And Atlas Shrugged:
Mapping Hyrule ([Non-] Canon)
Enter Labrynna and Holodrum, both of which I'm taking at roughly face value as there's nothing to compare them with. I'm not touching towns. Emphasis on Twilight Princess and that era – it's the one I'm most interested in. There are exactly two references to CD-I. I now wash my hands of it.
We're also working on a hot southwest, cold northeast assumption on my map, although magical countries don't have to obey latitudinal lines.
Map of Hyrule (dot = . ): serendipitous-way dot deviantart dot com/art/Map-of-Hyrule-almost-done-357951355
Oddly enough, the last appendix was relatively easy.
It certainly did not feel it at the time, but it is all least possible to give general locations to all those names. The same cannot be said of the smaller settlements listed on some maps, or others which only appear in certain times – such as most of the Overworld locations, which due to drastic changes to the landscape cannot be placed well if they can even be placed to begin with. Early towns do not appear on the maps at all, other than Kakariko, Market, and the blue maiden's village, which is unnamed. Anything named is late. And what of places and features that have no names, or are only identified through inference? What are the regional boundaries? As much as I like Twilight Princess a field does not a province make: where are the people? And how big is Hyrule anyway? These are all non-canon details, as the games are vague at best.
So why not just make it up?
I could - technically even am - but the real answer is because I am foremost interested in keeping the geography as probable as possible based on what I know and canon-based as I can: just tossing everything together just doesn't work. The details need to hold up to scrutiny, especially in the background material for long fictional works, since even details that don't make it into the story can still affect the flow of it if you haven't worked it out before hand - something which is true of every aspect of a story. Individual's histories, the area's history, culture, technology - infrastructure is a huge one - biases and where they came from- and yes, the maps: it's all important. And that is where it gets tricky. Especially since there does have to be some fudging...
However, it is also worth noting that names of areas and major features do not tend to change, unless for political reasons. As Hyrule has not had many invasions from other nations and has remained more or less intact over the ages – generally expanding – most names should be largely the same through time. Doubly so since many features have religious implications and the faith is mostly constant.
The Dark Lords for their part would not care about names, being more interested in destruction or capturing the holy land, and so would not have the political impetus for name changes, except maybe for Hyrule Castle, which changes back when the crisis ends. The Gerudo Desert and similar of the Adult Timeline also change do to the association with Ganondorf, but not in the Child as without his coup d'état there would be no additional cause for prejudice.
So without further ado...
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Scale
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I will not give an exact scale – it's a hopeless cause since all we have to go by is travel time (which is weird) and, in a handful of games, landscape changes. However, I will give an approximate minimum – in the scale range of continents, and there are two reasons why.
One is that landscapes generally transition slowly – there will be signs of marshlands appearing in the area long before a traveller ever sees them, unless the marshes are in hill country, and the ground begins climbing before the mountain range or even the foothills come into view. There are exceptions of course, but typically there's at least warning. Given how quickly land transitions in game we can assume that there are unrepresented lands – and if those are missing, what else is? After all, we only really ever see places relevant to the quest.
The other is related, but somewhat separate. Hyrule, in game, can usually be crossed in a day or two if not less when on foot. Given that if one is within a day's travel of a mountain of Death Mountains' size - a mountain in a mountain range - you should be IN the mountains. However since the northern ranges cannot be seen from Lake Hylia at the other end of the country and vice versa, or either from the lands midway between, it seems more than likely that Hyrule is rather larger. On horseback I would expect it to take a week or two to cross at the very least, likely more, as large mountains can be visible from several days away and there are several ranges and vast forests and fields separating several ranges.
My personal example is this: when I visited Vancouver years ago, while in White Rock (near the border) it is possible to see Mount Baker, about 100Km (60mi) away, very clearly. A hundred Km is three to four days marching, (likely four here, and in the north ranges due to the mountainous terrain,) or one or two on horseback.
[As an aside – I'm using the old Persian mansion (Greek stathmos) which is a day's march by road. 14-20mi or 24-30Km.]
Another day or three is needed to get out of sight, and another to lose sight of the foothills.
