The Shire is the fictional land where Frodo Baggins lives in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. It is a peaceful region in the northwest of the continent, inhabited mainly by Hobbits and known for its cultivated fields, villages, inns, and green hills.
Frodo’s home is Bag End, a comfortable Hobbit-hole in Hobbiton. Bilbo Baggins also lives there, and the opening chapters of The Lord of the Rings show the contrast between the Shire’s ordinary routines and the immense danger connected with Bilbo’s ring.
The Shire is not an entirely isolated place. It has a political history, borders, roads, and links to nearby regions such as Bree. Near the end of the story, the Shire is damaged by industrialization and authoritarian rule before being restored. Readers sometimes confuse the Shire with Hobbiton, but Hobbiton is a settlement within the larger Shire.