WhereIsAtlas · Fantasy geography

Middle-earth

The fantasy realm of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings — and the real landscapes that inspired it

Active — Middle-earth is the fictional continent of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It is not a real place — but it was inspired by the landscapes of England and Europe, and brought to life on film in New Zealand.

Middle-earth is the invented continent where Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place. It is a land of hobbits, elves, dwarves and the dark forces of Mordor — a rich secondary world Tolkien built with extraordinary depth, including its own languages, history and geography.

Middle-earth is not a real place, but it was rooted in the world Tolkien knew. He drew on the landscapes of England — especially the Midlands, where he lived — for the pastoral Shire, and on elements of European geography for the wider continent. The famous mountains and deep valleys of the tale carry echoes of the Alps and the lakes of the English Lake District.

In the twenty-first century, Middle-earth was brought vividly to life on screen when Peter Jackson filmed The Lord of the Rings trilogy in New Zealand — a landscape of mountains, volcanoes and rivers that many fans now associate most strongly with the fantasy realm.

Quick facts

Creator
J.R.R. Tolkien
Appears in
The Hobbit + The Lord of the Rings
Nature
A fictional continent
Inspired by
The landscapes of England and Europe
Filmed in
New Zealand (Peter Jackson's films)
Iconic places
The Shire, Mordor, Rivendell

Sources

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