Identifying my Main Trading Port

[ceff7711]

Is there an easy way to identify my main port? Also, what decides how many trading ports i can have. Meaning...I have a handful of trading ports that have no trade line extending from them even though the regions in question do have tradeable goods (tobacco, coffee, etc). Is this because my main port can't handle any more trade?

[Ashu-Siralis]

I actually have the same Q. Been trying to figure it out on my own, but I'm a dunce, it seems.

[Laconic]

- Your main trading port will have the dotted green trade lines extending from them (only if you have a trade agreement with an overseas partner).

- You can have as many trading ports as you can build. Trading ports add trade routes to your current total; for instance, if you have one baseline trading port, you can only trade with one or two nations. Build another port (according to the rules in my next point) and you'll be able to trade with at least one other nation, etc.

- Only trading ports that have a direct land connection to your capital city will count towards your trade routes. For instance, if the United Provinces captures France but doesn't take Belgium, they do not get access to increased trade routes from the French ports.

- I believe the same goes for colonial possessions: you need at least one trade port that is connected by land to each of your colonies in order for them to ship their resources to you (cotton, tea, coffee, what have you). For example, if you're master of India, you're going to need at least one trade port on the Indian coast to get the Indian resources to your homeland; if you control the Caribbean, each island province needs to have at least one trade port (since none of the island regions are connected by land to the others).

- When that rule is followed, there will just be one port into and out of which goods are shipped. This goes for your capital region (ALL trade is routed through one port), any island regions (Ceylon), as well as mainland colonial possessions (for instance, if you have all of India, there will just be one port that is active). That means that you don't have to have multiple trade ports, especially in your colonies where the additional trade routes are wasted; however, trade ports add a good bit of wealth per turn to the region, so I try to have one per region where I can afford it. Also, there is no way to choose which port is your active port other than losing the region that it's in, in which case the game will pick another; this also means that if your main port is blockaded or occupied by enemy troops, you will lose all trade income until you deal with the threat, so protect your ports!

[ceff7711]

I was talking about my main trading port for my entire faction. I have many trading ports with the green dotted lines...I also have many with no lines.

[eXistenZ]

i Would say the one you had first, and closest to your capital

[ODaly]

i Would say the one you had first, and closest to your capital

This is probably the best way to pick which port is the "main" trading port. In all practicality, however, there is no difference between any of your trading ports that have a land route to your capital. The only thing that differentiates them is which countries they trade with, which is usually assigned to whichever port is closest to the nearest trading port of the trade partner in question.

[The Judge]

You also need larger ports to ship greater qty's of trade good particularly in the colonies

[karamazovmm]

the main trade ports are the ones that are in your capital, or near it. Those determine what are your trade routs.

This gets extended as to the ports that are located in provinces that are making any type of land connection to your capital.