Since I didn't play EU4 during the last few expansions before AOW, one of the more intriguing mechanics that I had missed was the implementation of trade bonuses in provinces that possess major river estuaries or were considered centers of trade during the period. Since I very much enjoy playing the trade/colonization side of the game, the addition of these has made my gameplay richer and more complex, and therefore more enjoyable. However, I do believe there are some further provinces that could definitely do with having these bonuses added. Although in some cases these may have been skipped over originally when the concept was first designed, the addition of so many provinces and the reorganization of trade regions in AoW also leaves room for expanding these bonuses further. So, after examining the map (and could the little symbol for these be moved in the cases of the California, Rio Grande, and Samarkand trade nodes - they are basically invisible on the map buried under the clutter from the nodes) and doing some research on the era, I've come up with a list of provinces (roughly from west to east) that could (or should) have one or the other bonus added.
The reasons why this should be done are simple - more provinces with trade bonuses not only make the game and map more interesting, they also allow the game to develop a bit more historically, and can become the cause of conflict between powers as they were in real life. Making, for example, Honniasont a province with a trade bonus not only makes sense geographically (as trade across the Appalachians was naturally funneled to the location where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers formed the Ohio), but also historically, since it was the conflict over the strategic location which was the immediate cause of the French and Indian War, and, eventually, one of the causes for the outbreak of the Seven Years War. But while Europe and much of Asia have an abundance of such provinces, other areas, most notably the Americas, are seriously lacking them. Hopefully this suggestion will go some distance in balancing that, although I'll be suggesting a few provinces in Europe and Asia as well. Finally, simply for a bit of balance and fairness, each trade node will end up with at least one trade bonus province as a result of this suggestion.
This suggestion comes in two forms: Simple and Slightly Less Simple.
The Simple form would be simply to have new Estuary and Important Center of Trade provinces throughout the world. This would be simple to implement and would not make make much difference in gameplay other than updating the provinces listed. However, while Estuaries are Estuaries throughout the world, it seems odd to place "Important Centers of Trade" in areas that are, at game's start, only thinly inhabited by tribal cultures. Moreover, the +20 Trade and +2 Naval Force seems quite high for such undeveloped provinces. It is for this reason I'm suggesting a second option.
The Slightly Less Simple form would split up Important Centers of Trade in colonizable provinces into those coastal provinces with a good Harbor and those inland provinces controlling strategic locations along Rivers (they would remain Important Centers of Trade in more developed provinces). I'll denote them simply as "Harbor" and "River"; if the suggestion is taken up I'm sure better names (and the bonuses they should get - perhaps +10 Trade and +1 Naval for Harbors and +5 Trade for Rivers) could be implemented. Even as the timeline advances and the provinces become colonized, they could still logically maintain the same, lesser, status than Important Centers of Trade simply because they haven't been settled long enough to evolve to the higher level.
(This post will list all new provinces suggested for new trade bonuses, as well as a few which should have the trade bonus they have altered - these will be marked with a "*". Any other trade bonus province not listed is fine as-is and has no need for change or dropping of bonus altogether)
CHINOOK - Estuary for the Columbia River. Although trade really didn't kick off here until the very end of the game period, that's not for lack of any intrinsic trade value, but simply because the region was so extremely remote for Europeans during the time period. Once trade started here, however, the mouth of the Columbia became very important for both the UK and the US.
*MIWOK - Estuary for the Sacramento River. Already in game as an Important Center of Trade, it really wasn't one during the game period. It would make more sense to have it be the estuary it is.
KUMEYAAY -Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Location of San Diego, it was the first Spanish settlement in Alta California for good reason, with its excellent harbor. (Sorry, Los Angeles, but there's no reason during the game period to give trade bonuses to your province!)
PUEBLO - Important Center of Trade/River. Really, the whole Rio Grande region was a bit of void when it comes to trade during the period (In fact, the Rio Grande Estuary province could reasonably lose its trade bonus and not be too unhistorical), but what trade there was was centered in the upper Rio Grande in what is now New Mexico. Considering the Spanish purposefully moved into their Nuevo Mexico fairly early on, in 1598, shows that, out of all areas in the trade region, this was probably the most important.