So figure a week, week and a half from a large mountain in a range to be fully clear of any hills – then cross the fields and smaller mountains which characterise the country ( at least another week) and then move into lake country for a couple days to the coast. And then remember that Hyrule has other mountains to factor in going east-west and north-south.
So at the smallest I round it to about three weeks marching (more for non-military travellers) and half that on horseback north-south. Going East-West, crossing and losing sight of several mountain ranges and a couple plains should take longer, emphasized by the climate change from Desert to Snowpeak Province: a month to seven weeks at a guess – not including travelling to the extreme ends of those provinces themselves.*
So not including extremes, about 500Km north to south and1000Km east to west, and that's really low-balling it. F*ing huge.
*This is, incidentally, one of the reasons I think the TP Hero is awesome. The only place he doesn't go is the coast – and unless shadow portals are much more versatile than they seem to me he must have been run ragged, over the course of a couple years, between the quests, the Resistance group and everything else he does. The Hero of Time by contrast just does a loop of the country (still admittedly the better part of a year, plus time for recouping and minus warp magic cheating – and he never does have to go far from the warp points.) hitting a couple highlights, deals with his dark lord and Done! Not quite the same level of toil. And in the end he can't actually finish off the tyrant king. Just beats him back long enough for the sages to do their seal.^ TP just seems more deserving. He really had to bust ass.
^Not to rag on him or anything. But figure he's ten going on seventeen – probably not the most organized of minds. (read: confused as f*ck) He's given a goal and clings to it because what else can he do? Mentally and experience-wise he's just a kid. By the time MM rolls around he's started to finally really figure things out and begins to become certifiably awesome. He just isn't in OoT, no matter how great the game is.
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Unnamed Locations, because writing 'the northern range' got old fast
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* THE SEA (Zora Sea)
No name in Hyrule's maps, but it must be there for Link to sail away on! Only the Legend of Zelda (I and II) and Four Swords Adventure show coasts. The Overworld only reinforces that it is probably in the south, as water levels rising is most noticeable on the low coastal grounds, while the World Map shows a south-eastern coast – I see no reason to challenge this. The watery looking areas around Hyrule in that map aren't necessarily water – just a lack of knowledge of those areas. (Re: early map, introvert Hyrule) Gerudo Desert likely meets the sea at points in the south. The sea is notoriously treacherous, which explains its lack of importance in major tales – it is too inconsistent for use in transportation or supplying.
The sea is also an aspect of a distant kingdom, Labrynna, whose sea (Zora) is also on its southern border. Most places in Hyrule are 'distant' and 'far away.' (RE: Scale.) Death Mountain is distant to Hyrule Castle, and similar, although they are sometimes relatively near – nowhere near the distance to the Lake, all the way across vast plains – and Labrynna probably isn't any different. It is likely a direct and friendly neighbour, since Hylians seem to be quite welcome. The name of the sea itself, Zora, also reflects the naming practises of many Hylian waterways, (i.e. pick the most obvious feature/race nearby and voila: named. In fairness, the real world does this too. Dead Sea. Black Forest) reinforcing this choice. Labrynna being east or west is irrelevant at this point.
Holodrum, presumably nearby, also has a fairly large coastal area, allegedly in the south as well. It is unnamed, but Holodrum strongly resembles the now northern (formerly southern) Overworld. LOZ I and II are much later than the Oracles legends, and in different timelines. But Holodrum seems to be a weak country – apparently in decline if the ruins and the moblin held lands are anything to go by, and this probably holds true in both timelines. By the time of LOZ it has been conquered (in name if not in fact) and is the region north of the northern range, meaning there is in fact a north sea too.
Sea of Storms
A section of the Zora Sea, east of Labrynna.
Sea of No Return
An inland sea in ancient Labrynna. The land rose and the sea drained over the course of a few hundred years – a documented, if spottily recorded, process. The drained area later became a graveyard – supposedly because it was already haunted, and as such good for little else. This is part of the cursed belt, which includes the Haunted Wasteland and the Belt Archipelago. (See below.) The combination of this sea and the Zora Sea in the south and east may have given the World Map interpretation, if it was that early a map.
North Sea
The unmodified LoZ Overworld had a northern sea, but post modification the waters are south and east. Does this mean there is no northern sea? No – the Overworld map just cuts off before the sea which takes the former country of Holodrum's northern border.
