J.R.R. Tolkien named the region where The Hobbit begins The Shire.
The Shire is the homeland of the Hobbits in the northwestern part of Middle-earth. Bilbo Baggins lives in Hobbiton, one of its villages, and the opening chapters of The Hobbit establish his comfortable life there before Gandalf and the Dwarves arrive. The Lord of the Rings also begins in the Shire, with Bilbo’s birthday celebration and Frodo’s inheritance of the One Ring.
The Shire is a region rather than a single town. Hobbiton, Bywater, Michel Delving, and Tuckborough are among its settlements. Bree lies outside the Shire, although it is nearby and is another important location in the early journey.
Gondor is a major kingdom much farther south, while Eriador is the larger geographic region containing the Shire. These distinctions matter because Tolkien’s map includes several overlapping levels of place-names.