WINNIPEG - Important Center of Trade/River. Winnipeg was founded in 1738, on a very strategic location on the Red River of the North. It was (and still is) the center of trade in the region, and whether that trade would be funneled to the Great Lakes and the French or Hudson Bay and the British was of prime importance in the history of the region.
TAMAROA - Important Center of Trade/River. The whole area where the Missouri and Illinois Rivers flow into the Mississippi have always been the center of trade for the region. There are good reasons why several of the largest Mound Builder settlements were in the area, and why the region was one of the earliest to be taken over by the French. Tamaroa is where St Louis (founded 1764) is located, so in a modern sense it would look the best, but Cahokia (founded 1699, although the native settlement there goes centuries back) would work as well.
MOBILE - Estuary for the Alabama River. Mobile was founded in 1702, even before the foundation of New Orleans, and was the first capital of French Louisiana.
POTAWATOMI - Important Center of Trade/River. Fort Detroit was founded in 1701, but the strategic value of the location, at the center of the Great Lakes, should be obvious.
HONNIASONT - Important Center of Trade/River. It's the trade center that (partially) started the Seven Years War! The location of Pittsburgh, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio is of course of prime strategic value. Owning it helps control the trade in the Ohio River valley, so it makes sense for it to be a province that would do so as well in game terms.
HOCHLEGA - Important Center of Trade/River. Montreal was founded in 1642, and its location at the confluence of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers made the region important economically even before its founding. Again, the St Lawrence region only has one other bonus province, but even then, the province would seem to merit bonuses in any case...
BEOTHUK - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Ships from all sorts of European nations used the harbor at St. John's (and others nearby) from the early 1500s onward, and the area was settled quite early on, in the 1610s.
MASSACHUSETTS - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Not only is it the location of Boston, it was one of the first areas heavily settled in the eastern US. While, technically, Plymouth was just over the province border to the south, the settlements that were built here only a few years later rapidly eclipsed those of its southern neighbor.
LENAPE - Estuary for the Delaware River. Yes, technically Lanape isn't a coastal province (it gets cut off by Delaware), but it is where Philadelphia (founded 1682) is. If necessary, being non-coastal, it could be a Important Center of Trade/River instead.
CHESAPEAKE - Estuary for the James River. Other than the fact the trade region is named after it, Chesapeake is the location of the first permanent English settlement in North America. Its strategic location is the reason that the main US Naval base is located there today.
SANTEE - Estuary for the Santee River. Interestingly, the Santee is the second-longest river along the US East Coast. And while Charleston isn't technically on the Santee, it is in the province itself, and was one of the main hubs of early colonization (and if being not quite at the river's mouth doesn't work, it could be an Important Center of Trade/Harbor instead)
HAVANA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. I'm pretty shocked this wasn't in before; Havana was the center of Spanish control and trade for the Caribbean during the entire game period. Plus the Caribbean region doesn't have a single province with a trade bonus. This is one that should definitely be added.
BARAHONAS - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Santo Domingo is the oldest European city in the Americas and has always been a major center in the Caribbean. If Havana gives players a bit of a bonus in colonizing Cuba, Barahonas should do the same for Hispaniola.
CUMANA - Estuary for the Orinoco. OK, that's stretching it a bit, but the province does get almost to the Orinoco delta. And Cumana, again, was an early European settlement and a major focus of trade in the game period. If we can't quite stretch the meaning of "Estuary" for one province over, we can just make it a Center of Trade/Harbor. It just seems wrong that the Orinoco doesn't get an Estuary province when being such a major river.
TLAPANEC - Important Center of Trade. Acapulco was the main harbor on the Pacific coast of Spanish Mexico, and was the point of departure and return for the famous Manila galleons which crossed the Pacific going to and from the Philippines. Note that since Mesoamerica was already settled by more advanced states, there's no reason for to demote it to a mere "Harbor" if the second option is pursued; it's just fine as an Important Center of Trade. (This goes for the current ICoT at Cuetlaxan as well)
PANAMA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Basically all that I said for Havana, only moved a few hundred miles south. The strategic and geographic reasons for having it as a trade bonus province should be obvious.
CARTAGENA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. It was one of the anchors of the Spanish Empire, founded in 1533, and fought over and raided repeatedly afterwards.
