In common usage, "culture" means "the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a ... social group" (m-w.com). In EU2, culture is simpler: it's basically just a number. In EU2, there are lots of cultures, but two cultures are either the same, or they are different. There is no such thing as "similar".
Three entities in EU2 have culture: nations/states, provinces, and settlements (colonies, and cities).
States have one primary culture, but they may also have secondary culture(s). You can see the state culture(s) on the monarch screen. The first culture listed is the primary state culture. For example, the Ottoman Empire has as its primary culture Turkish, but it also has Arab, Greek, and Slavonic culture.
State cultures can change only via events. There are no random events which change state culture.
Every land province has exactly one "base" culture. If the province is empty, you can see this culture when you mouse over the province in conversion mode. If the province has a trading post you can see it on the province information screen. You cannot see the base culture of a province if it has a colony/city on it. This culture is fixed by the scenario and cannot change.
Every land province may have a settlement (a colony, colonial city, or city); and if it does, that settlement has exactly one culture. Settlement culture is independent of the base provincial culture. This culture is seen via the city screen.
Events can change any settlement's culture to any culture. For example, in the event where the Ottomans can move their capital to Thrace, if they make that choice they get conversions of several provinces nearby to Turkish culture (as well as some nice religious conversions). Events changing culture are rare; no random event changes culture.
When a colony is created, it gets the primary state culture of the state creating it. After that, settlement culture usually does not change much. However, there are several state actions that change settlement culture. These always change settlement culture to the primary state culture of the responsible state. The actions are:
Culture has a number of effects. When a state owns a settlement that does not match any of its state cultures, the settlement:
Three entities in EU2 have culture: nations/states, provinces, and settlements (colonies, and cities).
States have one primary culture, but they may also have secondary culture(s). You can see the state culture(s) on the monarch screen. The first culture listed is the primary state culture. For example, the Ottoman Empire has as its primary culture Turkish, but it also has Arab, Greek, and Slavonic culture.
State cultures can change only via events. There are no random events which change state culture.
Every land province has exactly one "base" culture. If the province is empty, you can see this culture when you mouse over the province in conversion mode. If the province has a trading post you can see it on the province information screen. You cannot see the base culture of a province if it has a colony/city on it. This culture is fixed by the scenario and cannot change.
Every land province may have a settlement (a colony, colonial city, or city); and if it does, that settlement has exactly one culture. Settlement culture is independent of the base provincial culture. This culture is seen via the city screen.
Events can change any settlement's culture to any culture. For example, in the event where the Ottomans can move their capital to Thrace, if they make that choice they get conversions of several provinces nearby to Turkish culture (as well as some nice religious conversions). Events changing culture are rare; no random event changes culture.
When a colony is created, it gets the primary state culture of the state creating it. After that, settlement culture usually does not change much. However, there are several state actions that change settlement culture. These always change settlement culture to the primary state culture of the responsible state. The actions are:
- successfully expanding a colony, as long as the result of the operation is not a colonial city.
- successful religious conversion of any settlement with pagan religion also converts the province's culture.
- in non-European conquered provinces that contain colonial cities (1000-5000 pop), whenever nationalism ends, the colonial city's culture will change to the primary state culture. This effect only works if the settlement culture is different from the base provincial culture.
Note that nationalism usually lasts 30 years; you can see it via the increase in revolt risk. However, if you capture one of your core provinces, nationalism ends immediately (and the culture changes if other conditions apply). Similarly in the case of a colonial city defection, there is no nationalism, and immediate culture change.
Again, there are two very substantial limits on this effect: the colonial city must be non-European, and it must not match culture to the base provincial culture (which you can't see). Base provincial culture usually matches the settlement culture for settled provinces as they are in the Grand Campaign scenario. (A few exceptions exist, including the Canary Islands.) Thus, for example, China cannot easily expand into the Changatai Khanate and convert its many small cities into Han culture, because those cities are Mongol cities on provinces with Mongol base culture.
Culture has a number of effects. When a state owns a settlement that does not match any of its state cultures, the settlement:
- has a -30% on tax income from that province. See the economy faq at http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showpost.php?t=25333.
- has reduced recruitment potential (number of armies you can build there). This is actually a side effect of the tax income reduction.
- has a +1 modifier to the revolt risk (+2 when at war).
- is harder and costlier to colonize. The modifier is +8% for colonizing a settlement or province with your state culture. See the colonization faq at http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47145. (When colonizing empty provinces, the provencial base culture is used here instead of the settlement culture.)
- is much harder and costlier to religiously convert. See the conversion faq (not very detailed, but hopefully a better will appear) at http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20957
- supplies reduced manpower; see the manpower discussion at http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72487
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