The closest foreign nations to Westeros are the Free Cities, a collection of nine independent city-states along the western edge of Essos.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,556 |
14 Facts About Westeros
2.
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.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,557 |
3.
Westeros was intentionally vague about the size of the Ice and Fire world, omitting a scale on the maps to discourage prediction of travel lengths based on measured distances.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,558 |
4.
The land north of the Wall still makes up a large chunk of Westeros, but remains largely unmapped and unexplored, especially the ice field region north and west of a massive mountain range called the Frostfangs, which marks the farthest geographic limit of human settlements.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,559 |
5.
At the novel's beginning, the majority of Westeros is united under the rule of a single king, whose seat is the "Iron Throne" in the city of King's Landing.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,560 |
6.
The Reach is considered the home of chivalry in Westeros, and is the place where knighthood is looked upon with the greatest reverence, and where the rules for tourneys are the most stringent and managed.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,561 |
7.
Oldtown is one of the largest cities in Westeros and is by far the oldest, built by the First Men before the Andal Invasion.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,562 |
8.
Largest structure in the city, and the tallest structure in Westeros, is the Hightower, a massive stepped lighthouse which extends some 800 feet into the sky and is topped by a huge beacon which can be seen for many miles out to sea.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,563 |
9.
Crownlands are the lands in Westeros surrounding King's Landing, ruled directly by the crown of the Iron Throne.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,564 |
10.
Westeros returned there after the disastrous Battle of the Blackwater.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,565 |
11.
Westeros took the castle but lost a thousand men and was himself reportedly gravely wounded.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,566 |
12.
Martin, Dorne has the highest temperatures of any kingdom in Westeros, and is arid, with a rocky, mountainous, terrain that includes the only desert on the continent.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,567 |
13.
Westeros stays in Meereen throughout most of A Dance with Dragons.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,568 |
14.
Westeros gives the power over Astapor to a council of former slaves led by a healer, a scholar and a priest, and tens of thousands of former slaves join her on her travels to Yunkai.
| FactSnippet No. 2,280,569 |