* MOUNTAIN RANGES
None of the ranges in Hyrule, and there are at least four, have actual names – some have been attributed, but nothing is truly canon. The only named ranges in the entire series so far as I know are the Tal Tal Heights of Link's Awakening, (which doesn't count) and the mountains of Labrynna (Talus, Nuun, and the Rolling Ridges). Holodrum's ranges go unnamed, despite that that country's entire south is mountainous as well, and has several named peaks: North Peak, Mount Cucco, and Goron Mountain.
Mount Crenel
Sometimes referred to as a range (cough/wiki/cough)* Crenel is a single mountain on a hotspot in the western fields, in Eldin. There are other mountains across the fields where the spot has previously been. Mount Crenel in particular is sheer and sharp. It is very harsh.
*It says MOUNT Crenel in game, not the Crenel Mountains.
The northern ranges (The Veil Mountains, Goron Hills)
This has been called the Death Mountains by some in the community, but canon never says this – so far as I am aware there is only Death Mountain in the mountains to the north. I favour the name Veil, as it is a name long associated with the region due to the ancient waterfalls, and the mountains 'veil' Hyrule from all that is beyond them.
As stated, these mountains run the northern border of Hyrule for all of history, either as the border or the edges of a northern state. They begin in the northwest, rise sharply, bow south at the central area where Death Mountain and Spectacle Rock as well as Goron Mountain are found, and end when they meet the mountains of Snowpeak. This is a young, tall, and highly active volcanic range.
The Goron Hills are the specific range within the Veil Mountains where Death Mountain is found. The Gorons favour this area of the mountains for their richness in ores, hence the name. North Peak, Mount Cucco and Goron Mountain are all found here.
The Snowpeak Province ranges (The Spine)
These are often named after the titular mountain, but it is actually the province and mountain (singular, yo) that are named in the game – not the mountains themselves. These mountains are tall, sharp and bitterly cold and stormy, and have no western foothills, rising out of the steppe in sharp cliffs. (The steppe – warm to cold grasslands – has been added to separate the humid subtropical Domain from the bitter mountains.) They are also the most northerly reaching of Hyrule. The area where they meet the Veil contains the tallest mountains in Hyrule, rivalled only by the south-western ranges. As the range moves south it curls out to sea and then west, into the Zora Sea south of Hyrule, forming islands.
As these mountains' character is strongly reminiscent of the Himalayas, the plate boundaries are probably similar here – there is a smaller tectonic plate east of the mountains that is being absorbed by the Hylian continental plate, just as the India plate is being absorbed by Asia.
Labrynna is not likely connected to Hyrule here, as its mountains are too warm to be associated with Snow Peak – a perpetually stormy, frigid area – and too low, as Snow Peak's mountains are all capped in glacial snow and ice.
A harsh area deserves a harsh name, and there is nothing canon to go by – the Spine is one I've tossed around for some time and is being used for no other reason. Let's just say it resembles the spines on the back of some great beast – it may even be an origin myth to the area.
Talus
A Labrynnan range in the north west of that country. These mountains are very young – rough and too high for hills too low for a mature range. They are also rather dry, though like Veil they have water sources in the more active regions.
The south-western ranges (Rolling Ridges and Ghost Mountains)
These ranges cross up from the sea, on either side of the Great Deserts, rising tall around them, and meet on north-western edge of the desert. Here it widens to encompass a valley containing part of the Castor Wilds, and rejoin as lower mountains – the 'foothills' of Ordon, and curve west before ending in the north. The northern mountains are low and grassy, while the southern parts of the ranges are tall, dry, and rocky. The rocks range from rusty blood reds to yellows, greys and whites. These are Hyrule's second oldest mountains – the fault is no longer very active, and the mountains, while high, are beginning to round out.
Remembering that there is a very nearby nation with mountain ranges in the north, I put forth that the Rolling Ridges of Labrynna are the very same mountains as are in northern tip of these ranges. The mountains of Ordon are certainly rolling, and gorges and ridges are present as well, so it is not inaccurate. The southern mountains border the Sea of No Return. (Later the haunted Graveyard and Desert.)
