Essos

Essos is the immense landmass to the east of Westeros. The Free Cities are located on its north-western shores.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels, Essos is a vast continent, several times larger than Westeros. It is oriented further south and is separated from the northern polar icecap by a body of water known as the Shivering Sea. It is divided into several regions.

The western coastal region is controlled by the nine Free Cities and contains several other regions, such as the Hills of Andalos (the ancient home of the Andals) and the Disputed Lands, watered by the River Rhoyne and contested over by several of the Free Cities. The island of Ibben lies off the northern coast and the islands of the Stepstones lie off the south-western coast.

The continental interior is held by the warrior clans known as the Dothraki, who control a vast central region of steppe and plains known as the Dothraki Sea.

The south-central region of the continent is an area known as Slaver's Bay, with the shattered peninsular of Valyria located to the west and the great slave cities of Meereen, Astapor and Yunkai located to the east. East of this region, further along the coast, lies the great trading city of Qarth. Beyond Qarth lies the vast and fabled Jade Sea. The forbidding Red Waste separates the Dothraki Sea from Qarth and the north-western shores of the Jade Sea. Beyond the Jade Sea, although still reachable by land, lies the exotic city-state of Asshai and the mysterious Shadow Lands that lie beyond.

The name 'Essos' is obscure and little-known, with 'the east' or 'the eastern continent' more often used to describe the landmass.