The world of A Song of Ice and Fire has no overall name, with its inhabitants simply referring to it as 'the world'.
The world stretches for thousands upon thousands of miles, the majority of it covered by ocean. There are four known continents: Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos and Ulthos.
Continents[]
- Westeros: Located in the far west of the known world, Westeros is a long, thin continent stretching for some three thousand miles from the Wall to the Summer Sea, with an unknown amount of land north of the Wall. Most of Westeros is united as a single political entity known as the 'Seven Kingdoms', ruled by the King on the Iron Throne in the city of King's Landing.
- Essos: Separated from Westeros by the Narrow Sea, Essos is an immense landmass, several times larger than Westeros. Unlike unified Westeros, Essos is fractious and unruly, consisting of numerous powerful city-states and only a few kingdoms.
- Sothoryos: A hot, humid land of dense jungles and burning deserts, located south of Essos and south-east of Westeros. It is known for its ruined cities, hairy apes and devastating plagues.
- Ulthos: A mysterious and obscure landmass, this continent lies south of Essos and east of Sothoryos. Virtually nothing is known about it.
Seas and oceans[]
- The Sunset Sea lies to the west of Westeros. There has been no verified, successful crossing of the Sunset Sea to whatever lands lie beyond. Some of the ironborn have claimed to have discovered islands several weeks' sail to the west of Westeros, but these claims have not been confirmed.
- The Summer Sea is a large ocean located south of Westeros and Essos, separating those continents from Sothoryos. The island of Great Moraq separates the Summer Sea from the Jade Sea to the east. The Summer Islands are located in the Summer Sea, south-east of Westeros and west of Sothoryos.
- The Narrow Sea divides Westeros from Essos. It is separated from the Summer Sea by the islands known as the Stepstones. Several of the Free Cities lies on its shores.
- The Shivering Sea is the polar ocean, located north-east of Westeros and north of Essos. It is a freezing sea, wracked by horrendous storms during winter. The island of Ibben lies in the Shivering Sea, three thousand miles east of Westeros.
- The Jade Sea is a substantial body of water located south of Essos, divided from the Summer Sea by the island of Great Moraq. The great cities of Qarth and Asshai are located on its shores, along with the forbidding Shadow Lands and the nation of Yi Ti.