As the name does not however fit the southern mountains, a separate one is used. Due to the deserts cursed winds, the mountains alternately pale and bloody color, old ruins in the area, and rumours of a city vanishing in the clouds (read below), the Ghost Mountains are the name of the south. On the map the Ghost forms an inverted "U".
The Ghost and the Spine both extend into the sea and meet, forming an island belt.
The old range (Eastern Hills)
This is the small, very ancient worn mountain range first noted in the Twilight era. It is dry and low, interspersed with canyons – caused by long dried or moved rivers. It is where Zora's Domain is located and runs northwest to southeast. The river Zora likely took different paths through here as there are many canyons that look water worn. The climate and southern tip suggests an extension of the Eastern Desert, so the Eastern Hills seems a sufficient name.
* RIVERS AND SPRINGS
Technically, the only river is Zora, but its flow is improbable. There are two distinct areas with large water sources, and each should have their own river, even if they join later on – I have already identified the second river from the west source as the river Hylia – but at least another two large rivers exist, as well as numerous smaller ones.
The major rivers I have identified are these, draw largely from Twilight and Ocarina. All Castles but LoZ I and II are placed:
River Zora (major)
Flowing more or less directly west then south to Lake Hylia, this is the larger flow from the Domain, and Hyrule's second longest river. The major curls through the Eastern Hills and emerges to cross the Eldin Plains and meet the Ice Water in the south western edge of that plain. It continues, banking to run SSE to Lake Hylia. Midway between the direction change and the Lake it meets the minor river.
The Four Swords Castle is built directly south of Death Mountain on a moat dug off of the river.
The Ocarina era Castle Town is built on the bend, while the Castle itself sits on a minor tributary.
River Zora (minor)
A more southerly branch from the Zora's Domain, this is also a much smaller river. It gains strength from small feeder streams in the eastern fields, but it does not truly begin to compare to Zora major until it nears the ford where they rejoin in the south central fields. This river flows southwest with little variance.
The Twilight era Castle (and connected town) is built near the ford on the widest point of Zora minor.
River Hylia
Fed by the Death Mountain springs via the Veil Falls, Veil melt waters, and various smaller springs along the Veil, the river Hylia traces the Veil foothills, curving away as it reaches Death Mountain. It expands when the Kakariko River flows into it out of the Gorge in Eldin, in a smaller field in the west of the province. After this it flows south until it meets Lake Hylia. At some points in history the river has joined to the river Zora before meeting the Lake. Hylia is Hyrule's third longest river.
The Minish Cap Castle is on river Hylia where it met the Veil River.
In A Link to the Past the castle has also moved back to river Hylia in its westernmost bend which shifted far west after the Veil River began to flow again – it moves through the Faron Grasslands. In Twilight this is a minor stream – possibly the beginning of the move.
River Ordon
There is a cleanly cut canyon in Ordon Province near Faron where the mountains taper into the forest which suggests a fast running river below. It may be the same river that runs through the forest dungeon of Twilight (it is an empty tree – not a temple, but possibly an ancient dead Deku Tree, making it sacred regardless) as it is at similar elevations. The river is in the boss chamber in the game – waterfalls and outflow are all present, so this could be just a point on the river or even the headwaters.
The River Ordon flows past the western edge of the veil through Acerose to the North Sea.
The Ordon and Faron Springs, the Castor Wilds, and the Ghost melt waters are the other primary sources it draws on. The river marks the border of Ordon and Faron, and is both the only river in Hyrule to flow north and Hyrule's longest river.
Chalk River
Formerly identified as an extension of the Zora River in Ocarina, it is highly unlikely that the river climbed out of the plains up into the mountains to form one of Hyrule's largest waterfalls, and Hylia could not do it either – a new source is needed, up in the mountains. This river is partly rain and melt water from the more western and northern parts of the Ghost, which are wetter. There may be a series of smaller springs, but no large wellsprings as in other areas. The river dumps into Lake Hylia's western reach.
It is named for its color as it carries pale dust from the mountains in its waters.
