Provinces

As a result of extreme weather events and sea level rise, life along lowland seacoasts became impossible. Increasingly around the globe, people began moving inland and gathering in established areas. With the dominance of megacorporations over traditional governments and with advancements in large-scale 3D printing, the most highly populated cities expanded rapidly into megacities. By the early 22nd century, most of the world population had relocated itself to 66 megacities, known as Provinces.

General Characteristics

Physical and Geographic Features

The provinces are vast urbanized regions that have, in most cases, expanded to encompass entire metropolitan areas and their surrounding hinterlands. Some provinces, though, have been developed from almost nothing. These provinces are often situated along major rivers or near significant water sources, which historically enabled their growth and sustainability. Many are located on plains, plateaus, or basins, providing ample space for expansion and development. Their distances from oceans vary, with some being deep inland (up to 1,700 miles away) and others closer to coastal regions. Elevations range from lowland basins to high plateaus, influencing climate, infrastructure, and urban design.

Socio-Political Structure

Each province functions as a semi-autonomous entity, blending the characteristics of a city-state with those of a traditional province. Governance is highly centralized within the urban core but often extends sophisticated administrative, technological, and security networks into the surrounding territories. These provinces are hubs of political power, economic activity, and technological innovation, often acting as the primary nodes in global and regional networks.

Urban and Environmental Character

The provinces are characterized by dense vertical development at their centers—skyscrapers, arcologies, and interconnected towers—surrounded by sprawling horizontal zones that blend residential, industrial, and agricultural functions. Advanced infrastructure supports high-speed transit, energy distribution, and environmental management, often using biopunk and cybernetic technologies to mitigate the challenges of pollution, resource scarcity, and overpopulation.

Despite their technological prowess, these provinces face stark divisions between affluent, technologically integrated districts and marginalized zones where infrastructure and security are less robust. The interplay of advanced surveillance, corporate influence, and grassroots subcultures creates a dynamic, often tense, social fabric.

Cultural and Economic Life

Provinces are melting pots of cultures, languages, and ideologies, shaped by waves of migration and the blending of global influences. Economic life is dominated by megacorporations and powerful guilds, with informal economies and resistance movements thriving in the shadows. Artistic expression, digital subcultures, and underground networks flourish in the interstices of official order, giving each province a distinct identity and atmosphere.

