List of improvements in Civ5

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Tile improvements are buildings or installations constructed in terrain outside of cities, generally by Workers. Each improvement changes the properties of the tile where it's built, usually adding potential such as tile yields to it. Improvements are unlocked via certain technologies.

Improvements built on certain strategic and luxury resources are required for an empire to access the resources' special properties.

Mechanics

With the exception of Great Tile Improvements, most improvements can be built by a Worker (or a Work Boat at sea), given the appropriate technology and provided that the tile meets the requirements. Improvements remove Forests and Jungles unless otherwise specified (notably the Trading Post and Camp). Building with a Worker requires several turns, while the Work Boat finishes the improvement instantaneously.

Improvements are susceptible to pillaging by enemies, including Barbarians. When any improvement is pillaged, it will be inactive until repaired by a Worker (including Great Tile Improvements).

Improvement yields, which include both relevant increases depending on the resource as well as bonuses from appropriate technologies such as Fertilizer, will be added to the base terrain yield combined with increased yields from the resource itself (yields provided when worked by a city).

There are some improvements only available to certain civilizations. And finally, there are certain improvements that can only be built by using Great People. This article lists all improvements in Civilization V.

Standard Improvements

These improvements are available to all civilizations after researching the technologies that unlock them.

Name	Technology	Placement	Resources	Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Farm	Agriculture	Plains Grassland Desert Hill (if adjacent to fresh water) Tundra (if adjacent to fresh water)	Wheat	+1 Food +1 Food (if adjacent to fresh water) (Req.  Civil Service) +1 Food (if NOT adjacent to fresh water) (Req.  Fertilizer)
Pasture	Animal Husbandry	Only on Resource	Sheep Cattle Horses	+1 Production on Horses and Cattle +1 Food on Sheep +1 Food (Req.  Fertilizer) +1 Culture (Req.  God of the Open Sky) ( and ) +1 Production for the Huns ()
Mine	Mining	Hill and on tiles with resource	Iron Coal Aluminum Uranium Gold Silver Copper Gems Salt	+1 Production +1 Food on Salt +1 Production on Coal, Aluminum and Uranium +1 Production (Req.  Chemistry) +1 Production (Req.  Five-Year Plan) ()
Fishing Boats	Sailing	Only on Resource	Fish Whales Crab Pearls	+1 Food +1 Gold (Req.  Compass) +1 Production (Req.  God of the Sea) ( and )
Plantation	Calendar	Only on Resource	Bananas Incense Wine Cotton Sugar Spices Silk Citrus Dyes Cocoa	+2 Food and -1 Production on Bananas +1 Gold on Incense, Wine, Cotton, Sugar, Spices, Silk, Citrus, Dyes and Cocoa +1 Food (Req.  Fertilizer) +1 Culture (Req.  Oral Tradition) ( and )
Camp	Trapping	Only on Resource	Bison Deer Furs Truffles Ivory	+1 Production on Bison and Deer +1 Gold on Furs, Truffles and Ivory +1 Gold (Req.  Economics) +1 Food (Req.  Goddess of the Hunt) ( and ) Does not remove Forest or Jungle
Quarry	Masonry	Only on Resource	Stone Marble	+1 Production +1 Production (Req.  Chemistry) +1 Production (Req.  Five-Year Plan) () +2 Faith (Req.  Stone Circles) ( and )
Lumber Mill	Construction	Forest		+1 Production +1 Production (Req.  Scientific Theory) Does not remove Forest
Fort	Engineering	Plains Grassland Hill Desert Tundra Snow		+50% Defensive Combat Strength for friendly units on the tile.
Trading Post	Guilds	Plains Grassland Hill Desert Tundra Forest Jungle		+1 Gold +1 Gold (Req.  Economics) +1 Gold (Req. finishing Commerce Policy Tree) +1 Science (Req.  Free Thought) Does not remove Forest or Jungle
Oil Well	Biology	Only on land tiles with Oil resource	Oil	+3 Production
Offshore Platform	Refrigeration	Only on water tiles with Oil resource	Oil	+3 Production

Transportation Improvements

These improvements can be built on any passable land tile, including outside your own territory. They can be built alongside any other improvement, and do not remove Forests or Jungles.

