The Forge (Civ4)/Final Frontier/Civilopedia

It is the nature of Forge's existence which brought the Colony its name. The second human interstellar settlement, founded in 2247 AD, the planet was targeted for colonization to serve as a mining facility. Initial probe sweeps of the region found highly concentrated deposits of rare minerals near the surface of the world, making it a highly attractive target. With interest in Colonization increasing rapidly, metals were becoming more and more rare on Earth, particularly those metals necessary to construct the impressive starships of the PDE's interstellar Colonization fleet.
The Forge grew rapidly as a center for mining, and as the population grew, industry and manufacturing grew as well. The Forge prospered as a well-traveled world, enjoying the success of a profitable economic exchange with Earth. The development of "core drillers" to extract minerals from the molten center of planets in 2264 had a damaging impact on the Forge's economy, as its industry relied on more traditional mining methods. However, core driller technology was proven unsound when the planets which housed them began suffering catastrophic collapses, and the Forge regained its position as the most significant mining Colony.
The loss of the mineral and heavy industry trade in 2302 has had a damaging impact on the planet's economy. However, the Forge is fortunately well-equipped for survival with its wide array of hi-tech equipment and construction facilities. It must now use those resources to ensure the survival and prosperity of the Colony, rather than to gather wealth through the trade which dominated its past. The only real concern for the Forge is staving off food and supply shortages, as the Forge heavily relied on procuring such goods from trade with the Earth.