The southernmost region on the continent of Westeros is characterized by three distinct environments. In the north, the Red Mountains of Dorne separate the region from the rest of Westeros, with only the Boneway and the Prince’s Pass allowing for passage through the mountains. Beyond the mountains are the red deserts of Dorne, harsh and forbidding save in the long river valleys. Finally, the climate becomes less harsh and more fertile along the coasts. Due to these three distinct environments and the forces of history, the Dornish people can be divided similarly into three groups (named as follows by the Young Dragon in the early days of the Conquest): the stony Dornishmen, descendants of the First Men and the Andals; the sandy Dornishmen, burned dark brown by living in the deserts and the river valleys; and the salty Dornishmen of the coasts, who are the most Rhoynish in their descent.
Other than the mountains, Dorne is bounded by the sea, from the Sea of Dorne along the northern coast that juts west of the mountains to the Narrow Sea at the Broken Arm and on to the Summer Sea along the long southern and western coastline. The Broken Arm once connected Westeros to the eastern continent until it was shattered in ancient days by the magic of the children of the forest in an attempt to stop the migration of the First Men. A remnant of that cataclysmic event are the long chain of islands called the Stepstones, a disputed area with a long and bloody history.
The harsh Dornish climate somewhat limits what the realm can produce, but olives, lemons, pomegranates, plums, yew wood (longbows made of Dornish yew are highly regarded), the fabled horses known as sand steeds, summerwine and strong red wines are among common products. Despite its long coastline, Dorne does not have a notable naval fleet, although fishing communities can be found dotting the coast.
Sunspear, the seat of the Prince of Dorne, is on the south-eastern coast of Dorne near the Greenblood river. Starfall is at the mouth of a great bay in the southwest, Yronwood and Wyl guard the Boneway, and the fertile lands of Lemonwood on the other side of the Greenblood from Sunspear.
