Faerûn

Faerûn is a continent on the planet of Abeir-Toril (sometimes known as "Toril"). It is the setting of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.

Geography
The continent includes terrain that is as varied as Europe, western Asia, and much of Africa is on our planet Earth; it also is significantly bigger than the United States (as shown in a first-edition comparison map). Besides the exterior coastline to the west and south, the most dominant feature on the continent is the Sea of Fallen Stars. This is an irregular inland sea that keeps the interior lands fertile and serves as a major trade route for many of the bordering nations.

Next in significance is the Shaar, a broad region of grasslands in the south that, together with the Lake of Steam, separates the area around the inland sea from the coastal nations at the southern edge of the continent. To the east, Faerûn is bordered by a vast regions of steppe from Kara-Tur, and in the north are massive glaciers (Pelvuria and Reghed) and tundra. South of the continent, separated by the Great Sea, is the sub-tropical land of Zakhara.

The continent includes the following geographic and political regions:

Northwest
A region of wilderness, difficult winter weather, orc hordes, and barbarian tribes, this region is generally referred to as "The North". It is a mostly untamed region that lies between the large Anauroch desert in the east and the expansive Sea of Swords to the west. This area is one of the most popular regions for role-playing campaigns set in Faerûn, and has been the setting for a number of popular computer role-playing games. This area contains:
 * The High Forest
 * Icewind Dale
 * Savage Frontier
 * The Silver Marches (Luruar)
 * The Sword Coast
 * Neverwinter
 * Mithral Hall
 * The port city of Waterdeep.

North
This region stretches from the wide Anauroch desert in the west to the eastern edge of the inland Moonsea, in the northern region of the continent. It is a region of contrasts, containing:
 * The forested Dalelands
 * The wastes of Anauroch
 * The coastline of the Moonsea
 * The Vast
 * The bitterly cold steppes of the Ride.

Northeast
This remote area begins in the cold, forbidding lands along the great ice sheets and continues south toward the northeastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. It is bordered on the west by the mountain-hemmed land of Vaasa and stretches east to the vast steppes of the Hordelands. This region also contains:
 * Damara
 * The Great Dale
 * Impiltur
 * Narfell
 * Rashemen
 * Thesk

West
This region includes the nations south of Waterdeep and north of the Shining Sea, that border along the Sea of Swords. The west includes:
 * Baldur's Gate
 * Amn
 * Tethyr and Calimshan (the "Lands of Intrigue")
 * Evereska
 * Lantan
 * The Moonshae Isles
 * Nimbral
 * The Western Heartlands.

It also includes the multitude of islands that lie to the west in the vast ocean called the Trackless Sea, collectively named the Nelanther Isles.

Interior
With the exception of the Shining Plains, these lands lie along the irregular coastline of the western Sea of Fallen Stars. In the north the Dragonmere arm of the sea extends far to the west, ending close to the Western Heartlands. To the south, the Vilhon Reach forms a second arm leading to the southwest. The notable areas within this region include:
 * Chondath
 * Cormyr
 * The Dragon Coast
 * Hlondeth
 * The Pirate Isles
 * Sembia
 * Sespech
 * Turmish
 * The Shining Plains

East
Most of the nations in this region border the eastern expanses of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Here the sea forms a long arm that travels to the east before turning south to become the Alamber Sea. The northern nations of this mysterious area are termed the Unapproachable East and the southern nations the Old Empires in campaign setting publications. This region includes:
 * Aglarond
 * Altumbel
 * Chessenta
 * Chondalwood
 * Mulhorand
 * Murghôm
 * Thay
 * Unther

Many of these nations allow slavery, and depend on slaves for much of their economy.

Southwest
This region lies along the great Chultan peninsula that juts out toward the west. The waters to the north are named the Shining Sea, a body bounded by Calisham to the north and joined to the Lake of Steam through the Straits of Storm. To the south of the land is the Great Sea. Located in this area are:
 * Chult
 * Lapaliiya
 * Samarach
 * Tashalar
 * Thindol

South
This land lies to the south of the regions around the Sea of Fallen Stars, being somewhat isolated by the Lake of Steam in the west, and the vast length of the Shaar. It is bordered along the south by the Great Sea; to the west by the Chultan peninsula region, and in the east by Luiren. The south includes:
 * The Border Kingdoms
 * Dambrath
 * The Great Rift
 * Halruaa
 * The Lake of Steam
 * The Shaar

Southeast
These lands lie to the south and east of the grassy plains known as the Shaar, along the shores of the Great Sea opposite the land of Zakhara. The region includes:
 * The Shining Lands
 * Durpar
 * Estagund
 * Var the Golden
 * Luiren
 * Ulgarth
 * Veldorn

Underdark
The immense complex of caverns and passages that lie beneath many parts of the continent of Faerûn&mdash;it contains:
 * The infamous Menzoberranzan
 * The ruins of Ched Nasad
 * Maerdrimydra
 * Llurth Dreir
 * Sshamath
 * Gracklstugh
 * Dunnspeirrin

It also contains the almost unpronounceable cities of kuo-toa, illithids, and beholders.