Kakariko Springs: Subrosian River and Kakariko River
There are three bodies of water around Kakariko – the old well is not completely dry: the Spirit Spring, the hot spring, and in the Zora graveyard. The springs are both sources, but don't seem to go anywhere, though they must as they've yet to flood anything. The graveyard pool has no sources visible but has two waterfalls, and a very clear outflow, an underground river – the Subrosian River which only reappears at Lake Hylia. The source is not the two visible springs as they are either not elevated enough or on the wrong ridge.
There is no evidence of streams from the other two pools, so they may have a small outflow somewhere hard to reach, or even drain partially into the Subrosian. The above ground outflows and other local sources however combine to form the Mud Run – named for the silt it carries out of the mountains – which appears west of the village and forms Kakariko Gorge. It meets the River Hylia at the end of the gorge.
The Melt
The Melt is the first of two rivers originating from the Spine's melt waters. It forms small but deep semi-frozen lakes in the valleys, some warmed by thermals. The Melt eventually issues into the sea in the west, never seeing the plains. The river is named by the local inhabitants for literal reasons, and for the thermal heated lakes, which are warmer than anything else in the region.
The existence of this river is canon – it is seen at the base of Snow Peak in Twilight Princess.
Ice Water
Third largest of Hyrule's rivers, this river is supplied by the Spine's melt waters, and is a subsidiary of the Zora, joining the Zora major on the east side of the Great Plains of Eldin. The Ice Water is the river bridged by the Bridge of Eldin, not the river Zora, which it meets closer to the south of the Plains.
Named by inhabitants of the northern Steppe, as the river often carries ice down from the mountains, and never loses its chill until it mixes with Zora major.
Veil River (Periodically Defunct)
Flows directly south of Death Mountain to Hylia unless the spring is blocked, causing the river to dry up.
In the Adult Timeline before water levels first beginning to rise the spring unblocked and several others were formed, creating the Waterfalls of Wishing, named for a wish for water during a harsh drought. The river kept the name Veil. This becomes a major tributary.
Fairy Springs
Assume they feed their nearest rivers – there are too many individual springs to name.
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Places That Have No Business Existing, And Their Replacements
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City in the Sky (Tethered City)
I have nothing against the city itself, but two teensy details bug the hell out of me: randomly floating, and reachable by cannon. The city can fly, sure, magical world with some technology and all – but absently drifting? In bridged pieces? Even given that the bridges can be pulled in, (with a piece of technology not available in the city!?) what would a sudden crosswind or a storm do to a structure like that? Especially with the bridges out since sudden winds aren't really predictable. (See also: The F*cking Dragon That Wrecked Them.) And if it is flying (if it is in the sky it has altitude control – if it has that it should be flyable) ignoring the fact the cannon shouldn't exist to begin with, how does the cannon know where to shoot travellers? Does it have a homing device? How did the homing device survive wreckage in Kakariko? The fat retired clown wouldn't know how to fix it. And why are we being shot out of cannons anyway? Those heights are fatal – I don't care who you are, hitting a large body of water won't help at such heights, it should feel little different than ground – any falling body should have long since reached terminal velocity, whatever it is in Hyrule. Bye bye Hero.
Solution: if they could get all of those smaller structures up, a single larger floating body should be no problem. Its bulk (inertia) and the absence of conjoining bridges remove most of the danger of wind shear. And lastly, a single body would be easier to connect to something – it may even be able to land or at least harness itself to the ground if necessary to protect itself when it needs to escape harsh conditions higher up. I imagine such a city would do well in mountain ranges, as it could rest in valleys and anchor on all sides that way. Some mountain tops can provide less mobile settlements with permanent docks.
And so I give you the Tethered City, most often found in the Ghost Mountains, helping give them their name. And look! If you can find it you can walk into it!
(Failing that - all kinds of dungeons and temples have floating platforms. I'm sure they could work somethings out besides cannons and bridges.)
Fyer and Falbi's Grown Up Watertop Land of Fantastication (Fyer and Falbi Hylia Fun Center)
Re: The fat clown.
Remember Fyer and Falbi? The retired clowns whose makeup is apparently tattooed? Fyer runs the cannon ride in the game, but we've just been over that. (See above cannon note.) Being shot out of cannons is either a profession of specially trained performers or a punishment. Fyer probably has Ferris wheels and a tunnel of love with a pause button on the ride to justify the 'adult' qualification. (Or maybe some of those platforms.)
