There is no lore that hints to any province, if we view it from an ingame perspective. However, Lore-developer MK has "recently" given us some Nordic lore, which kind of points towards Skyrim.
I wouldn't go to court with that as evidence, though.

As for ships... Nords may be famous sailors, but it is the Redguard who has the best and strongest navy. The only thing connecting Nords to boats and sailing is their Norse/viking heritage. And vikings did not build ships to fight with, they built them to sail to land and fight there.
Kinda like they used horses.

I was under the impression that the High Elves traditionally had the best navy...

The War of Bend'r-Mahk increased the territory that is considered Skyrim considerably, allowing the Nordic counts to swallow up many miles of eastern High Rock and Hammerfell. Resistance by the Bretons and the Redguards is feeble in the cities of Jehenna and Elinhir, and more active in the border zones of the countryside. The city-state of Dragonstar continues to be divided into western and eastern sections, walled off from one another, each with its own government, and each with an atmosphere of mistrust and fear. There are few days without an act of terror from one resistance group or another, though, so far little territory has changed hands since the days of the Imperial Simulacrum.

Solitude, always one of the richest and most influential counties in Skyrim, has grown ever more powerful, controlling much of the northern coastline following King Thian's alliance by marriage with Macalla, the Queen of Dawnstar. It has sought to expand its influence further by annexing several former Imperial fiefs, such as the island of Roscrea, ruled directly by the Emperor since Uriel V conquered it in the 271st year. It has begun sponsoring exploratory missions even farther from the mainland into the misty waters of the Sea of Ghosts.

Winterhold, Solitude's ancient rival, has also experienced a renaissance of power and influence. Refugees from Morrowind, far from burdening the eastern city, have brought with them new ideas, enriching her culture and stimulating its old mercantile spirit. Scholars from all over Tamriel have descended on the county since it became home to the Ysmir Collective, a library rescued from destruction in the east, and the cornerstone of academic life at the College of Winterhold.

Hrothgar and Whiterun have not been as fortunate as their coastal northern cousins. A dynastic feud, attacks by H?rme bandits and frost trolls, and a series of annihilating winters of alternating floods, droughts, and fires has crippled the area that was once considered the Imperial City of Skyrim. The population blamed and then curiously exalted the leader of the local witches' coven, Jsashe, a self-proclaimed priestess of Lorkhan. The Witch-Queen of Whiterun, as she is called, now wields effective control of the county, though her magic has not brought it prosperity as of yet.

I was under the impression that the High Elves traditionally had the best navy...

Skyrim:

3 Reasons:

1)Name registered
2)MK lore
3) This, from the 3rd Ed Pocket Guide:


It's Skyrim, I have no doubts, though I would prefer some other province, like another attempt at colonizing Akavir.

Then again, all this might be a deliberate form of deception on the part of Bethesda.

As long as they put in deadites and velociraptors....

I see the 'Love Letter' and stuff as having more to do with the other game that Betsoft is making than ES though - so I will hope they are simply doing another Province in the progression that is traditional = no skipping ages.

MMORPG - after all the denials they made? rofl

Let's see ... the Roman Empire took over 400yrs to fall and a large section survived in the Eastern Capital of Byzantium - the British Empire took about 10 to 15 yrs ... oops.

MMORPG - after all the denials they made? rofl

And we will know when they announce it. But for the moment I'm more interested in Diablo 3 then a new ES game. As Diablo 3 will probably be released long before the next ES game.