messina
• Constantinople – Kocaeli
• Baawitigon – Michigami
• Stockholm – Åland
• Åland – Åbo
• Corfu – Epirus
• Arta – Achaea
• Athens – Naxos
• Gallipoli – Karasi
• Sutherland – Outer Hebrides
• Inner Hebrides – Outer Hebrides
• Inner Hebrides – Sutherland
• Inner Hebrides – Argyll
• Sutherland – Orkney
• Amsterdam – Friesland
• Zeeland – Ghent
• Suo – Chikuzen
• Bungo – Iyo
• Iyo – Aki
• Leichow – Kingchow
• Reval – Ösel
• Ösel – Goldingen
• Johor – Siak
• Lingga – Jambi
• Nuu-chah-nulth – Duwamish
• Nuu-chah-nulth – Skwxwu'mesh
• Nuu-chah-nulth – Kwakwaka'wakw
• Eskikeogag – Onamagag
• Piktuk – Epagoitgnag
• Chisedec – Taqamkuk
• Tyr – Nangha'er
• Tajura – Mokha
• Venezia – Treviso
• Stade – Dithmarschen
• Awa – Settsu
• Mutsu – Oshima
• The Kurils – Tokachi
• Bagamoyo – Zanzibar
• Corsica – Sassari
• Al-Qatif – Bahrain
• Qatar – Bahrain
• Zamboanga – Buglas
• Samar – Bikol
• Halmahera – Ternate
• Halmahera – Tidore
• Taranaki – Te Tau Ihu
• Chios – Sugla
• Lesbos – Karasi
• Caffa – Matrega
• Haida – Tlingit
• Odawa – Saginawe
• Odawa – Marameg
• Ekuanitshu – Notiskuan
• Ayrshire – Ulster
• Madurai – Vanni
• Orinoco Delta – Trinidad
• St. Vincent – St. Lucia
• St. Lucia – Martinique
• Martinique – Dominica
• Guadelupe – Antigua
• Antigua – St. Kitts
• Surabaya – Madura
• Bali – Lombok
• Lombok – Sumbawa
• Sumbawa – Flores
• Flores – East Timor
• Buton – Kendari
• Panay – Buglas
• Leyte – Caraga
• Panay – Mindoro
• Taytay – Mindoro
• Ambon – Ceram
• Bangka – Palembang
• Bintan – Singapura
• Para – Marajó
• Belem – Marajó
• Baawitigon – Odawa
• Djerba – Tataouine
• Mogostan – Hormuz
• Qawasim – Hormuz
• Athens – Euboea
• Euboea – Naxos
• Savolax – Kainuu (invisible lake crossing)
• Ceuta – Gibraltar
• Leyte – Cebu
• Buglas – Cebu
• Arta – Cephalonia
• Rügen – Stralsund
• Wolgast – Kolberg
• Tiwi – Woolna
• Hawaii – Maui
• Maui – Oahu
• Oahu – Kauai
• Vanua Levu – Lau
• Lau – Viti Levu
• Viti Levu – Vanua Levu
• Wurundjeri – Peerapper
• Bali – Blambangan

Island

Main article: Island

Some provinces are considered islands or on an island which is important for some events, achievements and decisions.

Climate and weather

Each province has a climate and may experience winters and/or monsoon of varying severity. There are map modes for climate and weather.