There was a cucco rant too, but they keep showing up as a means of travel: they're probably just freakishly strong birds who can kill you if you're caught alone on a field by an angry flock. That aside, who doesn't like a nice romantic flight by cucco in the evenings?
The Wind Tribe
You know in Four Swords that tower that reaches the clouds? I doubt it, but can you say Skyloft? Really, Skyloft and the floating islands, the Wind Tribe and temple, and the City in the Sky are all probably the same kinds of structures - if not enchanted or tech then just different places set aloft by Hylia.
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Undefined Locations: we know they exist, but where?
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* HYRULE FIELDS
Hyrule field is very fluid – it has many incarnations, but which is true? It is sometimes large, sometimes very small, but generally considered to consist of the bulk of Hyrule proper.
Hyrule Field
The central plains of Hyrule, this is considered the heart of Hylian and Hyrulian territory. Zora Major encompasses its north and western edges. The Minor cuts through the central field from the northeast. Lake Hylia is on the south-western corner. Forest covers the southeast.
Hyrule Field experiences moderate precipitation and all four seasons (cold winter, hot and humid summer). It is especially fertile.
Plains of Eldin
The plains between river Hylia in the north, Ice Water in the west, Zora major in the south, and the Steppe in the East. This is a single expansive field directly north of Hyrule Field. Rainfall is low, but not minimal, and temperatures vary widely through the year. The Eastern Hills begin in its south-eastern corner.
Kakariko Gorge
Kakariko Gorge, in a valley in the foothills below Kakariko Village and Death Mountain, is surrounded by a small rocky field, which looks over the westernmost Plains of Eldin. It is for the most part dry, as is Kakariko and this area of the mountains. Winters can be very harsh.
Faron Grasslands
In western Hyrule, between the river Hylia in the east, the Rolling Ridges and the river Ordon in the west, the Castor Wilds in the south, and the Veil foothills in the north, the Faron Grasslands are a series of lush fields surrounded by forests. The Grasslands receive greater than average rainfall and are relatively warm – winters are mild, never falling far below freezing. Small ponds and lakes abound.
Ordon Highlands
Interspersed among the hills of the Ridges are a number of mountain plateaus: the Highlands. These receive less rain than the Grasslands, but are above average. The climate is very moderate, summers are never very hot, although they can be very wet, and winters are short, rarely falling past freezing for very long, and when they do, not far.
Lanayru Plains
Beginning in the Eastern Hills and badlands in the north, Zora minor in the west, and reaching south along the eastern coast are the Lanayru Plains, a series of grasslands of variable rainfall, cool in the north with vastly varied seasons, and warm in the south with a pronounced sea effect climate (little seasonal variance). These plains are broken by many small forests.
Eastern Steppe
North and east of the Plains of Eldin the climate grows colder and drier as the ground begins to rise. These are the Steppe grasslands, a flat, highly elevated plain which ends abruptly with the Spine's cliffs. There are some inhospitable hills in the north, where the Veil nears the Spine. The Eastern Hills mark the southern limit of the Steppe.
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Last section! I've included basic industries and resources, and administration type – a little more relevant to the territories and countries.
For those who don't know and won't wiki attack: territories are non-sovereign lands with fewer rights of self governance, and/or have come under the governance of a higher governing power, such as a dukedom falling under a larger of a kingdom. Or Big Brother of the Gorons answering to the King or Queen of Hyrule.
This is the sum of the above and Appendix II.
* PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES
The Belt Archipelago
Comprises of the string of islands extending from Ghosts and Spine into the Zora Sea off Hyrule's coast. The largest area of Hyrule, with a very low population density. The Archipelago also includes the coastal regions of Hyrule, going three kilometres inland along the southern beaches between the Ghosts and the coastal Woodland Realm midway up the coast.
The principal island of the southern Archipelago is Koridai, while Gamelon in the northeast is the seat of governance. The Archipelago is a royal province and overseen by a steward. The Lord or Lady is normally a close relative of the King or Queen.