Name	Technology	Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Road	The Wheel	-1 Gold Establishes a City Connection when connecting a city to its owner's Capital x2 Movement speed increasing to x3 (Req.  Machinery) Allows crossing Rivers without losing Movement points (Req.  Engineering)
Railroad	Railroad	-2 Gold Establishes a City Connection when connecting a city to its owner's Capital Provides +25% Production to a city when connecting it to its owner's Capital x3 Movement (minimum speed 10 hexes/turn) Allows crossing Rivers without losing Movement points

Great Tile Improvements

These improvements are built by Great People, with the exception of the Landmark in Brave New World. All great tile improvements can be built on any passable land terrain type (except Oases). With regard to resources, they will only connect any strategic resources on the tile. While they get additional bonus yield from technology, they do not get an increase from the type of strategic resource. They do not have any effect on luxuries nor bonus resources.

Name	Built by	Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Academy	Great Scientist	+8 Science +2 Science (Req.  Scientific Theory) +100% Science (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and only) +2 Science (Req.  Atomic Theory) ( and ) +4 Science (Req.  New Deal) () +2 Science (Req. Historical Landmarks Resolution) () +2 Science for Korea
Citadel	Great General Khan	+100% Defensive Combat Strength for friendly units on the tile. Damages all enemy units that end their turn adjacent 33% of their Health (Damage does not stack with other Citadels). Instantly annexes all adjacent tiles, as well as its own, into your empire's territory. (Must be constructed on a tile within or bordering your own territory.) ( and )
Customs House	Great Merchant Merchant of Venice	+4 Gold +1 Gold (Req.  Economics) +100% Gold (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and only) +4 Gold (Req.  New Deal) ()
Holy Site	Great Prophet	+6 Faith +3 Gold (Req.  Theocracy) +3 Culture (Req. finishing Piety Policy Tree) +4 Faith (Req.  New Deal) ()
Landmark	Great Artist (vanilla and ) Archaeologist ()	+6 (vanilla and ) +1 for each Era of age of the Archaeological site ()
Manufactory	Great Engineer	+4 Production +1 Production (Req.  Chemistry) +100% Production (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and only) +4 Production (Req.  New Deal) ()

Unique Improvements

These improvements are available only to certain civilizations. Unlike unique buildings and unique units, they never replace standard improvements, and civilizations that don't have one will have a unique building or a second unique unit instead. Unique improvements cannot be used to connect resources (e.g., a Brazilwood Camp cannot be built on a tile with Bananas), and any civilization that works a unique improvement's tile can benefit from its effects.

Name	Civilization	Technology	Placement	Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Brazilwood Camp	Brazilian	Machinery	Jungle	+2 Gold +2 Culture (Req.  Acoustics) Does not remove Jungle
Chateau	French	Chivalry	Adjacent to Luxury Resource tile NOT adjacent to another Chateau	+1 Gold +2 Culture +50% Defensive Combat Strength for friendly units on the tile. +2 Gold (Req.  Flight) +1 Culture (Req.  Flight)
Feitoria	Portuguese	Navigation	Coastal land tiles without Resources on a City-State City-state territory	1 copy of each Luxury Resource the City-State City-state has. +50% Defensive Combat Strength for any units on the tile. Pillaging this improvement constitutes an act of war against Portugal.
Kasbah	Moroccan	Chivalry	Desert	+1 Food +1 Production +1 Gold +50% Defensive Combat Strength for any units on the tile.
Moai	Polynesian	Construction	Coastal land tiles	+1 Culture +1 Culture for each adjacent Moai +1 Gold (Req.  Flight)
Polder	Dutch	Guilds	Marsh Flood Plains	+3 Food +1 Production (Req.  Economics) +1 Gold (Req.  Economics)
Terrace Farm	Incan	Construction	Hill	+1 Food +1 Food for each adjacent Mountain +1 Food (if adjacent to fresh water) (Req.  Civil Service) +1 Food (if NOT adjacent to fresh water) (Req.  Fertilizer)

Added in the Gods & Kings expansion pack.

Added in the Brave New World expansion pack.

Civilization V [edit]
Gods & Kings • Brave New World
Lists Buildings Civilizations Unique abilities Improvements Leaders Promotions Resources Social policies Technologies Terrain Units Unique units Wonders Natural wonders
Concepts City-State Culture Era Espionage‡ Food Gold Great People Happiness Natural wonder Production Religion‡ Science Unique ability Unit Unique unit Tourism‡ Victory Cultural Diplomatic Domination Science
Miscellaneous DLC Mathematics Modding (List of mods) Major Patches Scenarios Soundtrack Steam Achievements
† Only in vanilla Civ5 • ‡ Only in Gods & Kings and Brave New World