A map showing the location of Sothoryos.
Sothoryos is a continent located to the south of Essos and south-east of Westeros, across the Summer Sea from both. The northern-most part of the continent has been mapped and explored, but the bulk of the landmass remains uncharted.
Sothoryos is a land of hot, humid jungles and, it is reported, boiling deserts farther south. It is also noted as a land of plagues, ruined cities and hostile wildlife.
Sothoryos, Naath and the Isle of Elephants. source : gameofmaps.tumblr.com
Geography[]
Sothoryos is located across the Summer Sea from Slaver's Bay, south-east of Valyria. The north coast of the continent consists of thick jungle, with the ruined cities of Zamettar and Yeen located near the coast. The ruined city of Gorosh lies directly on the coast near the north-eastern tip of the explored portion of Sothoryos.
The explored part of Sothoryos stretches between two peninsulas, Basilisk Point in the west and Wyvern Point in the east. The Cinnamon Straits divide Wyvern Point from the islands of Great Moraq and Lesser Moraq. The Jade Sea washes against the north-eastern coast of Sothoryos.
Several islands stretch along the north coast of Sothoryos, including the Isle of Tears, Isle of Toads, Ax Isle and Isle of Skulls. The Basilisk Isles form a dense cluster of islands of its north-western coast, with Naath located some distance further west.
The size and extent of Sothoryos south of the mapped part of the continent is not known.
Climate and seasons[]
Located far to the south of even Dorne, Sothoryos is extremely hot and humid. The impact of the long winters on the landmass is unknown, but likely to be even less notable than that on southern Essos. According to some reports the thick jungles of the north coast give way to immense, hot deserts further south.
Size[]
The mapped portion of Sothoryos extends for approximately a thousand miles from east to west, and more than five hundred miles southwards to the limit of the explored part of the continent. Its size beyond that is unknown.
According to legend, Valyrian dragonriders flew south over Sothoryos to try discern its dimensions. They turned back after months of travel, reporting that the continent is larger than Westeros and may rival Essos in size. It is speculated that both the Summer Islanders and the Qartheen may have explored Sothoryos much further to the south than is known to Westerosi maps, but if so they have kept their knowledge to themselves.[1]
Population[]
There are no known inhabited cities on Sothoryos, only primitive tribes who are often raided by the cities of Slaver's Bay to provide slaves for their markets.
One of Euron Greyjoy's slaves came from Sothoryos, and is described as being hairy, and ape-like [2]
History[]
The ruins of Zamettar, Yeen and Gorosh suggest that Sothoryos once possessed civilisation of a kind. However, these cities appear to have been destroyed by tidal waves during the Doom of Valyria some four centuries ago and never resettled. The history of the continent beyond that is not known.
Notes[]
According to George R.R. Martin, Sothoryos is an analogue of Africa during the medieval period, except that it is even less well-known and explored.