Geography

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Earth

The Naruto series is set on a fictional terrestrial blue planet called Earth. Most of the series takes place on a large continent that is divided into a number of different countries; additional continents are occasionally depicted in supplementary media. This region and the society that prevails within it is often referred to as the Ninja World (忍界, Ninkai) or Shinobi World (忍の世界, Shinobi no Sekai).

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History

From countless millennia worth of war amongst Earth's population, the bloodshed lead to the planet's God Tree absorbing it to subsequently grow a Chakra Fruit, which was forbidden for humans to touch. The God Tree was revered by some cultures; humans used to worship it as a sacred pillar that extended into the heavens and remained ambivalent to all conflict.[1] The Ōtsutsuki clan considered Earth as the region Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was in charge of.[2] Arriving to the planet with a portion of the clan in search for fruit of the God Tree, she ate it, resulting in her manifesting chakra which she used to bring an end to the constant wars. Afterwards, she had twin sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, whom were the first humans born with chakra.

The Ten-Tails decimating the land.

Becoming corrupted by chakra, Kaguya began turning the planet's Infinite Tsukuyomi victims into an army of White Zetsu, and integrated with the God Tree to become the Ten-Tails in order to reclaim the chakra her sons inherited. Causing havoc to the planet, the beast was sealed away by the twins. Believing chakra was a power that linked everything in the world, Hagoromo set out to spread the message to the people of the land, during which his teachings became known as ninshū.[3] This act eventually lead to the planet's population acquiring chakra, which they became dependent on possessing to sustain living. Hagoromo's eldest son Indra, weaponized chakra, which lead to the creation of ninjutsu and as a result the Shinobi World as it came to be known.

During the Warring States Period, the countries of the world were uniformly small, and constantly hired shinobi clans to fight their battles for land. The constant warfare lead to the average lifespan of the mercenaries to thirty years. Hashirama Senju offered the Uchiha clan a peace treaty, which Madara accepted. The Uchiha and Senju clan allied with the Land of Fire to establish a shinobi village. Other clans would soon join the village, and it would later become known as Konohagakure. Clans in other countries that were fearful of the combined might of the Senju and Uchiha, adopted the ideology and created their own villages. This system lead to the creation of many shinobi villages, with the Five Great Shinobi Countries standing out as the strongest.

Tension between nations lead to the First Shinobi World War, which involved the majority of nations. It ended with an armistice treaty, after all of the Five Great Nations had been seriously damaged.[4] Over a decade later, the Second Shinobi World War erupted, which some viewed as Konoha starting. When the Third Shinobi World War broke out, it involved shinobi from every land, and ended with an armistice agreement between Konoha and Iwagakure.[5]

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Countries

Countries operate as separate political entities and are presumably all monarchies, ruled by daimyō who stand as a ruler for the entire country. Hidden Village heads are the generals that take care of shinobi matters. The Naruto world is similar to feudal Japan in many aspects; those countries maintain balance between themselves through nothing but power. Treaties are periodically signed, but they are generally not worth much more than the paper they are written on.

Map of the Naruto World.

Land of Earth

Main article: Land of Earth The Land of Earth (土の国, Tsuchi no Kuni) has seen little attention in the series thus far. It is located north-west of the Land of Fire. Its government leader is the Earth Daimyō. The country is mostly comprised of desolate, rocky areas. The border of the Land of Earth runs along a rocky mountain range, blocking communication with other countries. The wind blowing from the north passes over these mountains, carrying small rocks from the Land of Earth to the surrounding countries. This famous natural phenomenon is called "Rock Rain" (岩雨, Gan'u).

Land of Fire

Main article: Land of Fire The Land of Fire (火の国, Hi no Kuni) is one of the largest and most powerful countries seen, and is the home of the main characters of the series. Its government leader is the Fire Daimyō. The Land of Fire was the first country to adopt a ninja village, Konohagakure, a custom other countries would soon adopt. The Land of Fire is appropriately oriented towards the element of fire, typically having very bright and warm weather. While not the physically largest country, it has the largest hidden village.

