At the beginning of A Song of Ice and Fire, Westeros has enjoyed a decade-long summer, and many fear that an even longer and harsher winter will follow. The planet experiences erratic seasons of unpredictable duration that can last for many years. To the south of Essos are the continents of Sothoryos and Ulthos, which in the narrative are largely unexplored. The latter is the former home of the ancestors of House Targaryen. The lands along the southern coastline of Essos are called the Lands of the Summer Sea and include Slaver's Bay and the ruins of Valyria. The closest foreign nations to Westeros are the Free Cities, a collection of nine independent city-states along the western edge of Essos.

The vast continent of Essos is located east of Westeros, across the Narrow Sea. A massive wall of ice and old magic separates the Seven Kingdoms from the largely unmapped area to the north. Those kingdoms are spread across nine regions: the North, the Iron Islands, the Riverlands, the Vale, the Westerlands, the Stormlands, the Reach, the Crownlands, and Dorne. Most of the story takes place on the continent of Westeros and in a large political entity known as the Seven Kingdoms. Martin take place is divided into several continents, known collectively as The Known World.

The fictional world in which the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.

Game of thrones universe