*This page last updated: 21 September, 2014 23:10 PST.

General Notes

Base Terrain Types

Grassland

Basic Production: 2 Food
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%

 

Plains

Basic Production: 1 Food, 1 Hammer
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%

 

Desert

Basic Production: (none)
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%

Ocean

Basic Production: 1 Food, 1 Gold
Movement Cost: 1

Lake

Basic Production: 2 Food, 1 Gold
Movement Cost: 1

Tundra

Basic Production: 1 Food
Movement Cost: 1

Snow

Basic Production: (none)
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%

Terrain Features

Terrain Feature modify normal terrain. They can stack; you could have Grassland with Hills, Forest, and a River.

Hills

Basic Production: 0 Food, 2 Hammers
Movement Cost: 2; Defensive Bonus: +25%
Notes: Hills yield 0 Food and 2 Hammers, regardless of the underlying terrain type.

Forest

Production: 1 Food, 1 Hammer
Movement Cost: 2; Defensive Bonus: +25%
Notes: Tiles with forests covering them always yield 1 Food and 1 Production, regardless of the underlying terrain type. Forests can be cleared by Workers (with the Advent of Mining).

Jungle

Production Modifier: -1 Hammer
Movement Cost: 2; Defensive Bonus: +25%
Notes: Jungle can be cleared by Workers (with the advent of Bronze Working). Jungle no longer has a negative modifier to Food production.

Mountains

Production: 0
Movement Cost: Impassable except to Air units; Defensive Bonus: +25%

River

Production Modifier: +1 Gold; Attack Penalty for crossing: -20%
Notes: As in Civ IV, rivers run on the boundaries between tiles. Crossing a river will end movement for most units (unless it is spanned by a road with a bridge).

Marsh

Production Modifier: Food -1. 
Movement Cost: 2
Notes: Back from Civ III. Sugar resources can occur here, but the marsh needs to be removed by Workers (ability gained with Masonry) before a Plantation can be built. Some improvements such as farms can be built directly on a marsh, but with the -1 food penalty.

Coast

Basic Production: +1 Gold
Notes: Coastal tiles now often go several hexes out into the water, allowing for better freedom of movement for ancient units that are restricted from deep ocean.

Flood Plains

Production Modifier: +2 Food

Oasis

Production Modifier: +3 Food, +1 Gold
Notes: As in Civ IV, the Oasis can't be improved (except with roads).

Ice

Notes: Impassable except to Air and Submarine units.

Fallout

Production Modifiers: Food -3, Production -3, Gold -3
Movement Cost: 2
Notes: Fallout must be cleared by a Worker before any improvements can be built.

Atoll

Production Modifiers: Food 1, Production +1
Movement Cost: 1
Notes: Added post-release in a patch at the same time as the Polynesian DLC.

Natural Wonders

Natural Wonders are special terrain features that provide extra happiness and gold production for nearby settlements. Discovering a Natural Wonder gives your empire a permanent +1 happiness bonus (from my experience, this seems to happen whether you are the first to discover it or not).

Natural Wonders give a production yield of 2 Production, 3 gold, and are impassable.

Old Faithful

Production Modifiers: +2 Science, +3 Happiness
Movement Cost: Impassable

Great Barrier Reef

Production Modifiers: +2 Food, +1 Hammers, +1 Gold, +2 Science
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Covers 2 tiles, and each tile counts separately for the Happiness bonus for discovery.

Mount Fuji

Production Modifiers: +2 Gold, +3 Culture, +3 Faith
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Fuji has its own clouds around the peak.

Barringer Crater

Production Modifiers: +2 Gold, +3 Science
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Perhaps better known as "Meteor Crater" in Arizona, if you were wondering.

Grand Mesa

Production Modifiers: +2 Hammers, +3 Gold
Movement Cost: Impassable

Rock of Gibraltar

Production Modifiers: +2 Food, +5 Gold
Movement Cost: Impassable

Krakatoa

Production Modifiers: +5 Science
Movement Cost: Impassable

Cerro de Potosi

Production: +10 Gold
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Added in the Spain & Inca DLC, but is available in a standard game.

El Dorado

Production: +5 Culture
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Added in the Spain & Inca DLC. Grants 500 Gold to the first player to discover it.

Fountain of Youth

Production: +10 Happiness
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Added in the Spain & Inca DLC. Any unit that moves adjacent to the Fountain gains a permanent double-healing-rate attribute.

Mount Sinai:

+8 Faith
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion

Sri Prada:

+2 Food, +4 Faith, +2 Happiness
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion

Mount Kailash:

+6 Faith if worked, +2 Happiness if within your borders.
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion

Uluru/Ayer's Rock:

+2 Food, +6 Faith
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion

King Solomon's Mines

Yield: +6 production
Notes: Added in the Brave New World expansion

Lake Victoria

Yield: +6 Food
Notes: Added in the Brave New World expansion

Mt. Kilimanjaro

Yield: +3 Food, +2 Culture. Adjacent units move at double speed through Hills and receive a combat bonus on Hills for the rest of the game.
Notes: Added in the Brave New World expansion