Faerûn is a major sub-continent on the planet of Toril, with terrain that is as varied as any other. Besides the exterior coastlines of the Sword Coast (to the west) and south, the most dominant feature on the continent is the Sea of Fallen Stars. This is an irregular inland sea that keeps the interior lands fertile, connects the west and east regions of Faerûn, and serves as a major trade route for many of the bordering nations.
North-western Faerûn is divided by the great desert, Anauroch, which separates the North from the Dalelands. Next in significance is the Shaar, a broad region of grasslands in the south that, together with the Lake of Steam, separates the area around the inland sea from the coastal nations at the southern edge of the continent.
To the east, Faerûn is bordered by a vast region of steppes from the sub-continent of Kara-Tur, and in the north are two massive glaciers (Pelvuria and Reghed) and tundra. Southeast of the Chultan peninsula, separated by the Great Sea, is the sub-tropical sub-continent of Zakhara.