GUAYAQUIL - Estuary for the Guayas River. Guayaquil was founded in 1538 and remains the largest city and chief harbor in Ecuador. Interestingly enough, the Guayas River is the longest river in South America which flows into the Pacific. (Like the Mexico trade provinces mentioned above, the current ICoTs in the Lima and Cuiaba nodes are fine as-is and would not need to be demoted if the second option were pursued).
PICUNMAPU - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Location of Santiago and Valparaiso, the area which has always been the economic heart of Chile. Plus it (barely) gives us a trade province in the Patagonia node, which is seriously lacking in other candidates (Falklands? Tierra del Fuego? Nothing else much really cries out for bonuses in the region)
ASUNCION - Important Center of Trade/River. Located at the intersection of the Paraguay and Pilcomayo Rivers, Asuncion's strategic location is obvious. Founded in 1537, it was where the settlers from Buenos Aires fled to when the settlement was destroyed, and from where settlers came when the city was re-founded.
*RIO DE JANIERO - If the second option is pursued, it would change from an Important Center of Trade to a Harbor.
*BAHIA - If the second option is pursued, it would change from an Important Center of Trade to a Harbor.
BELEM - Estuary for the Amazon River. Belem was founded in 1616, which is suitably early, even if the Amazon wasn't really much of a trade route for much of the game.
MANAUS - Important Center of Trade/River. Founded in 1694, Manaus' strategic location at the confluence of the Amazon and Rio Negro should be obvious.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE - Estuary for the Severn River. As loath as I am to give England any more trade bonuses, it's hard to argue against just how important Bristol was in the English trade network. And the Severn is longer than the Thames anyway!
STOCKHOLM - Important Center of Trade. Everything I've read seems to indicate that Stockholm was an important city in the Baltic trade, and for the Hansa as well. I'm assuming that either the game developers know something I don't, or are just being modest here.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD - Important Center of Trade. Its location at the confluence of the Oka and Volga has meant it has always been an important trade center of the region. The Makaryev Fair took place in the city environs from the 1620s onward and was massively important to the Russian economy.
BOHEMIA - Important Center of Trade. Prague of course has always been an important center of trade. Moreover, the Saxony node does not have any trade bonus provinces, so this province would be the most suitable candidate for adding one.
KOLN - Important Center of Trade. Cologne was an important Hansa city, and has always played an important part in trade along the Rhine.
GAO - Important Center of Trade. Gao has always rivaled Timbuktu as the trade center along the Middle Niger.
BORNO -Important Center of Trade. Kanem-Bornu was a nation built on trade, being at the crossroads of Africa. Trade went to and from in all directions from its capital at Gazargamo.
CAYOR - Estuary for the Senegal River. The French founded St Louis at the mouth of the river in 1659, but, over and beyond that, the province also includes Dakar, which has had some sort of European presence since very shortly after the game period starts (1456, more formally in 1536).
*GOLD COAST - Estuary for the Volta River. As an unsettled province, it always seemed a bit much to be an Important Center of Trade, especially when there's a suitable river estuary in the province. If the second option is pursued, instead of an Estuary, it could be a Harbor.
LUANDA - Estuary for the Cuanza River. Founded in 1576, Luanda was a major city in the Portuguese empire. (In a way it having an Estuary province here makes up for the lack of one for the Congo River, which never had much in the way of trade).
*CAPE - If the second option is pursued, it would change from an Important Center of Trade to a Harbor.
QUELIMANE - Estuary for the Zambezi River. While it's obvious that one of the two Sofala provinces should get a bonus for all the trade coming down from Mutapa, it's a bit tricky which one to assign it to. Sofala itself was the main trading center, but it's not terribly close to the Zambezi, unlike Quelimane (which is close, but not quite at, the river's mouth).
*MANGAZEA - Estuary for the Ob River. Right now for some reason an Important Center of Trade in of all places northern Siberia, it would make far more sense to have it as an Estuary province when an important river is right at hand!
TOMSK - Important Center of Trade/River. Tomsk, founded in 1604, was for good reason one of the first major settlements in Russian Siberia. The Siberian node on the map is in the province as well.
IRKUTSK - Important Center of Trade/River. Founded in 1652, Irkutsk, like Tomsk, has since its foundation been an important center of Siberian trade.
