Most of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings takes place in Middle-earth.
Middle-earth is the central inhabited region of Arda, Tolkien’s wider fictional world. The Lord of the Rings travels through places such as the Shire, Rivendell, Moria, Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor, all of which are regions or realms within Middle-earth.
The name can be misunderstood as meaning an entire planet or a separate universe. Tolkien used it as a translation of a term with roots in Germanic and Old English traditions, including middangeard. Valinor and Aman lie beyond Middle-earth, while Númenor is an island kingdom from an earlier period of the world’s history.