Confirmed: 9 Sanctuaries at launch.

[Malorn]

Originally Posted by Raymac

But it sounds like the resources won on Continent B will also go to the players on Continent A, so they will be connected.

As best we know resources are continent-based, which is what Higby said last July. He also gave an example of going to another continent to get resources so you could make headway on a different continent.