QARAQALPAK - Estuary for the Amu Darya River. This may raise some eyebrows, but (a) Khwarezm has been a major trade area since ancient times and (b) if we can have estuaries into the Caspian Sea, why not the Aral?
KABUL - Important Center of Trade. Situated at the head of the Khyber Pass, Kabul has always been an important center for land trade between India and Central Asia.
GOA - Important Center of Trade. What? This wasn't one already? I clicked the province several times just to make sure I wasn't missing it. Like Havana and Panama, one that is very noticeable by its absence. India is so cluttered with this sort of province that adding one more surely won't matter much, especially since the province has a trade region named after it!
PATNA - Important Center of Trade. Patna's location along the Ganges has made it a center of trade since ancient times.
KASHGAR - Important Center of Trade. Where the the two branches of the Silk Road from the east met, and where the route to the west began its ascension into the passes of the Pamir Mountains.
LHASA - Important Center of Trade. Well, if we're going to have at least once province with trade bonuses in each node, this is about the only choice for the Lhasa node...
CHENGDU -Important Center of Trade. Similar to Lhasa, as the node doesn't have a province with trade bonuses, but at least this one more justified since Chengdu and Sichuan have always been important economically.
PEGU - Estuary for the Irrawaddy River. The nation of Pegu did become powerful from its position at the mouth of the river.
*AYUTTHAYA - Estuary for the Chao Phraya River. Currently an Important Center of Trade, it seems reasonable to change it to an Estuary.
HAI PHONG - Estuary for the Red (or Song Hong) River. One of the main trade routes in southern China and northern Vietnam. The Red River valley was the heart of Dai Viet, and as such should be among those that gets an estuary bonus.
GIRIN - Important Center of Trade. As there's no current centers of trade in the Girin node, the eponymous province would seem to be an excellent choice, given how important the city of Jilin has been for the region, and since the Amur estuary doesn't seem to deserve a trade bonus.
MANILA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. The Philippines region doesn't have a province with trade bonuses, so obviously Manila would be the choice here. Manila was the focus of Spanish trade in the region, as well as being the destination for the galleons that came once a year from Acapulco. Even before Spanish rule, local rulers from the region traded with China and Brunei.
EORA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Although Australia wasn't settled until the very end of the game period, making the province that would include Sydney an important center of trade makes sense. And the region has no other provinces with bonuses as well.
That's a pretty extensive list, but I do believe having more provinces with trade bonuses would definitely make the game more interesting to play.
The reasons why this should be done are simple - more provinces with trade bonuses not only make the game and map more interesting, they also allow the game to develop a bit more historically, and can become the cause of conflict between powers as they were in real life. Making, for example, Honniasont a province with a trade bonus not only makes sense geographically (as trade across the Appalachians was naturally funneled to the location where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers formed the Ohio), but also historically, since it was the conflict over the strategic location which was the immediate cause of the French and Indian War, and, eventually, one of the causes for the outbreak of the Seven Years War. But while Europe and much of Asia have an abundance of such provinces, other areas, most notably the Americas, are seriously lacking them. Hopefully this suggestion will go some distance in balancing that, although I'll be suggesting a few provinces in Europe and Asia as well. Finally, simply for a bit of balance and fairness, each trade node will end up with at least one trade bonus province as a result of this suggestion.
This suggestion comes in two forms: Simple and Slightly Less Simple.
The Simple form would be simply to have new Estuary and Important Center of Trade provinces throughout the world. This would be simple to implement and would not make make much difference in gameplay other than updating the provinces listed. However, while Estuaries are Estuaries throughout the world, it seems odd to place "Important Centers of Trade" in areas that are, at game's start, only thinly inhabited by tribal cultures. Moreover, the +20 Trade and +2 Naval Force seems quite high for such undeveloped provinces. It is for this reason I'm suggesting a second option.
The Slightly Less Simple form would split up Important Centers of Trade in colonizable provinces into those coastal provinces with a good Harbor and those inland provinces controlling strategic locations along Rivers (they would remain Important Centers of Trade in more developed provinces). I'll denote them simply as "Harbor" and "River"; if the suggestion is taken up I'm sure better names (and the bonuses they should get - perhaps +10 Trade and +1 Naval for Harbors and +5 Trade for Rivers) could be implemented. Even as the timeline advances and the provinces become colonized, they could still logically maintain the same, lesser, status than Important Centers of Trade simply because they haven't been settled long enough to evolve to the higher level.