Arctic The arctic climate is harsh, where there is not much large vegetation. Arctic provinces give: −10% Local settler increase −40% Supply limit modifier +1% Attrition for enemies −1% Possible number of buildings +50% Local development cost	Arid The arid climate has a severe lack of rainfall, making it very hard to keep a large army supplied. Arid provinces give: −10% Local settler increase −20% Supply limit modifier +1% Attrition for enemies +10% Local development cost	Tropical The tropical climate makes it very hard for new cities to grow, as diseases and heat are large obstacles. Tropical provinces give: −10% Local settler increase −30% Supply limit modifier +2% Attrition for enemies +5% Local development cost		Climate map. Legend: temperate tropical arid arctic
Mild winter There is a small amount of snow on the ground, and the temperature is just below freezing. Provinces with a mild winter have: +1% Attrition for enemies −10% Supply limit modifier	Normal winter The ground is covered by snow, and the temperature is solidly below freezing. Provinces with a normal winter have: +2% Attrition for enemies −20% Supply limit modifier +10% Migration cost	Severe winter The snow has piled up quite severely, and the temperatures are far below freezing. Provinces with a severe winter have: +3% Attrition for enemies −30% Supply limit modifier +20% Migration cost		Weather map. Legend: no winter mild winter normal winter severe winter mild monsoon normal monsoon severe monsoon
Mild monsoon Mild seasonal rain is falling, fertilizing the ground but increasing the difficulty of travel. Provinces with a mild monsoon have: +0.5% Attrition for enemies −20% Friendly movement speed −20% Hostile movement speed	Normal monsoon The Monsoon season is in full swing as torrential rain falls from the sky. Provinces with a normal monsoon have: +1% Attrition for enemies −25% Friendly movement speed −25% Hostile movement speed	Severe monsoon Extreme wind and rainfall make this province very difficult to traverse. Provinces with a severe monsoon have: +1.5% Attrition for enemies −50% Friendly movement speed −50% Hostile movement speed

Modifiers

Center of Trade

With Dharma, Centers of Trade (CoTs) can be upgraded or downgraded manually, but cannot be created or removed. However, some events (such as “Growth of the port”) allow a natural harbor to growing into a CoT. Manual management can be done in the building interface, where the CoT icon occupies 2 building slots. As a result, a province with a CoT can only build 10 buildings at most, rather than the usual maximum of 12 buildings.

The base cost to upgrade a CoT from level 1 to level 2 is 200ducats, and the base cost from level 2 to level 3 is 1000ducats. The cost can be reduced by:

	Traditions	Ideas	Bonuses	Policies
−20%	—	Infrastructure idea 4: Expanded Infrastructure Network	—	—
−15%	—	Somalian idea 4: Zeila and Berbera	—	—

You can only upgrade a CoT:

• to level 2
  • if the province is part of a state or Trade Company
  • has at least 10 development
• to level 3
  • if the province is part of a state or Trade Company
  • has at least 25 development
  • the upgrading nation has fewer level 3 CoTs (World Port, and World Trade Center) than it has merchants
  • there is no other level 3 CoT in the same state

Downgrading a CoT will cost 10 prestige, but this option is available only if country has positive prestige. If a province changes ownership, via war or diplomatic actions, the level of the CoT will automatically drop by 1.

You cannot upgrade or downgrade CoTs when country is at war.

For a list of all CoTs, see Economic list of provinces.

Effects of CoTs by level:

Name	Tier	Effects
Natural Harbor This province is a natural harbor and a trading hub. Local traders have come here for centuries, the infrastructure of the trade emerging despite a lack of state investment.	Coastal Lvl.1	Province modifier: +5 Local trade power
Entrepot This province is a major entrepot for trade. Merchants from the entire region gather here to buy and sell goods.	Coastal Lvl.2	Province modifier: −5% Local development cost +10 Local trade power +10% Institution spread
World Port This province is one of the major ports of the world. Goods from entire globe regularly pass through here and the city itself is as famous as many kingdoms.	Coastal Lvl.3	Province modifier: +25 Local trade power +30% Institution spread State modifier: −10% Local development cost +100% Local sailors modifier +1 Possible number of buildings Global modifier: -0.2% Yearly navy tradition decay
Emporium This province is a natural spot for trade and local merchants have been coming here for centuries.	Inland Lvl.1	Province modifier: +5 Local trade power
Market Town This city is a major regional market and traders from the entire region regularly seek it out to sell and buy goods.	Inland Lvl.2	Province modifier: −5% Local development cost +10 Local trade power
World Trade Center This province is one of the most important trade centers in the world. There are few goods that cannot be bought here and the city itself is as famous as many kingdoms.	Inland Lvl.3	Province modifier: +25 Local trade power +30% Institution spread State modifier: −10% Local development cost +33% Local manpower modifier +1 Possible number of buildings

Estuary

Controlling the important river estuary strengthens our hold of the trade in the region.

River estuaries give +10 local trade power.

