1. Arabia

Find out more about Arabia: https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Arabian_(Civ5) 

The Arabians are one of the best trading nations in the game - not only because of trade routes that produce additional Gold (in vanilla and Gods & Kings) or their extended Caravan range (in Brave New World) - but also because they gain access relatively early on to the Bazaar, a terrific unique replacement for the ordinary Market. The Bazaar gives an additional copy of each luxury resource worked by the city, giving the Arabians much greater bargaining power, even in the early game. Combine this with the Commerce policy tree to maximize land trade power.

The Arabians are also the best civilization to settle deserts (except obviously Morocco and situationally the Inca). Not only does the Bazaar give them additional Gold from oasis tiles (consider this when searching for places to found new cities), but the Oil resource also gives them double quantity, and Oil is usually abundant in deserts. Combine these bonuses with Petra, if possible, to create a fantastic dessert paradise city!

Why Arabia is great:

• Great Starting Bias
• Huge Gold income
• Strong Military 

2 Dutch

Find out more about Dutch: https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Dutch_(Civ5) 

The Dutch, introduced in the Gods & Kings expansion for Civilization V, is an interesting civilization. First, they have a unique ability to retain half the Happiness bonus of a luxury resource they control after they've traded their last copy of it. This ability is quite powerful because a civilization rarely has more than one count of most luxuries (especially in the early-middle of the game). Trading away those single luxuries may get you valuable Gold income when you need it, or allow you to get access to other luxuries, while still retaining sufficient Happiness. This allows for great flexibility for an entrepreneurial player.

Why Dutch is great:

• Strong naval units
• Stable gold income
• Good special buildings

3 Babylon

Find out more about Babylon: https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Babylonian_(Civ5) 

The Babylonians are a scientific civilization, meaning they are geared towards outpacing other civilizations in technological advancements. The free Great Scientist upon the discovery of Writing allows one to construct an Academy very early on in the game. This usually increases the empire's Science output by a factor of 3, allowing one to take an early lead in technology. This lead becomes hard for the AI to overcome on all difficulty levels outside of Immortal and Deity.

Why Babylon is great:

• Strong Cultural dominance
• Fast production of great persons
• Fast income of gold

4 Egypt

Find out more about Egypt: https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Egyptian_(Civ5) 

The Egyptians have two exceptionally powerful unique components: their Burial Tomb and War Chariot are flexible for both an expansive Liberty empire, or a defensive Tradition civilization. Replacing the Temple, the Burial Tomb has per-city Happiness and no maintenance cost - perfect for a wide empire. Regarding the War Chariot, removing the Chariot Archer's Horses requirement means that early military production can proceed with reckless abandon, allowing rapid expansion against an early neighbor.

Why is Egypt Great:

• Fast wonder building
• Fast title improvements
• Strong Production 

5 Morocco

Find out more about Morocco: https://civilization.fandom.com/wiki/Moroccan_(Civ5) 

Morocco's natural Culture production lends itself best to pursuing a cultural victory, although other victory conditions are by no means impossible. Their trade routes directed to foreign cities will allow one to develop Culture easily and boost the economy. Use this to your advantage, especially when you are trading with city-states, because you can still get the extra Culture and Gold while at the same time gaining Influence with them. In case you are trading with other nations, you can use your trade routes as an incentive not to declare war on you, as they risk losing the bonus Gold benefits associated with your Caravans.

Why Morocco is great:

• Powerful spying ability
• Fast mobile units production
• Great Starting Bias

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