Main resource is the areas extensive fisheries. Deep water fishing does not typically occur due to treacherous waters. The larger islands can support some farming, but no exports. No notable mineral resources.
Climate is varied, but generally stormy.
Castor
Hyrule's second smallest province, Castor is a sparsely populated area comprising of only the Wilds, the swamp for which it is named. The Ghost comprises the southwest border, the Forest and Grasslands of Faron in the north and east. The Rolling Ridges begin in the northwest where Castor begins to dry out.
Capitol is the town of Marsh near the Faron border, overseen by a royally appointed governor.
Main resource is the cultivation of herbs for both cooking and medicinal purposes. Minor fisheries and magi-craft.
The climate is very hot, wet and muggy. Winter is a non-issue.
Desert Province (territory)
This is Hyrule's largest controlled region. The Desert Province consists of the Great Gerudo Desert and the Ghost. Its coastline is almost as wide as greater Hyrule's and curves far south before moving back north in the west as it approaches Labrynnan lands.
The Gerudo meritocracy maintains local matters from their capitol in the Fortress but the crown has control of all external affairs. The Zuna are nomadic and entirely self-governed: they do not acknowledge Hylian rule, but don't encounter it very often either as Hyrule has a long standing "don't see don't tell" policy where they are concerned.
Main resources are the mines and glass exports – the Gerudo are expert glass craftswomen. Minor income comes from some oasis-grown plants and minor fine-spun wool exports from the mountain regions.
Climate is desert and very windy everywhere but Gerudo Valley and the Desert Colossus Oasis in the deep southwest desert.
Eldin
Consists of Kakariko, the Veil foothills, the Plains of Eldin, and the Eastern Steppe. It has a moderate population, concentrated mostly in the west and south.
Eldin Province is series hereditary Dukedoms and Earldoms, but has a council of elected governors which oversee them. This is not a territory as this has always been Hylian land, with the exception of the Steppe – most titles were originally gifted by past Kings and Queens.
Main resources are farming and mining, shared with the Goron Hills.
Climate is temperate and warm in the west, and sub-arctic and cold in the northeast. The entire area is rather dry, but snowfall tends to be heavy in the Steppe which has a short, profitable growing season.
Faron
Faron is the grasslands and forests encircled by Hyrule Field in the east, the westernmost Plains of Eldin in the north, the Rolling Ridges in the west, and the Castor Wilds in the south. Low to moderate population concentrated around larger streams.
Faron, like Castor, has a royally appointed governor, supported by local townships that do most of the actual work. The governor operates from a manor in central Faron.
Main resources are farming and forestry. Exports of herbs for cooking, medicine, and magi-craft are also larger here than anywhere else in Hyrule.
The climate is warm and wet: sub-tropical. Winters are mild and very short.
Goron Hills (territory)
The Veil Mountains, excepting the foothills and Kakariko. Inhabited almost entirely by Gorons, the population is much localized around certain peaks and ranges.
Governed by the Goron Big Brother (Patriarch) and the Tribal Elders, this is an eldership. The Goron Hills, while considered a territory of Hyrule are almost completely independent. Hyrule is 'consulted' in their internal and external dealings, but only as a formality, honouring past treaties.
The main resource of the Hills is the mining of minerals. Metal work is also a very strong export.
The mountain climate tends to be dry, water coming almost entirely from springs and melt in the high peaks of the central ranges. Temperature varies from east to west.
Lake Province (territory)
Consists of Lake Hylia and a few smaller waterways immediately surrounding it.
Lake Hylia has long since been considered sacred to all of Hyrule's races. As such, rather than debate ownership, it is considered a joint territory. A council of races manages the area. The local population is also quite low as setting up settlements on the lakeshore is seen as taboo.
Exports have included mining at some periods, but the main source of income of Lake Province is tourism – both religious and recreational.
The climate is warm and occasionally humid. The northeast half of the lake undergoes a partial freeze in the winter months. Rainfall is average.
Lanayru
Consisting of the Lanayru Plains and small woods with a narrow stretch between the Ghost and Lake Province down to the sea. Wide area with dense population centers near to Lake Province and near, but not on, the coast. The Northwest is avoided due to the risk of raids from the desert pass at Gerudo Valley.
