Skyrim: Every Region In Tamriel’s Real-Life Counterpart (2024)

The games in the Elder Scrolls series are all set in the beautiful and magical land of Tamriel. Many of us have set foot on Skyrim, Cyrodiil, or Morrowind, but there are plenty of other iconic locations all throughout Tamriel that are worth visiting.

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While most of the provinces in Tamriel are visually unlike anything we’ve ever seen here on Earth, there are some similarities between our planet and each of the fictional provinces from the Elder Scrolls. Just keep in mind that these comparisons are subjective and there are no perfect real-life counterparts to any of the provinces in Tamriel.

9 Skyrim - Scandinavia

Skyrim is filled with awesome areas you had no idea about, but what’s not a surprise is the region of the world it’s based on. This one is fairly obvious, but Skyrim is based on Scandinavia. Scandinavia refers to the region in Northern Europe that consists of Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

The similarities between Skyrim and Scandinavia are uncanny. They’re both northern regions, which means plenty of snow and ice. Skyrim and Scandinavia are also both full of absolutely gorgeous scenery, high mountains and the stunning northern lights. If snow doesn’t bother you, then Skyrim and Scandinavia are right up your alley.

8 Cyrodiil - Italy

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is set in the land of Cyrodiil. It’s known as the Imperial Province and the empire shares many similarities with the Roman Empire, including the territory. Cyrodiil is similar to Italy, but specifically Italy around the time of the Roman Empire.

Since Cyrodiil is in the center of Tamriel, it borders every province on the continent except for High Rock and the Summerset Isles, giving it a varied climate. Around the Imperial City, Cyrodiil very much resembles the Italian countryside. Further north, near the Skyrim border, Cyrodiil looks a lot like Northern Italy with tall mountains and snowy weather.

7 Morrowind - Japan

Morrowind has to be one of the most beautiful areas in all of Tamriel, especially because of how unique it is. Morrowind is made up of many different types of terrain, including ashy deserts, jungles and swamplands. The land is dominated by the Red Mountain, an active volcano that is continuously erupting.

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There isn’t a place on Earth that's extremely similar to Morrowind, but the closest country to it would have to be Japan. While Mt. Fuji isn’t constantly erupting, it’s an active volcano that is a symbol of the country and looks similar to the Red Mountain. Japan is also made up of multiple islands, just like Morrowind.

6 Hammerfell - North Africa

Hammerfell is one of two playable regions in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall with the other being High Rock. Hammerfell is a massive region that is mostly covered in desert and mountain ranges. It has some grasslands, but it’s mainly a desert similar to the Sahara Desert of North Africa.

The Alik’r Desert takes up all of Western Hammerfall and is regarded as the most inhospitable place in all of Tamriel. In fact, the Alik’r is the biggest desert in Tamriel, just like how the Sahara is the biggest desert on Earth (other than the Artctic and Antarctic climates). The geography between the two regions is remarkably similar.

5 High Rock - Britain/France

High Rock is one of the rare hybrid regions in Tamriel. While most regions take one part of the world as inspiration, it seems like High Rock takes two: Britain and France. The general terrain of High Rock is reminiscent of medieval Britain. There are a lot of plains, small villages and fortifications, such as castles.

That being said, a lot of the names in the region are taken from those in France. The region of Greater Bretony sounds a lot like Brittany, an area in western France. High Rock has a mountain range to the north that resembles the French Alps with small towns dwarfed by these massive natural structures.

4 Black Marsh - The Pantanal

Originally known as Argonia, Black Marsh is the homeland of the Argonians. Seeing as the Argonians are a race of reptilian people, it’s no surprise that their homeland is mostly swampy marshland. While the wet weather is a big deal for outsiders, it’s nothing for the Argonians who can breathe underwater.

Black Marsh is the largest swampland in Tamriel, but the largest swampland on Earth is the Pantanal. The Pantanal is mainly located in Brazil and stretches to Bolivia and Paraguay. Black Marsh and the Pantanal are near spitting images of each other, although Black Marsh just has a tad more jungle.

3 Elsweyr - India

Elsweyr is one of the more interesting provinces in Tamriel. In the north, you have mostly desert and, in the south, it’s mostly jungle. The jungle is occupied by aristocrats who create Moon Sugar from the groves. The desert is occupied by nomadic tribesmen who are accustomed to the badlands.

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India is also known for having varied terrain from deserts to jungles, just like Elsweyr. The only difference is where the jungle and desert are located. India has jungles to the north and a desert to the south, but the terrain is the same regardless. It’s clear that Elsweyr was inspired by India.

2 Summerset Isles - China

The Summerset Isles are a region of Tamriel made up of three major islands (Isle of Summerset, Auridon, and Artaeum) and five minor islands (Eyevea, Errinorne, Buraniim, Silatar, and Dranil Kir). The Summerset Isles have a warm climate and are composed of forests, meadows and mountains.

China is one of the few regions in the world that share similarities with the Summerset Isles as it is also known for it’s warm climate, forests, meadows, and mountains. While it’s true that the Summerset Isles don’t have any subarctic temperatures like China does in the north, the two regions still have a lot in common elsewhere.

1 Valenwood - The Amazon

Valenwood is a province completely covered in trees. Whether it’s a swamp, a rainforest, or a jungle, it can all be found in Valenwood. There are no deserts or tundras in the region and it’s not very mountainous either. Valenwood is just a whole lot of trees as far as the eye can see.

This all sounds like the Amazon rainforest, the largest tropical rainforest in the world. While it doesn’t rain as much in Valenwood as it does in the Amazon rainforest, their terrain is strikingly similar. They’re both dense forests that seem to go on forever.

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