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.	Area	Est. Pop.	Density (2D)	Density (3D)	Primary Water Source	Provincial Notes "|-	São Paulo	South America	710 m	80,000 km^2	67,046,400	838/km^2	2m^3	Located on plateau with river systems (though closer to coast than ideal)	" "|-	Kinshasa	Africa	300 m	80,000 km^2	63,590,400	795/km^2	2m^3	Located on Congo River (one of world's largest rivers)	" "|-	Buenos Aires	South America	25 m	80,000 km^2	63,417,600	793/km^2	2m^3	Located on Rio de la Plata	" "|-	Shanghai	Asia	4 m	80,000 km^2	63,072,000	788/km^2	2m^3	Located on Yangtze River Delta	" "|-	Mumbai	Asia	6 m	80,000 km^2	62,380,800	780/km^2	2m^3	Located on Arabian Sea coast	" "|-	Tokyo	Asia	40 m	80,000 km^2	62,380,800	780/km^2	2m^3	Located on Tokyo Bay with rivers	" "|-	Delhi	Asia	280 m	80,000 km^2	61,171,200	765/km^2	2m^3	Located on Yamuna River (Ganges tributary)	" "|-	Chengdu	Asia	499 m	80,000 km^2	60,998,400	762/km^2	2m^3	Located on Chengdu Plain with river systems	" "|-	Beijing	Asia	51 m	80,000 km^2	60,480,000	756/km^2	2m^3	Located near rivers and reservoirs, roughly 100 miles from ocean	" "|-	Moscow	Europe	151 m	80,000 km^2	60,480,000	756/km^2	2m^3	Located on Moskva River (tributary of Volga system)	" "|-	Cairo	Africa	23 m	80,000 km^2	59,270,400	741/km^2	2m^3	Located on Nile River	" "|-	Xi'an	Asia	411 m	80,000 km^2	57,888,000	724/km^2	2m^3	Located on Wei River (Yellow River tributary)	" "|-	Chennai	Asia	11 m	80,000 km^2	56,678,400	708/km^2	2m^3	Located on Bay of Bengal coast	" "|-	Wuhan	Asia	35 m	80,000 km^2	53,913,600	674/km^2	2m^3	Located at confluence of Yangtze and Han Rivers	" "|-	Kolkata	Asia	15 m	80,000 km^2	53,568,000	670/km^2	2m^3	Located on Ganges Delta	" "|-	Warsaw	Europe	108 m	70,000 km^2	65,910,000	942/km^2	2m^3	Located on Vistula River	" "|-	Kiev	Europe	178 m	70,000 km^2	65,250,900	932/km^2	2m^3	Located on Dnieper River	" "|-	Toronto	North America	90 m	70,000 km^2	65,031,200	929/km^2	2m^3	Located on Lake Ontario (Great Lakes system)	" "|-	Harare	Africa	1,483 m	70,000 km^2	64,152,400	916/km^2	2m^3	Located on plateau with rivers	" "|-	Budapest	Europe	110 m	70,000 km^2	63,493,300	907/km^2	2m^3	Located on Danube River	" "|-	Almaty	Asia	689 m	70,000 km^2	62,394,800	891/km^2	2m^3	Located near rivers and lakes, mountainous region	" "|-	Philadelphia	North America	12 m	70,000 km^2	61,296,300	876/km^2	2m^3	Located on Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers	" "|-	Hamburg	Europe	8 m	70,000 km^2	61,076,600	873/km^2	2m^3	Located on Elbe River	" "|-	Bogotá	South America	2,640 m	70,000 km^2	60,856,900	869/km^2	2m^3	Located on Bogotá River and surrounded by multiple rivers flowing from Eastern Cordillera	" "|-	Stockholm	Europe	13 m	70,000 km^2	59,978,100	857/km^2	2m^3	Located on archipelago with extensive waterways	" "|-	Ankara	Asia	871 m	70,000 km^2	59,758,400	854/km^2	2m^3	Located on central Anatolian plateau with water sources	" "|-	Prague	Europe	190 m	70,000 km^2	59,758,400	854/km^2	2m^3	Located on Vltava River	" "|-	Khartoum	Africa	390 m	70,000 km^2	58,000,800	829/km^2	2m^3	Located at confluence of Blue and White Nile Rivers	" "|-	Brasília	South America	1,060 m	70,000 km^2	57,781,100	825/km^2	2m^3	Located on central plateau with river systems	" "|-	Chicago	North America	181 m	70,000 km^2	57,781,100	825/km^2	2m^3	Located on Lake Michigan (Great Lakes system)	" "|-	Addis Ababa	Africa	2,355 m	70,000 km^2	57,561,400	822/km^2	2m^3	Located on plateau with rivers	" "|-	Omsk	Europe	86 m	70,000 km^2	56,682,600	810/km^2	2m^3	Located at its junction of Irtysh and Om Rivers	" "|-	Bamako	Africa	340 m	70,000 