Editing Known world

[[File:WorldofIceandFire.png|thumb|400px|Map of the known world based on ''[[The Lands of Ice and Fire]]''.]]

The '''known world'''{{Ref|aGoT|64}}{{ref|TWOIAF| The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest}} is composed of at least three continents ([[Westeros]], [[Essos]], and [[Sothoryos]]), a large landmass ([[Ulthos]]), and a number of many smaller islands.{{Ref|TLOIAF| The Known World}} None of the four major landmasses have been completely mapped, and much of the world remains unexplored.{{ref|TLOIAF| The Known World}} While the [[maesters]] of Westeros know a good deal about the lands to the far east, distance is still an issue, and past a certain point myths and legends become a factor in their records.<ref name="notablog">[[Not A Blog]]:  [https://grrm.livejournal.com/297016.html Maps! Maps!! Maps!!! (Oct. 30th, 2012)]</ref>

The known world is part of a round planet, which might be a little larger than [[w:Earth|Earth]].<ref>[[So Spake Martin]], [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Euron_and_the_Globe Euron and the Globe (March 21, 2002)]</ref> There might still be [[smallfolk]] who believe the world to be flat.<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Trade_with_Asshai Trade with Asshai (August 26, 2000)]</ref> On the whole, however, wise men and scholars from various civilizations ([[Valyria]], [[Qarth]], [[Yi Ti]], and the maesters of Westeros) have known for centuries that the world is a round globe. Based on observations from [[astronomy]], these scholars each determined that the only way the motion of the stars makes sense is if the world is round. It is therefore understood that it is possible, in principle, for a ship to circumnavigate the globe, but despite the efforts of [[Elissa Farman|several]] [[Corlys Velaryon|explorers]], no one has ever succeeded in the attempt.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Targaryen Kings: Jaehaerys I}}{{ref|FAB|The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Policy, Progeny, and Pain}}{{Ref|FAB|Heirs of the Dragon - A Question of Succession}}

==History==
:{{Main|Timeline of major events}}
The [[maesters]] of the [[Citadel]] have speculated on the age of the world. According to Archmaester [[Perestan]], the world is forty thousand years old,{{ref|AFFC|Prologue}} and Archmaester [[Mollos]] instead suggests five hundred thousand years,{{ref|AFFC|Prologue}} while Maester [[Yandel]] asks whether it might be older than either figure, and points out that no accounts of its beginnings exist, as its origins predate written history, meaning that no-one can know for certain.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Dawn Age}}

==The Known World==
[[File:World_map_Westeros.png|300px|thumb|Location of [[Westeros]] within the known world.]]
===Westeros===
:{{Main|Westeros}}
Located in the far west of the known world, the continent of Westeros is long and relatively narrow, extending from [[Dorne]] in the south to the [[Lands of Always Winter]] in the far north. The [[Wall]], the border between the [[Seven Kingdoms]] and lands [[beyond the Wall]] to the north, is 300 miles long,{{Ref|AGOT|21}} indicating that Westeros is roughly 900 miles wide at its widest point, east to west. North of the Wall, much land remains uncharted.

