Middle-earth refers to the fictional 'mortal' lands where some of the stories of author J. R. R. Tolkien take place,
Middle earth
as opposed to Aman or 'undying' lands, where the angelic Valar live together with most of the High Elves. The term's origin lies in a translation of the Middle English middel-erde which developed from Old English middangeard.
Tolkien said that his Middle-earth is our Earth, but in a fictional period in the past, estimating the end of the Third Age to about 6,000 years before his own time. The history of Tolkien's Middle-earth is divided into several Ages. The novel The Hobbit and the main text of The Lord of the Rings deal exclusively with events toward the end of the Third Age and conclude at the dawn of the Fourth Age, while The Silmarillion deals mainly with the First Age.
Geography
Middle Earth has a mountain range that seperates its east and west sides called the Misty Mountains. The west of Middle Earth contains areas like the Shire, Rivendell and Bree. The east contains Rohan, Mordor and Gondor. There are more humans to be found on the east side of Middle Earth. Middle Earth is surrounded on three sides by an ocean and on another side, there is a big desert.
Inhabitants
Middle Earth has many species living in it, such as Ents, Elves, or Hobbits. However, humans seem to dominate almost the entire world as do Orcs.