The Shire is the fictional land that J.R.R. Tolkien describes as the home of Hobbits.
The Shire lies in the northwestern part of Middle-earth and is divided into four regions known as the Farthings. It is a largely rural country of farms, villages, lanes, gardens, and cultivated fields. Hobbiton, where Bilbo and Frodo Baggins live, is one of its best-known settlements.
The Shire’s peaceful routines contrast with the wider dangers of Tolkien’s stories. Frodo’s departure from Bag End begins The Lord of the Rings, while the later return to the Shire shows how war has reached even this sheltered community. The Scouring of the Shire reveals the damage caused by Saruman’s agents.
The Shire is sometimes confused with Eriador, the larger northwestern region containing it. Rohan and Gondor are separate kingdoms farther south. Hobbiton is also not the name of the whole land; it is a village within the Shire.