km^2	56,462,900	807/km^2	2m^3	Located on Niger River	" "|-	Rome (Vatican City)	Europe	21 m	70,000 km^2	56,243,200	803/km^2	2m^3	Located on Tiber River	" "|-	Nairobi	Africa	1,795 m	70,000 km^2	54,925,000	785/km^2	2m^3	Located on Nairobi River (""place of cool waters"")	" "|-	Lusaka	Africa	1,280 m	70,000 km^2	54,705,300	782/km^2	2m^3	Located on plateau with rivers	" "|-	Ottawa	North America	71 m	70,000 km^2	54,485,600	778/km^2	2m^3	Located on Ottawa River	" "|-	Johannesburg	Africa	1,753 m	70,000 km^2	53,826,500	769/km^2	2m^3	Located on Witwatersrand (though limited freshwater)	" "|-	Mexico City	North America	2,250 m	70,000 km^2	53,606,800	766/km^2	2m^3	Located in Valley of Mexico with Lerma River system nearby	" "|-	Sydney	Australia	6 m	70,000 km^2	52,947,700	756/km^2	2m^3	Located on harbor with rivers	" "|-	Kampala	Africa	1,189 m	70,000 km^2	50,970,400	728/km^2	2m^3	Located near Lake Victoria with rivers	" "|-	London	Europe	11 m	70,000 km^2	48,553,700	694/km^2	2m^3	Located on Thames River	" "|-	Melbourne	Australia	30 m	70,000 km^2	48,334,000	690/km^2	2m^3	Located on Port Phillip Bay and Yarra River	" "|-	Fez	Africa	300 m	70,000 km^2	47,674,900	681/km^2	2m^3	Located on Fez River, a tributary of Sebou River, biggest river system in Morocco	" "|-	Reykjavik	Europe	0 m	60,000 km^2	54,605,600	910/km^2	2m^3	No major rivers	" "|-	Amsterdam	Europe	14 m	60,000 km^2	53,508,000	892/km^2	2m^3	Complex canal system	" "|-	Bratsk	Europe	416 m	60,000 km^2	53,233,600	887/km^2	2m^3	Located on Angara River near vast Bratsk Reservoir	" "|-	Columbus	North America	232 m	60,000 km^2	52,136,000	869/km^2	2m^3	Located on Scioto and Olentangy Rivers	" "|-	Helsinki	Europe	13 m	60,000 km^2	51,038,400	851/km^2	2m^3	Located on Baltic Sea with lakes	" "|-	San Francisco	North America	16 m	60,000 km^2	47,471,200	791/km^2	2m^3	Located on San Francisco Bay	" "|-	Pittsburgh	North America	373 m	60,000 km^2	46,648,000	777/km^2	2m^3	Located at confluence of three rivers	" "|-	Minneapolis	North America	253 m	60,000 km^2	45,550,400	759/km^2	2m^3	Located on Mississippi River and Chain of Lakes	" "|-	Yakutsk	Europe	100 m	60,000 km^2	43,355,200	723/km^2	2m^3	Located on Lena River	" "|-	Louisville	North America	142 m	60,000 km^2	41,160,000	686/km^2	2m^3	Located on Ohio River	" "|-	Memphis	North America	103 m	60,000 km^2	38,690,400	645/km^2	2m^3	Located on Mississippi River	" "|-	St. Louis	North America	142 m	60,000 km^2	38,690,400	645/km^2	2m^3	Located on Mississippi River	" "|-	Bangui	Africa	365 m	60,000 km^2	37,867,200	631/km^2	2m^3	Located on northern bank of Ubangi River	" "|-	Seattle	North America	10 m	60,000 km^2	37,318,400	622/km^2	2m^3	Located on Puget Sound with rivers and lakes	" "|-	Atlanta	North America	229 m	60,000 km^2	35,672,000	595/km^2	1m^3	Located on Chattahoochee River	" "|-	Detroit	North America	175 m	60,000 km^2	35,397,600	590/km^2	1m^3	Located on Detroit River connecting Lakes Huron and Erie	" "|-	Boston	North America	6 m	60,000 km^2	33,751,200	563/km^2	1m^3	Located on Boston Harbor with multiple rivers	" "|-	Richmond	North America	46 m	60,000 km^2	33,751,200	563/km^2	1m^3	Located on James River	" "|-	Copenhagen	Europe	13 m	60,000 km^2	32,928,000	549/km^2	1m^3	Located on coastal waterways	" "|-	Nashville	North America	182 m	60,000 km^2	31,007,200	517/km^2	1m^3	Located on Cumberland River	" "|-	Yellowknife	North America	200 m	50,000 km^2	33,750,000	675/km^2	2m^3	Located near Yellowknife River but on Great Slave Lake	" "|-	Tsilgehtchic	North America	150 m	50,000 km^2	46,182,200	924/km^2	2m^3	Located at confluence of Mackenzie and Arctic Red Rivers	"