(This post will list all new provinces suggested for new trade bonuses, as well as a few which should have the trade bonus they have altered - these will be marked with a "*". Any other trade bonus province not listed is fine as-is and has no need for change or dropping of bonus altogether)
CHINOOK - Estuary for the Columbia River. Although trade really didn't kick off here until the very end of the game period, that's not for lack of any intrinsic trade value, but simply because the region was so extremely remote for Europeans during the time period. Once trade started here, however, the mouth of the Columbia became very important for both the UK and the US.
*MIWOK - Estuary for the Sacramento River. Already in game as an Important Center of Trade, it really wasn't one during the game period. It would make more sense to have it be the estuary it is.
KUMEYAAY -Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Location of San Diego, it was the first Spanish settlement in Alta California for good reason, with its excellent harbor. (Sorry, Los Angeles, but there's no reason during the game period to give trade bonuses to your province!)
PUEBLO - Important Center of Trade/River. Really, the whole Rio Grande region was a bit of void when it comes to trade during the period (In fact, the Rio Grande Estuary province could reasonably lose its trade bonus and not be too unhistorical), but what trade there was was centered in the upper Rio Grande in what is now New Mexico. Considering the Spanish purposefully moved into their Nuevo Mexico fairly early on, in 1598, shows that, out of all areas in the trade region, this was probably the most important.
WINNIPEG - Important Center of Trade/River. Winnipeg was founded in 1738, on a very strategic location on the Red River of the North. It was (and still is) the center of trade in the region, and whether that trade would be funneled to the Great Lakes and the French or Hudson Bay and the British was of prime importance in the history of the region.
TAMAROA - Important Center of Trade/River. The whole area where the Missouri and Illinois Rivers flow into the Mississippi have always been the center of trade for the region. There are good reasons why several of the largest Mound Builder settlements were in the area, and why the region was one of the earliest to be taken over by the French. Tamaroa is where St Louis (founded 1764) is located, so in a modern sense it would look the best, but Cahokia (founded 1699, although the native settlement there goes centuries back) would work as well.
MOBILE - Estuary for the Alabama River. Mobile was founded in 1702, even before the foundation of New Orleans, and was the first capital of French Louisiana.
POTAWATOMI - Important Center of Trade/River. Fort Detroit was founded in 1701, but the strategic value of the location, at the center of the Great Lakes, should be obvious.
HONNIASONT - Important Center of Trade/River. It's the trade center that (partially) started the Seven Years War! The location of Pittsburgh, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio is of course of prime strategic value. Owning it helps control the trade in the Ohio River valley, so it makes sense for it to be a province that would do so as well in game terms.
HOCHLEGA - Important Center of Trade/River. Montreal was founded in 1642, and its location at the confluence of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers made the region important economically even before its founding. Again, the St Lawrence region only has one other bonus province, but even then, the province would seem to merit bonuses in any case...
BEOTHUK - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Ships from all sorts of European nations used the harbor at St. John's (and others nearby) from the early 1500s onward, and the area was settled quite early on, in the 1610s.
MASSACHUSETTS - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Not only is it the location of Boston, it was one of the first areas heavily settled in the eastern US. While, technically, Plymouth was just over the province border to the south, the settlements that were built here only a few years later rapidly eclipsed those of its southern neighbor.
LENAPE - Estuary for the Delaware River. Yes, technically Lanape isn't a coastal province (it gets cut off by Delaware), but it is where Philadelphia (founded 1682) is. If necessary, being non-coastal, it could be a Important Center of Trade/River instead.
CHESAPEAKE - Estuary for the James River. Other than the fact the trade region is named after it, Chesapeake is the location of the first permanent English settlement in North America. Its strategic location is the reason that the main US Naval base is located there today.