Westeros contains the Seven Kingdoms south of the Wall, and the [[Lands of Always Winter]] north of the Wall. The Seven Kingdoms, first unified under [[House Targaryen|Targaryen rule]], are made out of nine regions (the [[crownlands]], [[Dorne]], the [[Iron Islands]], the [[north]], the [[Reach]], the [[riverlands]], the [[stormlands]], the [[Vale of Arryn]], and the [[westerlands]]).{{Ref|TLOIAF| The Known World}}{{Ref|TLOIAF| Westeros}} Bordering on Westeros lie the [[Sunset Sea]] (to the south), the [[narrow sea]] (to the east, southern half), and the [[Shivering Sea]] (to the east, northern half).{{Ref|TLOIAF| Westeros}}{{Ref|TLOIAF| Beyond the Wall}}
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[[File:World_map_Essos.png|300px|thumb|Location of [[Essos]] (west of the [[Bone Mountains]]) within the known world.]]
===Essos===
:{{Main|Essos}}
Separated from Westeros by the [[narrow sea]], [[Essos]] extends eastwards for many thousands of miles. It is larger than Westeros, but much of it consists of less densely populated steppes, plains and deserts. The western edge of the continent is controlled by the nine [[Free Cities]], while the city-states of [[Slaver's Bay]] are in the south-central region. Much of the continental interior, known as the [[Dothraki sea]], is grassland ruled by the tribal warriors known as the [[Dothraki]]. Further east is [[Qarth]] and the fabled [[Jade Sea]]. The mapped lands of Essos are divided by the [[Bone Mountains]], which run from the [[Shivering Sea]] in the north to the [[Jade Gates]] in the south. East of the Bone Mountains are the [[Plains of the Jogos Nhai]], [[Yi Ti]], the [[Grey Waste]], [[Mossovy]], and the legendary [[Asshai]] in the foreboding [[Shadow Lands]].{{ref|TLOIAF| The Known World}}
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[[File:World_map_Sothoros.png|300px|thumb|Location of [[Sothoryos]] within the known world.]]
===Sothoryos===
:{{Main|Sothoryos}}
[[Sothoryos]], also written as Sothoros, is south of Essos, on the far side of the [[Summer Sea]]. It is a large continent, perhaps as long as Essos is wide, consisting of deserts and jungles and mountains. It is said to be a haven for plagues and dangerous animals, and has not been explored much by Westerosi beyond the northern coastal regions. (The [[Summer Islander]]s may have mapped the continent and its coastlines, but they do not share their knowledge.){{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: Sothoryos}}{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Summer Isles}} Off the coast of northwestern Sothoryos are the [[Basilisk Isles]], and to the west is [[Naath]].{{ref|TLOIAF| The Known World}}

===Ulthos===
:{{Main|Ulthos}}
[[Ulthos]] is a large landmass to the southeast of Essos, across the [[Saffron Straits]] from the [[Shadow Lands]]. It may or may not be a continent, and its size is still unknown, as it is on the edge of the known world.<ref>[[Not A Blog]]: [http://grrm.livejournal.com/299668.html?thread=16855188#t16855188 Winter is Coming... (November 15, 2012)]</ref>

===Islands===
The largest island in the known world is [[Great Moraq]], between the [[Summer Sea]] and the [[Jade Sea]] to the south of [[Qarth]]. The second largest appears to be [[Ib]] in the [[Shivering Sea]] north of the [[Kingdoms of the Ifequevron]], followed by the largest of the [[Summer Isles]], [[Jhala]].{{ref|TLOIAF| The Known World}} See also [[:Category:Islands|various other islands]].

===Seas===
The largest seas appear to be the [[Shivering Sea]], north of Essos, and the [[Sunset Sea]], west of Westeros. The [[Summer Sea]] and [[Jade Sea]] lie between Essos and Sothoryos, and the [[narrow sea]] separates Westeros from Essos.{{ref|TLOIAF| The Known World}}

==Other lands==
Most scholars do agree that because the world is round, it is theoretically possible to sail west from Westeros across the [[Sunset Sea]] and eventually come around to [[Yi Ti]] in the far east, but no one has ever succeeded in the attempt. There are basically three theories as to the size of the Sunset Sea: most believe that it is an ocean so vast that no ship could ever make the entire voyage to Yi Ti without running out of supplies, while a few explorers dare hope that it is just large enough for ships to successfully complete the trip (if they can find safe passage, though none ever have). A very rare few have posed the controversial question that the Sunset Sea might be so vast that there are actually entirely new, undiscovered continents between Westeros and Yi Ti.{{ref|FAB|The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Policy, Progeny, and Pain}} [[George R. R. Martin]] has stated that he is not sure  if counterparts of the Americas or Antarctica or Australia exist in the known world.<ref name="notablog" />

[[Alys Westhill]] and [[Eustace Hightower]]'s expedition of {{date|56}} discovered [[Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya (islands)|Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya]], three small islands in the Sunset Sea, southwest of [[Oldtown]], that are further west than the Lonely Light. While Eustace turned back to return to Westeros, Alys continued sailing west, and was never seen again.{{ref|FAB|The Long Reign - Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Policy, Progeny, and Pain}}

Lord [[Gylbert Farwynd]] of the [[Lonely Light]], the westernmost of the [[Iron Islands]], speaks of lands farther to the west, across the Sunset Sea. According to him, this land has no winter and no death. These claims are not treated seriously.{{Ref|aFfC|19}}