Land of Iron

Main article: Land of Iron The Land of Iron (鉄の国, Tetsu no Kuni) is an icy, snow-covered country located among three mountains called the Three Wolves (三狼, Sanrō). Unlike other countries of the world whose militaries use shinobi, the Land of Iron's military is made up of samurai. Due to the differing ideologies between shinobi and samurai – as well as the fact that the Land of Iron's samurai are quite formidable – there is an agreement among shinobi not to interfere with the Land of Iron.[6]

Land of Lightning

Main article: Land of Lightning The Land of Lightning (雷の国, Kaminari no Kuni) is located on a peninsula north-east of the Land of Fire and is one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Its government leader is the Lightning Daimyō. In the centre of the country are vast mountain ranges, whose many thunderstorms are said to give the country its name. From these mountain ranges, many rivers flow to the sea, creating a very crooked coastline that displays an impressive oceanic beauty. There are many hot springs located within the country. The country's western border with the Land of Frost has a large desert.[7]

Land of Snow

Main article: Land of Snow The Land of Snow (雪の国, Yuki no Kuni) is a nation introduced in Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, that is also briefly mentioned in the anime and in the Hiden novels. The nation would eventually be introduced in the manga.Originally, the country was a small, but peaceful place. However, it was taken over by a tyrant, Dotō Kazahana, after he and his mercenaries killed his older brother and predecessor, Sōsetsu Kazahana.

Land of Sound

Main article: Land of Sound The Land of Sound (音の国, Oto no Kuni) is a neighbouring country of the Land of Fire. It is a relatively new country in the political scene, though it has existed for some time under the name of the Land of Rice Fields (田の国, Ta no Kuni, English TV: Land of Rice Paddies). According to the anime, Orochimaru conquered the country and convinced its daimyō to let him establish his own ninja village.[8]

Land of Water

Main article: Land of Water The Land of Water (水の国, Mizu no Kuni) also known as the "Land of Mist" (霧の国, Kiri no Kuni).[9][10] It is composed of many islands, with each having its own unique traditions. The country's weather is typically cool and the islands are usually covered by mist. The islands themselves also feature many lakes. In some places, like the area where Haku grew up, it is very cold and snows quite a bit. The nation is oriented towards the element of water. Its government leader is the Water Daimyō.

Land of Wind

Main article: Land of Wind The Land of Wind (風の国, Kaze no Kuni) is one of the more prominent countries in the series. It is located to the south-west of the Land of Fire and borders the Land of Rivers and Amegakure. Its government leader is the Wind Daimyō. The country covers a vast realm, but is significantly composed of deserts and thus has little productivity.[11] Because there is very little rainfall throughout the year, the people of the country live in villages built on one of the desert's many oases. Despite the country's extremely harsh environment, it has a large population. Although they have warred with each other in the past, the Land of Wind is now on good terms with the Land of Fire, with a great deal of trade going on between the two countries.

Land of the Sky

Main article: Land of the Sky The Land of the Sky (空の国, Sora no Kuni) is a country featured in Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds. It was formed by ninja from several countries that could mould their chakra into mist in order to fly. It is said that they fought in the Second Shinobi World War, and their hidden village was destroyed in the war by Konohagakure for challenging the Five Great Shinobi Countries, but the country itself survived. They apparently have quite the reputation as Tsunade was terrified that the descendants of the survivors were attacking Konohagakure, which was devastated due to a powerful and unexpected air raid. Shinnō is a prominent member of this country.

Minor Countries

Benisu Island, Ancestors, Bamboo, Bean Jam, Bears, Birds, Calm Seas, Claws, Demons, Fangs, Flowers, Forests, Frost, Haze, Honey, Hot Water, Keys, Medicines, Mountain Streams, Mountains, Neck, Noodles, Redaku, Rivers, Sand, Silence, Stairs, Stone, Swamps, Tea, That, This, Valleys, Vegetables, Waves, Whirlpools, Woods, Moon, Sea, Rōran