Continents

The planet of Ambar originally had been one great continent known as Nóri Landar or Keme, but during the great wars between Morgoth and the Valar this continent was broken into three smaller landmasses, Aman or the outer lands, Middle-Earth or the hitherlands and Easternesse or the burned lands of the Sun, which were separated by two great oceans, the Belegaer and the Romeneär. In the second Age the Valar rose the much smaller island-continent of Númenor from the bottom of the sea, but with the fall of Númenor not only the isle itself sank beneath the waves but also Aman was removed from the circles of the world. During the late first or early second Age also the southern parts of Middle-earth seem to have separated from the main landmass and became a smaller continent of their own known as Southernesse or the Dark lands.

Continents[]

At its creation, Arda was a single, harmonious continent encircled by the oceans. This land was designed as a symmetrical world where the Two Lamps, Illuin and Ormal, cast their light evenly over its surface. Nóri Landar was home to all beings, a paradise untainted by evil. However, the Fall of the Two Lamps caused by Morgoth sundered the land. The Valar, retreating to Aman, reshaped the world, dividing it into multiple continents, each bearing a distinct role in the unfolding history of Arda.

Below follows the most complete account of the known continents of Arda:

Middle-earth, called Endor in Quenya and Ennor in Sindarin, was the largest and central landmass of Arda in the later Ages of the world, and the heart of much of Arda’s history. Known as the Hither Lands, Middle-earth was home to Elves, Dwarves, Men, and other races, as well as a battleground for the wars against Morgoth and Sauron.
Aman, often called the Undying Lands or the Blessed Realm, was the westernmost continent of Arda and the dwelling place of the Valar, Maiar, and many of the Eldar. It was a land of unparalleled beauty and perfection, untouched by the marring of Morgoth. Aman was separated from Middle-earth by the great ocean Belegaer and was once accessible by the Straight Road, but after the world was made round, it was placed "outside the circles of the world"
Southernesse, also called Hyarmenor or the Dark Lands, was believed to have once been part of Middle-earth but became a distinct landmass after the Great Cataclysms of the First Age. It was an uncharted and foreboding land, known only from Númenórean explorations. Legends spoke of lost Dwarven strongholds, jungle empires, and remnants of pre-Númenórean Men who fell under Morgoth’s shadow.
Easternesse, also known as Romenórë or the Land of Sun , lay far to the east, beyond the borders of known Middle-earth. It was said to be a land of endless deserts, scorched plains, and lands of strange Men, who had never seen the light of the Two Trees. Legends spoke of great cities and empires that once rivaled the West, but the darkness of Morgoth had long taken root there.
Westernesse, known as Númenor, was the great island-kingdom raised by the Valar for the Faithful of the Edain at the beginning of the Second Age. This star-shaped land lay in the midst of the Belegaer, a bridge between Aman and Middle-earth.
New Lands, sometimes called Outer Lands, were formed in the aftermath of Númenor’s destruction. These lands emerged from the depths of the Belegaer, possibly remnants of ancient continents shattered in the First Age. These lands remained uncharted and unexplored, though some Númenórean exiles believed they held lost remnants of their civilization.
Empty Lands, also known as Barren Land, were the uninhabited and almost featureless regions of Arda, scattered across the farthest reaches of the world. These lands were said to be barren and untouched, awaiting the shaping of future ages and they were casted away after Changing of the World.
Dor Bendor, sometimes called the Frozen Crown or the Lands without Land, was a vast ice-bound region laying at the northernmost reaches of the world, beyond even Forodwaith. Some claimed it was once connected to Utumno, Morgoth’s first fortress, before its destruction in the wars of the Valar.
Last Continent, called Southern Cold or the Nether Darkness, lay beyond all known maps, an inhospitable land of endless ice and death.