King [[Brandon Stark (Shipwright)|Brandon the Shipwright]] of [[House Stark]] attempted to sail across the Sunset Sea, but never returned.{{Ref|aGoT|66}}

Maesters have heard that explorers from the [[Summer Isles]] may have mapped the western coasts of Sothoryos to the bottom of the world. The explorers also may have discovered strange lands far to the south, and west across the Sunset Sea. However, the truth of these stories is known only to the princes of the isles and their captains.{{ref|TWOIAF|Beyond the Free Cities: The Summer Isles}}

==Quotes==
{{Quote|It has long been accepted amongst the wise that our world is round. If this is true, it ought to be possible to sail over the top of the world and down its far side, and there discover lands and seas undreamed of. Over the centuries, many a bold mariner has sought to find a way through the ice to whatever lies beyond. Most, alas, have perished in the attempt, or returned south again half-frozen and much chastened.{{ref|TWOIAF| Beyond the Free Cities: The Shivering Sea}}|Maester [[Yandel]]}}

{{Quote|Maester Nicol’s ''The Measure of the Days'' — otherwise a laudable work containing much of use — seems influenced by this argument. Based upon his work on the movement of stars in the firmament, Nicol argues unconvincingly that the seasons might once have been of a regular length, determined solely by the way in which the globe faces the sun in its heavenly course. The notion behind it seems true enough—that the lengthening and shortening of days, if more regular, would have led to more regular seasons—but he could find no evidence that such was ever the case beyond the most ancient of tales.{{ref|TWOIAF| Ancient History: The Long Night}}|Maester Yandel}}

{{Quote|Wiser men suggest that somewhere beyond the waters we know, east becomes west, and the Shivering Sea must surely join the Sunset Sea, if indeed the world is round.{{ref|TWOIAF| Beyond the Free Cities: East of Ib}}|Maester Yandel}}

==Behind the Scenes==
{{Quote|You will find a map of the "known world" in [[The Lands of Ice and Fire|THE LANDS OF ICE AND FIRE]]... one that includes lands and seas you have never seen on any of my maps before. [...] Even so, it's not a COMPLETE world map, no. The idea was to do something representing the lands and seas of which, say, a [[maester]] of the [[Citadel]] might be aware... and while the maesters know more about [[Asshai]] and the lands beyond than a medieval monk knew about [[w:Cathay|Cathay]], distance remains a factor, and past a certain point legends and myths will creep here. Here there be [[Winged Men|winged men]], and such. [...] These are very nice maps, I hope you will agree. Huge and beautiful, and while they DON'T show the whole world (sorry, no, you're not going to get the Westerosi equivalent of the Americas or Antarctica or Australia, assuming such places exist), you will get a glimpse of distant lands where my characters (and thus the novels) will likely never go.<ref name="notablog" />|[[George R.R. Martin]]}}

{{Quote|'''EW''': This may be a silly question, but: When you think of the world you’ve created, where seasons last for years, where is it? It is another planet?</br>
'''GRRM''': It’s what [[w:JRR Tolkien|Tolkien]] wrote was “the secondary world.” It’s not another planet. It’s Earth. But it’s not ''our'' Earth. If you wanted to do a science fiction approach, you could call it an alternate world, but that sounds too science fictional. [...] I have people constantly writing me with science fiction theories about the [[seasons]] — “It’s a double star system with a black dwarf and that would explain–” It’s fantasy, man, it’s magic.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110715101830/shelf-life.ew.com/2011/07/12/george-martin-talks-a-dance-with-dragons/ Entertainment Weekly: George R.R. Martin talks 'A Dance With Dragons']</ref>|[[George R.R. Martin]]}}

==See also==
* ''[[The Lands of Ice and Fire]]'', a collection of official maps of the world of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]''
* [[World Map (HBO Game Of Thrones)]], a map of the known world for the HBO Series ''[[Game of Thrones]]''
* [[Portal:Geography|Geography Portal]]
* [[Astronomy]]

==References==
{{references}}
<!--This page uses content from the [[Portal:Geography|Geography Portal]]. The list of authors can be seen in the page history.-->

{{Regions}}

[[Category:Geography]]

[[es:Geografía]]
[[fa:دنیای شناخته شده]]
[[pt:Mundo conhecido]]