Harad

Harad - Globe

Haradwaith

Indigenous map

Type: desert waste; savannah, rainforest.

Area: 11.500,000+ square miles.

Elevation: average: 500 feet.

lowest point: sea level.

highest point: Nakal Jofir (Apy. "The Camel's Back"): 4.980 feet.

Climate: average annual precipitation: 5-15 inches.

mean annual temperature: 70-80°F

average low: Narwain 45°F

average high: Urui 125°F

Location: The average Gondorian named any place south of the river Poros "Harad." A more scholarly use of the term referred to those lands bounded by the Harnen River and the Ephel Dúath in the north, the Belegaer on the west, the Ered Harmal to the east, and the Yellow Mountains in the south.

Composition: The blasted, unfriendly land of Harad conjured images of rolling sand dunes in the minds of most Gondorians, but dunes constituted only a small portion of the total area of its vast desert. Most of the Haradwaith was made up of exposed layers of sedimentary rock, eroded by countless centuries of wind. Sandstone and limestone predominate, with conglomerate common in the many dry stream and river beds. Iron and copper ores could be found near the coast. Dry salt lakes were a valuable resource for anyone able to carry tons of block salt across the desert. Legends in Umbar spoke of a gold mine at an oasis in the middle of the desert, but such stories were probably based on dreams rather than fact.

See also

• Amrhûn
• Far harad
• Haradwaith
• Lands of the Sun
• Near-harad
• Salkinóre
• Southern Heat
• Sunlands
• Utter South