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
| 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 |