SANTEE - Estuary for the Santee River. Interestingly, the Santee is the second-longest river along the US East Coast. And while Charleston isn't technically on the Santee, it is in the province itself, and was one of the main hubs of early colonization (and if being not quite at the river's mouth doesn't work, it could be an Important Center of Trade/Harbor instead)
HAVANA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. I'm pretty shocked this wasn't in before; Havana was the center of Spanish control and trade for the Caribbean during the entire game period. Plus the Caribbean region doesn't have a single province with a trade bonus. This is one that should definitely be added.
BARAHONAS - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Santo Domingo is the oldest European city in the Americas and has always been a major center in the Caribbean. If Havana gives players a bit of a bonus in colonizing Cuba, Barahonas should do the same for Hispaniola.
CUMANA - Estuary for the Orinoco. OK, that's stretching it a bit, but the province does get almost to the Orinoco delta. And Cumana, again, was an early European settlement and a major focus of trade in the game period. If we can't quite stretch the meaning of "Estuary" for one province over, we can just make it a Center of Trade/Harbor. It just seems wrong that the Orinoco doesn't get an Estuary province when being such a major river.
TLAPANEC - Important Center of Trade. Acapulco was the main harbor on the Pacific coast of Spanish Mexico, and was the point of departure and return for the famous Manila galleons which crossed the Pacific going to and from the Philippines. Note that since Mesoamerica was already settled by more advanced states, there's no reason for to demote it to a mere "Harbor" if the second option is pursued; it's just fine as an Important Center of Trade. (This goes for the current ICoT at Cuetlaxan as well)
PANAMA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Basically all that I said for Havana, only moved a few hundred miles south. The strategic and geographic reasons for having it as a trade bonus province should be obvious.
CARTAGENA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. It was one of the anchors of the Spanish Empire, founded in 1533, and fought over and raided repeatedly afterwards.
GUAYAQUIL - Estuary for the Guayas River. Guayaquil was founded in 1538 and remains the largest city and chief harbor in Ecuador. Interestingly enough, the Guayas River is the longest river in South America which flows into the Pacific. (Like the Mexico trade provinces mentioned above, the current ICoTs in the Lima and Cuiaba nodes are fine as-is and would not need to be demoted if the second option were pursued).
PICUNMAPU - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Location of Santiago and Valparaiso, the area which has always been the economic heart of Chile. Plus it (barely) gives us a trade province in the Patagonia node, which is seriously lacking in other candidates (Falklands? Tierra del Fuego? Nothing else much really cries out for bonuses in the region)
ASUNCION - Important Center of Trade/River. Located at the intersection of the Paraguay and Pilcomayo Rivers, Asuncion's strategic location is obvious. Founded in 1537, it was where the settlers from Buenos Aires fled to when the settlement was destroyed, and from where settlers came when the city was re-founded.
*RIO DE JANIERO - If the second option is pursued, it would change from an Important Center of Trade to a Harbor.
*BAHIA - If the second option is pursued, it would change from an Important Center of Trade to a Harbor.
BELEM - Estuary for the Amazon River. Belem was founded in 1616, which is suitably early, even if the Amazon wasn't really much of a trade route for much of the game.
MANAUS - Important Center of Trade/River. Founded in 1694, Manaus' strategic location at the confluence of the Amazon and Rio Negro should be obvious.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE - Estuary for the Severn River. As loath as I am to give England any more trade bonuses, it's hard to argue against just how important Bristol was in the English trade network. And the Severn is longer than the Thames anyway!
STOCKHOLM - Important Center of Trade. Everything I've read seems to indicate that Stockholm was an important city in the Baltic trade, and for the Hansa as well. I'm assuming that either the game developers know something I don't, or are just being modest here.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD - Important Center of Trade. Its location at the confluence of the Oka and Volga has meant it has always been an important trade center of the region. The Makaryev Fair took place in the city environs from the 1620s onward and was massively important to the Russian economy.
BOHEMIA - Important Center of Trade. Prague of course has always been an important center of trade. Moreover, the Saxony node does not have any trade bonus provinces, so this province would be the most suitable candidate for adding one.
KOLN - Important Center of Trade. Cologne was an important Hansa city, and has always played an important part in trade along the Rhine.
GAO - Important Center of Trade. Gao has always rivaled Timbuktu as the trade center along the Middle Niger.
