What exactly counts as a continent?

[magicalsushi]

In the context of Civ 4, what exactly constitutes a continent? A few of the wonders work for "all cities on this continent" or something along those lines. In previous Civ games I've played, a continent meant a connected landmass, regardless of how big or small. I was wondering whether this might have been refined a bit for Civ 4, what with having two different types of seawater tile (ocean and coast), and the game just being better in general.

If there's a tiny island separated from a large continent by just one tile of coast, is it part of the same continent? It wouldn't have been in Civ 2, but hopefully it is in Civ 4.

I could swear I remember hovering over tiles and seeing a 'continent number' in the corner of the screen, but I can't remember where. I assumed it was worldbuilder, but I don't see any evidence of it now. My memory is terrible, so it's not impossible that I imagined the whole thing.

Anyway, if anyone knows how the game defines a continent, please tell me.

 

[Joshua368]

Small islands may not be considered continents by the map generators, but all "only on continent" wonders only effect the directly connected landmass. Small islands don't count, even if connected by coast.

 

[CCRunner]

Any landmass separated by water is considered a continent. So if for example- on an earth map europe, asia, and africa are all 1 continent and the americas are another continent.

 

[Korias]

Not neccessarily. Ive had cities which wont be liberated as another civ because the landmass was too small to be considered a continent.

 

[CCRunner]

No, that's because you didn't have (either 2 or 3, I forget which) cities on the continent. You need that many cities in order to create a colony no matter how big the landmass is. If you build something like Notre Dame there than only that city will get the regardless of how close it is to the mainland.

If you did have that many cities there then I am wrong and I apologize but my guess is you didn't.

 

[Airey]

check Trade Route under City Screens

Cities on another continent will gain a bonus.

 

[Handel]

It seems the small islands are not "continents" for the purpose of trade routes. But for the purpose of the wonders everything completely surrounded by coast/oceans counts as a continent. So if you build the wonder on a 1 tile island it will work only on this island.
You may check this with the barbarians. Start some new game, edit your civ to have The Great Wall, then put a city on a small island and put a barbarian there.

Eidt: I just tried it and the barbs happily took my island city although I had The Great Wall on the nearby landmass. So anything which is completely separated by water counts as a another continent. Probably the rivers don't count as a separation "by water" but in the game there is no natural rivers with to go from coast to coast, so in the game created maps the rivers never can make full separation.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

It seems the small islands are not "continents" for the purpose of trade routes. But for the purpose of the wonders everything completely surrounded by coast/oceans counts as a continent. So if you build the wonder on a 1 tile island it will work only on this island.
You may check this with the barbarians. Start some new game, edit your civ to have The Great Wall, then put a city on a small island and put a barbarian there.

Eidt: I just tried it and the barbs happily took my island city although I had The Great Wall on the nearby landmass. So anything which is completely separated by water counts as a another continent. Probably the rivers don't count as a separation "by water" but in the game there is no natural rivers with to go from coast to coast, so in the game created maps the rivers never can make full separation.

Rivers can go coast to coast I think, but they're actually bonuses applied to land tiles, the game does not consider them water.

For game wonder purposes anything connected by land is a continent. I think it considers ALL islands continents actually, but remember to liberate you need two cities on a continent, so in the case of 1 tile islands the "continent" is just too small to fit the requirement .

One tile islands do, however, give you the intercontinental trade bonus. For example, settling one will make one of your domestic trade routes 2 commerce instead of one early game. With great lighthouse, currency, and 4 1 tile island cities, all remaining coastal cities will start with 8 commerce instantly. This is about the output of a gold mine, and difficult to match earlygame otherwise. It also assumes no foreign trade, which would make it even stronger.