The 66 Provinces

The 66 Provinces

Province	Continent	Avg. Elev.	Est. Pop.	Primary Water Source	Provincial Notes
Addis Ababa	Africa	2,355 m	26,200,000	Located on plateau with rivers
Almaty	Asia	689 m	28,400,000	Located near rivers and lakes, mountainous region
Amsterdam	Europe	14 m	19,500,000	Complex canal system
Ankara	Asia	871 m	27,200,000	Located on central Anatolian plateau with water sources
Atlanta	North America	229 m	13,000,000	Located on Chattahoochee River
Bamako	Africa	340 m	25,700,000	Located on Niger River
Bangui	Africa	365 m	13,800,000	Located on northern bank of Ubangi River
Beijing	Asia	51 m	35,000,000	Located near rivers and reservoirs, roughly 100 miles from ocean
Bogotá	South America	2,640 m	27,700,000	Located on Bogotá River and surrounded by multiple rivers flowing from Eastern Cordillera
Boston	North America	6 m	12,300,000	Located on Boston Harbor with multiple rivers
Brasília	South America	1,060 m	26,300,000	Located on central plateau with river systems
Bratsk	Europe	416 m	19,400,000	Located on Angara River near vast Bratsk Reservoir
Budapest	Europe	110 m	28,900,000	Located on Danube River
Buenos Aires	South America	25 m	36,700,000	Located on Rio de la Plata
Cairo	Africa	23 m	34,300,000	Located on Nile River
Chengdu	Asia	499 m	35,300,000	Located on Chengdu Plain with river systems
Chennai	Asia	11 m	32,800,000	Located on Bay of Bengal coast
Chicago	North America	181 m	26,300,000	Located on Lake Michigan (Great Lakes system)
Columbus	North America	232 m	19,000,000	Located on Scioto and Olentangy Rivers
Copenhagen	Europe	13 m	12,000,000	Located on coastal waterways
Delhi	Asia	280 m	35,400,000	Located on Yamuna River (Ganges tributary)
Detroit	North America	175 m	12,900,000	Located on Detroit River connecting Lakes Huron and Erie
Fez	Africa	300 m	21,700,000	Located on Fez River, a tributary of Sebou River, biggest river system in Morocco
Hamburg	Europe	8 m	27,800,000	Located on Elbe River
Harare	Africa	1,483 m	29,200,000	Located on plateau with rivers
Helsinki	Europe	13 m	18,600,000	Located on Baltic Sea with lakes
Johannesburg	Africa	1,753 m	24,500,000	Located on Witwatersrand (though limited freshwater)
Kampala	Africa	1,189 m	23,200,000	Located near Lake Victoria with rivers
Khartoum	Africa	390 m	26,400,000	Located at confluence of Blue and White Nile Rivers
Kiev	Europe	178 m	29,700,000	Located on Dnieper River
Kinshasa	Africa	300 m	36,800,000	Located on Congo River (one of world's largest rivers)
Kolkata	Asia	15 m	31,000,000	Located on Ganges Delta
London	Europe	11 m	22,100,000	Located on Thames River
Louisville	North America	142 m	15,000,000	Located on Ohio River
Lusaka	Africa	1,280 m	24,900,000	Located on plateau with rivers
Melbourne	Australia	30 m	22,000,000	Located on Port Phillip Bay and Yarra River
Memphis	North America	103 m	14,100,000	Located on Mississippi River
Mexico City	North America	2,250 m	24,400,000	Located in Valley of Mexico with Lerma River system nearby
Minneapolis	North America	253 m	16,600,000	Located on Mississippi River and Chain of Lakes
Moscow	Europe	151 m	35,000,000	Located on Moskva River (tributary of Volga system)
Mumbai	Asia	6 m	36,100,000	Located on Arabian Sea coast
Nairobi	Africa	1,795 m	25,000,000	Located on Nairobi River (place of cool waters)
Nashville	North America	182 m	11,300,000	Located on Cumberland River
Omsk	Europe	86 m	25,800,000	Located at its junction of Irtysh and Om Rivers
Ottawa	North America	71 m	24,800,000	Located on Ottawa River
Philadelphia	North America	12 m	27,900,000	Located on Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers
Pittsburgh	North America	373 m	17,000,000	Located at confluence of three rivers
Prague	Europe	190 m	27,200,000	Located on Vltava River
Reykjavik	Europe	0 m	19,900,000	No major rivers
Richmond	North America	46 m	12,300,000	Located on James River
Rome (Vatican City)	Europe	21 m	25,600,000	Located on Tiber River
San Francisco	North America	16 m	17,300,000	Located on San Francisco Bay
São Paulo	South America	710 m	38,800,000	Located on plateau with river systems (though closer to coast than ideal)
Seattle	North America	10 m	13,600,000	Located on Puget Sound with rivers and lakes
Shanghai	Asia	4 m	36,500,000	Located on Yangtze River Delta
St. Louis	North America	142 m	14,100,000	Located on Mississippi River
Stockholm	Europe	13 m	27,300,000	Located on archipelago with extensive waterways
Sydney	Australia	6 m	24,100,000	Located on harbor with rivers
Tokyo	Asia	40 m	36,100,000	Located on Tokyo Bay with rivers
Toronto	North America	90 m	29,600,000	Located on Lake Ontario (Great Lakes system)
Tsilgehtchic	North America	150 m	9,400,000	Located at confluence of Mackenzie and Arctic Red Rivers
Warsaw	Europe	108 m	30,000,000	Located on Vistula River
Wuhan	Asia	35 m	31,200,000	Located at confluence of Yangtze and Han Rivers
Xi'an	Asia	411 m	33,500,000	Located on Wei River (Yellow River tributary)
Yakutsk	Europe	100 m	15,800,000	Located on Lena River
Yellowknife	North America	200 m	10,000,000	Located near Yellowknife River but on Great Slave Lake