Where are the boundaries of Eorzea?

[Catapult]

Simply put, this thread!

It seems to be confusing as to whether Eorzea is a landmass, a country, or a sort of region. I draw the interpretation that Eorzea is a kind of federation akin to the European Union, or like how Australia and Germany each were considered before their respective federations.

To have the clarity would not only help bug reports (Hi, Merm!) but also help keep it clear to the rest of the community.


On a related matter, would it be fair to say Ala Mhigo is still in Eorzea despite its current occupation, or would it depend on who you asked? On the other side of the spectrum, was Garlemald ever considered a part of Eorzea?

[Sephrick]

Eorzea is one of three continents on the planet called Hydaelyn.

[Nayt]

As far as it has been described, Eorzea is more of a landmass/region of the world. A geographical location to put it short.
When it comes to the city states, it's not so incredibly far between them. The cities basically claim as much land around them as they are capable of holding.

To be honest, I have no idea where ala migho is located, I've never really bothered to scan the maps

[whoopeeragon]

"The vast realm of Eorzea, comprising the continent of Aldenard and its outlying islands, has seen the rise of a civlization with peoples as diverse as its environs. Throughout its history, the landscape has played home to a number of city-states—the tenuous relations among them fluctuating between friendly and hostile.

The pantheon of the Twelve is followed devoutly by most, and doctrine holds that the past wars of the realm were the wars of the heavens, with the gods and goddesses laying their favor with nations to champion them. In this way, war spread throughout the realm, discouraging unity and peace.

As a result, years passed without the lay of the land and its borders ever being mapped in their entirety. It was not until some 70 years ago, when an intrepid soul set out to wander the land, at great peril to himself, that the first map of Eorzea was completed.

Since then, the original rendering has been amended and improved by others, and the form it takes today is used by adventurers across the realm as an indispensable guide on their travel"

From the official FFXIV site. So Eorzea isn't a continent.

(Disclaimer: While I am confident in reading Eorzean, some words may be wrong. I gain this information from the map and other general knowledge from in-game.)

The 'realm' of Eorzea then, not country, covers the continent Aldenard, extending a bit over sea over to the island of Vylbrand, and is bounded west, south and east by bodies of water. On the west, the Indigo Deep; south-west, the Rhotano Sea; south-east, the Sea of Ash; and east, the Sea of Jade. As of now, the north has no boundary that has been labelled, though the Abalathia's Spine can bear some semblance to a geographical 'boundary', as the Far Reach doesn't seem like much as of now (the area to the north of Dravania). And to the north-east, the Garlean Empire looms....

Aside from La Noscea (city state of Limsa Lominsa), Thanalan (city state of Ul'dah), Black Shroud (city state of Gridania), Coerthas (city state of Ishgard) and Mor Dhona, Eorzea seems also to cover the currently inexplorable regions of Dravania (presumed city state of Sharlayan), Xelphatol and Gyr Abania (presumed city state of Ala Mhigo), the latter which has fallen under Garlean control.

Aldenard bears a slight resemblance to how Africa actually looks, thinking about it now. o.o

[Catapult]

Eorzea is one of three continents on the planet called Hydaelyn.

See, this is exactly the type of confusion I'm talking about.

[Atoli]

It's not really confusing:

Eorzea is one of the three continents that make up one giant land mass of the planet Hydaelyn (though it is the name of the entire planet, the term is very rarely used by its inhabitants). Consisting of Aldenard and its surrounding islands, Eorzea contains several independently governed city-states that have a long history of war and alliances.

So basically, what we see on the map is Aldenard + islands like Vylbrand (on which Limsa Lominsa is located).

The continent of Aldenard is part of Eorzea. It is the smallest continent in Hydaelyn, and is surrounded by several islands. A land bridge connects Aldenard to the land mass containing the other two continents.

The Garlean Empire is NOT on Aldenard and therefore NOT part of Eorzea, it's just bordering it.
The regions of Aldenard are:
Dravania (with the city state Sharlayan)
Coerthas (with the city state Ishgard)
The Black Shroud (with the city state Gridania)
Gyr Abania (with the city state Ala Mhigo)
Thanalan (with the city state Ul'dah)
Paglth'an (East of Thanalan)
Mor Dhona (North of Thanalan)
Xelphatol (North of Gridania)

So: Eorzea = regions named above + Vylbrand (with Limsa Lominsa) and other islands we may get in future expansions.
This means Ala Mhigo is still considered part of Eorzea, despite it's current occupation by the Garlean Empire, while Garlemald was never a part of Eorzea to begin with.
Why? Because "Eorzea" is a geographical term, not a political one.

Btw, if it's hard for you to understand the concept of three continents making up ONE giant landmass, think of Europe, Asia and Africa: three continents which are linked in our real world.
Also, the colonies of some European countries are like Ala Mhigo:
Politically they belong to the conqueror country, but they are STILL located on another continent.

(And about the localization: I don't know about the French version, but it's the same as what I explained above in the German version, so I think it's right..)

[whoopeeragon]

Atoll: I would like the source for the first quote. As far as the official sources I have, there are no mentions of Eorzea being the continent. unless I missed it somehow. :L

[Betelgeuzah]

Europe is a continent in a supercontinent called Eurasia, on a planet called the Earth.

Eorzea is a continent in a supercontinent called Aldenard, on a planet called the Hydaelyn.

[JGwinters]

Atoll: I would like the source for the first quote. As far as the official sources I have, there are no mentions of Eorzea being the continent. unless I missed it somehow. :L

It's likely from Eorzeapedia, it was mentioned as a source in the other thread. Makes me wonder how far their influence spreads if this many people insist that Eorzea is a continent. They can't all have pulled it out of thin air when all official sources cite Eorzea as a 'region' and a 'realm'.

[Atoli]

The quote actually WAS from eorzeapedia, but only because it's easier for me to quote a sentence in good English than trying to write my own.
About Eorzea being a continent in the first quote: That's actually wrong, I'm sorry for posting that, seems like I didn't read it attentive enough.
There's no actual explanation about what Eorzea is in the English lore, but it is in the German localization:
"The map shows the small continent of Aldenard and it's surrounding islands. The entire area shown here carries the name of 'cultural area Eorzea'. All Eorzeans share the religion of The Twelve, but in each city-state another god is worshiped as a patron."
So basically, Eorzea is a cultural region, meaning the culture and lifestyle has to be very different on the other continents.

Ala Mhigo still belongs to Eorzea though, because even though people there have been brainwashed by the Garlean Empire for years, their lifestyle, religion and technology are still the same.
That's what some NPCs say, although we could also start a discussion about how to judge the knowledge of NPCs..they could just be wrong.

After all, culture is always tied to a geographical region so it's not really wrong to call the continent Eorzea either.
By definition a continent can't include an island, but when people(NPCs) talk about Eorzea, they don't really think about the culture. They think about the boundaries of the land, like the sea or mountains.
Everything below Garlemald is "Eorzea" to them, even regions which do not have any "culture" at all because no one/only beastmen are living there.
Actually, if we really use "Eorzea" in a cultural context, like it is used in the lore, it may be wrong, because Beastmen already have a totally different culture and different religion although they live in the same geographical region.