You might be surprised to know that Middle-earth, the setting of The Lord of the Ringsfilms, isn't the only place in the movie's universe; in other words, Middle-earth is not the world itself but rather just a part of it. In fact, author J. R.

R. Tolkien wrote an enormous legendarium about his creation, with history stretching back thousands of years. Middle-Earth, and indeed, The Lord of the Rings itself, is only a very small part of this truly impressive world.

The story is set within the realm of Eä, the physical dimension in which all beings exist. Within Eä is the planet of Arda, which has Middle-earth lying smack-dab in the centre of it.