Lanayru Province also has an appointed governor who works with the local Sault barons and nomadic Chiefs to maintain the province.
Hyrule's breadbasket.
Climate is warm and very wet with a strong sea/lake effect, enhanced by being on the windward side of the Ghost. The northeast has a slightly strong risk of fires in the month of Dinya (Appendix V).
Ordon (Territory)
Comprising of the Rolling ridges and the Highlands nestled within them; Ordon is a relatively new province to Hyrule in the time of the Twilight Invasion.
Ordon is a unified series of townships which, like the Desert Province, answers directly to the crown for external affairs, while handling their own local affairs themselves.
Exports are primary and secondary agricultural and mining. No forestry – some of the trees talk.
The climate is mild year-round, with moderate rainfall. The lowlands house thick old growth forests, while the highlands are rich in grasses and low trees.
Snowpeak
Officially a Hylian province, but a wilderness in practise, Snowpeak Province is comprised for the Spine from the steppe and eastern desert in the west to the coast in the east.
Small trade in furs, minerals, and winter herbs with the steppe villages and tribes.
The climate is bitterly cold and stormy year-round.
Valley
Hyrule's smallest province, located in the southernmost Ghost Mountains, between the eastern ranges nearer to Lake Province. It boasts the second of two non-forested shorelines.
Has a council of governors which runs from the port of Nym.
Main income is from mining and taxation of imports. Some fishing and numerous craftsmen contribute as well. Very minor farming occurs in the east – goat herding makes up the bulk.
Valley has numerous micro climates, with many small valleys actually being quite cold, despite the southerly provenience and closeness to the deserts, while others are just as hot and dry as one would guess. The easternmost tend to be humid.
Woodland Realm (other)
Technically neither a province nor a territory, and does not lend itself to mapping. The Woodland Realm is governed by the mythical Deku Trees, and does not usually take a stance in world affairs. When it does take an interest, it tends to favour the royal house of Hyrule, though not always. The Woodland Realm reaches into all regions.
Zora's Domain (territory)
All waterways in the mainland are technically in the Zora's dominion, although for practical purposes only the Rivers Hylia and Zora, and their headwaters are in Zora's Domain.
The Domain is ruled by the Zora Royal family for interior demands and trades near exclusively with Hyrule which surrounds the Domain – hence its status as a territory under the High King, which was the only really practical arrangement.
Trade is in freshwater fisheries, medicinal herbs, and crafts (carving, fine metalwork, and magically imbued trinkets).
The climate is varied due to land covered.
* NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
Acerose and Trimal are headcanons filling space on the map.
Acerose
A long narrow country along the River Ordon, which historically has sometimes included Trimal, to the coast of the North Sea, squeezed between Calatia and Holodrum. A country of enforced neutrality and no precedent in the games. Looking at the map I was reluctant to give any one nation control of that area but realistically it would change hands often. It eventually becomes self governing and neutral in the interests of maintaining peace with the neighbors.
Calatia
A country to the northwest of Hyrule, north of the Nuun Highlands, it has a large coast on the North Sea.
Holodrum
Originally a prosperous Kingdom between the Spine, Veil, River Ordon and the North Sea Holodrum later fell into decay and was eventually made into a Hylian province. It is heavily wooded with many forests (some of which are outcroppings of the Lost Woods/Woodland Realm) and marshes: for practical purposes, Holodrum becomes wilderness, and is overrun by barbarian tribes such as the moblin.
Labrynna
A friendly country to the west of Hyrule, it borders the Talus Heights, Nuun Highlands, Trimal (Occasionally a Labrynnan province), The Rolling Ridges, the Ghost and the Zora Sea. Labrynna once had a royal house, but is now an aristocracy.
Trimal
Occasionally a province to both Hyrule and Labrynna, and other times independent, this is the area in the northwest-most corner, in the flatlands between the Veil, Rolling Ridges and Nuun Highlands.
It is governed directly by the rulers of whichever country currently holds it. If it is independent it uses a mobile court, moving between fortresses – the people being very mobile and suspicious of foreigners: with reason.
Main resources are farming and mercenary work, usually to protect caravans in this much contested area.
Climate is temperate, windy and relatively dry, but not parched.
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