BORNO -Important Center of Trade. Kanem-Bornu was a nation built on trade, being at the crossroads of Africa. Trade went to and from in all directions from its capital at Gazargamo.
CAYOR - Estuary for the Senegal River. The French founded St Louis at the mouth of the river in 1659, but, over and beyond that, the province also includes Dakar, which has had some sort of European presence since very shortly after the game period starts (1456, more formally in 1536).
*GOLD COAST - Estuary for the Volta River. As an unsettled province, it always seemed a bit much to be an Important Center of Trade, especially when there's a suitable river estuary in the province. If the second option is pursued, instead of an Estuary, it could be a Harbor.
LUANDA - Estuary for the Cuanza River. Founded in 1576, Luanda was a major city in the Portuguese empire. (In a way it having an Estuary province here makes up for the lack of one for the Congo River, which never had much in the way of trade).
*CAPE - If the second option is pursued, it would change from an Important Center of Trade to a Harbor.
QUELIMANE - Estuary for the Zambezi River. While it's obvious that one of the two Sofala provinces should get a bonus for all the trade coming down from Mutapa, it's a bit tricky which one to assign it to. Sofala itself was the main trading center, but it's not terribly close to the Zambezi, unlike Quelimane (which is close, but not quite at, the river's mouth).
*MANGAZEA - Estuary for the Ob River. Right now for some reason an Important Center of Trade in of all places northern Siberia, it would make far more sense to have it as an Estuary province when an important river is right at hand!
TOMSK - Important Center of Trade/River. Tomsk, founded in 1604, was for good reason one of the first major settlements in Russian Siberia. The Siberian node on the map is in the province as well.
IRKUTSK - Important Center of Trade/River. Founded in 1652, Irkutsk, like Tomsk, has since its foundation been an important center of Siberian trade.
QARAQALPAK - Estuary for the Amu Darya River. This may raise some eyebrows, but (a) Khwarezm has been a major trade area since ancient times and (b) if we can have estuaries into the Caspian Sea, why not the Aral?
KABUL - Important Center of Trade. Situated at the head of the Khyber Pass, Kabul has always been an important center for land trade between India and Central Asia.
GOA - Important Center of Trade. What? This wasn't one already? I clicked the province several times just to make sure I wasn't missing it. Like Havana and Panama, one that is very noticeable by its absence. India is so cluttered with this sort of province that adding one more surely won't matter much, especially since the province has a trade region named after it!
PATNA - Important Center of Trade. Patna's location along the Ganges has made it a center of trade since ancient times.
KASHGAR - Important Center of Trade. Where the the two branches of the Silk Road from the east met, and where the route to the west began its ascension into the passes of the Pamir Mountains.
LHASA - Important Center of Trade. Well, if we're going to have at least once province with trade bonuses in each node, this is about the only choice for the Lhasa node...
CHENGDU -Important Center of Trade. Similar to Lhasa, as the node doesn't have a province with trade bonuses, but at least this one more justified since Chengdu and Sichuan have always been important economically.
PEGU - Estuary for the Irrawaddy River. The nation of Pegu did become powerful from its position at the mouth of the river.
*AYUTTHAYA - Estuary for the Chao Phraya River. Currently an Important Center of Trade, it seems reasonable to change it to an Estuary.
HAI PHONG - Estuary for the Red (or Song Hong) River. One of the main trade routes in southern China and northern Vietnam. The Red River valley was the heart of Dai Viet, and as such should be among those that gets an estuary bonus.
GIRIN - Important Center of Trade. As there's no current centers of trade in the Girin node, the eponymous province would seem to be an excellent choice, given how important the city of Jilin has been for the region, and since the Amur estuary doesn't seem to deserve a trade bonus.
MANILA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. The Philippines region doesn't have a province with trade bonuses, so obviously Manila would be the choice here. Manila was the focus of Spanish trade in the region, as well as being the destination for the galleons that came once a year from Acapulco. Even before Spanish rule, local rulers from the region traded with China and Brunei.
EORA - Important Center of Trade/Harbor. Although Australia wasn't settled until the very end of the game period, making the province that would include Sydney an important center of trade makes sense. And the region has no other provinces with bonuses as well.
That's a pretty extensive list, but I do believe having more provinces with trade bonuses would definitely make the game more interesting to play.
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