• Aix (Rhône Estuary)
• Astrakhan (Volga Estuary)
• Azov (Don Estuary)
• Basra (Euphrates Estuary)
• Bengal Delta and Dhaka (Ganges Estuary)
• Benin (Niger Estuary)
• Bessarabia (Danube Estuary)
• Bordeaux (Gironde Estuary)
• Bremen (Weser Estuary)
• Canton (Pearl Estuary)
• Caux (Seine Estuary)
• Cayor (Senegal Estuary)
• Chesapeake (James Estuary)
• Chitimacha (Mississippi Estuary)
• Coahuilteco (Rio Grande Estuary)
• Danzig (Vistula Estuary)
• Den Haag (Rhine Estuary)
• East Frisia (Ems Estuary)
• Ferrara (Po Estuary)
• Guayaquil (Guayas Estuary)
• Hai Phong (Red River Estuary)
• Haizhou (Huang He Estuary)
• Hamburg (Elbe Estuary)
• Issati (Santee Estuary)
• Konaseema (Godavari Estuary)
• Lisboa (Tagus Estuary)
• London (Thames Estuary)
• Manahahttan (Hudson Estuary)
• Mangazea (Taz Estuary)
• Memel (Neman Estuary)
• Mushkegowuk (Nelson Estuary)
• Nantais (Loire Estuary)
• Neva (Neva Estuary)
• Ngoyo (Congo Estuary)
• Orinoco Delta (Orinoco Estuary)
• Pathein and Dagon (Irrawaddy Estuary)
• Porto (Douro Estuary)
• Prek Russey (Mekong Estuary)
• Quelimane (Zambezi Estuary)
• Riga (Daugava Estuary)
• Rio de la Plata (Parana Estuary)
• Rosetta and Damietta (The Nile Estuary)
• Sakimauchheening (Delaware Estuary)
• Sevilla (Guadalquivir Estuary)
• Shirvan (Kura Estuary)
• Stadacona (Saint Lawrence Estuary)
• Stettin (Oder Estuary)
• Suzhou (Yangtze Estuary)
• Tarragona (Ebro Estuary)
• Thatta (Indus Estuary)
• Tsinuk (Columbia Estuary)
• Tyr (Amur Estuary)
• Velanadu (Krishna Estuary)
• Yedisan (Dnestr Estuary)

Religious center

The importance of this province as a Religious Center will make it very difficult to convert.

Religious centers have −5% local missionary strength. .

• Can apply to various provinces with the following requirements for the religion in the province:
  • Roma (118): Catholic
  • Mecca (385): in the Muslim group
  • Karbala (409): Shia
  • Lhasa (677): Vajrayana
  • Doaba (2075): Sikh. In starts after 1499.
  • Varanasi (2095): Hindu
  • Kandy (2099): Theravada
  • Samawat (2311): Shia
  • Mashhad (2221): Shia
  • Geneva (4720): Protestant or Reformed. From The Geneva Conventions event.
  • Prague (266): Hussite
  • Yanzhou (2140): Confucian
  • Stockholm (1): Norse
• This modifier is also applied as a non-triggered modifier to the following provinces:
  • Ise (4359) from the event The Ise Grand Temple.
  • the province which spawns sikhism in the event The Sikh Faith
  • provinces which have a center of reformation (this modifier goes away if the center of reformation is removed)

Other special places

The following provinces also have permanent province modifiers:

Name	Province	Bonus	Limitation
Sound Toll	Sjælland (12)	+20.0 local trade power	—
Bosphorus Sound Toll	Constantinople (151)	+10.0 local trade power	—
Stora Kopparberget	Dalaskogen (8)	+5.0 local goods produced	—
Cerro Rico	Potosi (795)	+3.0 local goods produced	replaced by the monument Cerro Rico del Potosí with the Leviathan DLC
The Spice Islands	Ternate (649) Tidore (650)	+3.0 local goods produced	—
Skåne Market	Lund (6)	+1.5 local goods produced	until the event ‘Herring Runs Out’
Granary of the Mediterranean	Rosetta (362) Damietta (363) Al Gharbia (2316) Sharqiya (4316)	+2.0 local goods produced	—
Murano Glass Industry	Venezia (112)	+2.0 local goods produced +0.02 the Guilds influence	after the event ‘Growth of the Murano Glass Industry’
Diamonds of Golconda	Golconda (542)	+4.0 local goods produced	—
Kilns of Jingdezhen	Poyan (2151)	+2.5 local goods produced	—
Coffea Arabica	Mokha (387)	+3.0 local goods produced	until the event ‘Decline of [mocha.GetCapitalName]’
Great Bookmarket	—	+1.0 local goods produced +25% institution spread	after the event ‘Lending Libraries and Book Clubs’
Grand Bank Fisheries	Beothuk (980) Taqamkuk (981) Placentia (2573)	+2.0 local goods produced	after the event ‘Grand Banks Fisheries’
Diamond District	—	+0.5 local goods produced +15% trade value modifier	after the event ‘Faceting’
Perfume Capital	—	+0.5 local goods produced +15% trade value modifier	after the event ‘Growth of the Perfume Industry’
Schwaz Silver Mine	Inntal (73)	+1.0 local goods produced	after the event ‘Schwaz Silver Mine’
Oracle of Pachacamac	Lima (809)	+0.5 tolerance of the true faith	until the event ‘The Oracle of Pachacamac’
Cholula Temples	Cholula (2644)	+0.5 yearly legitimacy +0.5 yearly devotion +0.5 yearly prestige	until the event ‘The Temple City of Cholula’
Heian-kyo	Kyoto (1020)	+1.0 yearly prestige +1.0 possible advisors	—
Jingu	Ise (4359)	+1.0 tolerance of the true faith +0.5 yearly legitimacy	until the event ‘The Ise Grand Temple’
The Tower of Belém	Lisboa (227)	+25% local defensiveness	after the event ‘The Tower of Belém’
Development of Amsterdam	Amsterdam (97)	−25% local development cost	after the decision ‘Land Reclamation in Holland’

Expand Infrastructure

It is possible to expand the infrastructure of individual provinces via a small button in the provinces building menu. For every 15 development a province has, infrastructure can be expanded once for the cost of 50 administrative power. Each level of Expanded infrastructure has the following effects:

	+1	Possible number of buildings
	+1	Possible number of manufactories
	−15%	Local recruitment time
	−15%	Local shipbuilding time
	+5%	Local defensiveness
	+5%	Garrison growth
	−15%	Local development cost
	+5%	Local production efficiency
	+10%	Local tax modifier
	+5%	Local manpower modifier
	+5%	Local sailors modifier
	+5%	Local ship repair
	−0.005	Monthly autonomy change
	−5%	Local construction cost
	−5%	Local construction time
	+5%	Local trade power modifier
	+5%	Local goods produced modifier
	+15	Province governing cost
	+10%	Province governing cost
	−5%	Local great project upgrade cost

States and territories

Main article: States and territories

Within a country, each province is either part of a state or a territory. This distinction affects provinces in a variety of ways, such as by determining their minimum local autonomy.

Terrain

Each province has a terrain type associated with it. These terrain types can have both positive and negative effects. Combat is affected majorily by terrain type and can even make the difference between glorious victory or shameful defeat. Terrain types and their corresponding positive/negative effects can be seen here:

Terrain	Supply limit	Local defensiveness	Movement cost	Attacker penalty	Local development cost
Glacial	+2		+25%	−1	+50%
Farmlands	+10		+10%		−5%
Forest	+4		+25%	−1	+20%
Hills	+5	+10%	+40%	−1	+25%
Woods	+6		+10%	−1	+15%
Mountain	+4	+25%	+50%	−2	+35%
Grasslands	+8
Jungle	+5		+50%	−1	+35%
Marsh	+5		+30%	−1	+25%
Desert	+4		+5%		+50%
Coastal Desert	+4				+35%
Coastline	+6				+15%
Drylands	+7				+5%
Highlands	+6	+10%	+40%	−1	+20%
Savannah	+6				+15%
Steppes	+6				+20%

Farmlands, grasslands, and drylands terrain also get +1 possible number of buildings

Naming

Both province and city names can be changed by left clicking on them in the province tab. With the Wealth of Nations expansion, province names can also be dynamic and scripted to be unique for either the province owner, the province culture or the province culture group (in that priority).

Footnotes

Mechanics

Customization

Nation designer • Random New World

Ages and Institutions

Ages • Institutions

Innovativeness and Technology

Innovativeness • Technology

Defense

Fort • Zone of control