Pokémon world in relation to the real world

Shortcut PKWorld

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This article contains fan speculation. There is no solid evidence for or against some parts of this article.

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The map of Japan showing the four main series Japanese Pokémon regions and their sub regions.

The map of North America showing the two main series North American Pokémon regions.

The map of Europe showing the three main series European Pokémon regions. and their sub regions

The designs of nine of the major Pokémon regions—Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, Galar, and Paldea—are strikingly similar in geography and demographics to regions in the real world, and they are sometimes even officially stated to be based on certain locations. The first four regions are based on smaller regions in Japan, Unova and Alola are based on parts of the United States, Kalos is based on France, Galar is based on the United Kingdom, and Paldea is based on the Iberian Peninsula, consisting in the countries of Spain, Portugal and Andorra. It is said the inspiration for Orre is Phoenix, Arizona.

In the core series games

Kanto

The Kantō region of Japan (関東地方, Kantō-chihō, meaning "Region East to the Barrier", referring to the east of the Hakone checkpoint) is not only identical in name to Kanto in the Pokémon world, but is also very similar geographically; however, the western part of the game map corresponds to eastern Chūbu (中部地方, Chūbu-chihō, meaning "Central region", also called 中部日本, Chūbu-nihon, that means "Central Japan").

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Pallet Town	下田市	Shimoda City	静岡県	Shizuoka	Pallet Town is based on Satoshi Tajiri's hometown Machida City during his boyhood.
Route 1	伊豆半島	Izu Peninsula	静岡県	Shizuoka	A peninsula that connects Shimoda City to Mishima City.
Viridian City	三島市 or 箱根町	Mishima City or Hakone Town	静岡県 or 神奈川県	Shizuoka or Kanagawa
Viridian Forest	奥秩父山塊	Okuchichibu Mountains	埼玉県、山梨県、長野県	Yamanashi, Saitama, and Nagano
Route 2	秩父市	Chichibu City	埼玉県	Saitama	Viridian Forest being inside Route 2 is a reference to its real world counterpart's name Okuchichibu - meaning "interior of Chichibu".
Pewter City	前橋市	Maebashi City	群馬県	Gunma	Maebashi rests at the foot of Mount Akagi. It is the capital city of the Gunma Prefecture. The famous Iwajuku archaeological site and the Iwajuku Museum are located in the city of Midori.
Route 3	桐生市 - 足利市	Kiryū City - Ashikaga City	群馬県, 栃木県	Gunma, Tochigi
Mt. Moon	赤城山	Mount Akagi	群馬県	Gunma	Mt. Akagi features a crater lake near the summit
Route 4	佐野市 - 栃木市	Sano City - Tochigi City	栃木県	Tochigi
Cerulean City	宇都宮市	Utsunomiya City	栃木県	Tochigi	Utsunomiya City is the capital city of the Tochigi Prefecture.
Cerulean Cave	大谷資料館	Ōya History Museum - Subterranean Cave	栃木県	Tochigi	Ōya History Museum used to be a quarry with a network of monumental underground chambers, and is located in Utsunomiya City. Could also be based on Ashio Copper Mine.
Routes 24 & 25	日光国立公園, 那須塩原市	Nikkō National Park and Nasushiobara City	栃木県	Tochigi
Sea Cottage	北茨城市	Kitaibaraki City	茨城県	Ibaraki	It's known for Rokkakudō, a wooden retreat overlooking the sea along the Izura coast.
Route 9	水戸線	Mito Line	栃木県, 茨城県	Tochigi, Ibaraki	Specifically, from Sakuragawa City to Ishioka City.
Rock Tunnel	筑波山	Mount Tsukuba	茨城県	Ibaraki	A non-volcanic mountain renowned for its beautiful granite.
Route 6	京葉線	Keiyō Line	千葉県	Chiba
Vermilion City	横浜市, 横須賀市, 千葉市	A hybrid of Yokohama City, Yokosuka City and Chiba City	神奈川県, 千葉県	Kanagawa, Chiba	Geographically, it is based on Chiba City (capital city of the Chiba Prefecture). However, Yokohama (capital city of the Kanagawa Prefecture) is the largest and most luxurious seaport of the three. Yokosuka has a United States Navy base, a possible inspiration for Vermilion Gym and Lt. Surge as an "American" soldier. During the announcement for the 2023 Pokémon World Championships, The Pokémon Company used a trailer with footage of Vermilion City taken from the Generation I games before announcing that the event would be held in Yokohama.
Diglett's Cave	加曽利貝塚	Kasori Shell Mound	千葉県	Chiba	The largest known shell mound found in Japan which can be viewed in a tunnel.
Routes 11, 13, 14 & 15	外房線	Sotobō Line	千葉県	Chiba	Route 11 is based on Midori-ku ward, Route 13 on Katsuura City, Route 14 on Kamogawa City (due to wind turbines), and Route 15 on Minamibōsō City.
Kanto Power Plant	東海発電所	Tōkai Nuclear Power Plant	茨城県	Ibaraki	The first commercial nuclear power plant in Japan.
Lavender Town	牛久市	Ushiku City	茨城県	Ibaraki	Geographically, it is closer to Kashima City. However, Ushiku City contains Ushiku Jyoen - a large scale graveyard that allows people to bury passed away pets. It also contains a small animal park, where people can feed various animals.
Pokémon Tower	牛久大仏	Ushiku Daibutsu	茨城県	Ibaraki	The fifth tallest statue in the world, which is located near Ushiku Jyoen (a large scale graveyard). Could also be based on Kashima Shrine.
Route 8	京成東成田線	Keisei Higashi-Narita Line	千葉県	Chiba
Route 12	九十九里浜, 銚子市	Kujūkuri Beach, Chōshi	千葉県	Chiba	Chōshi City has one of the largest fish catches in Japan.
Underground Path	東京メトロ東西線	Tokyo Metro Tozai Line	東京都, 千葉県	Tokyo, Chiba
Route 7	新宿御苑 or 代々木公園	Shinjuku Gyo-en or Yoyogi Park	東京都	Tokyo	Shinjuku Gyo-en is the largest garden park in Shinjuku. Part of it and Yoyogi Park are in Shibuya, a ward located between Setagaya and Shinjuku wards.
Celadon City	東京都 (多摩ニュータウン and 世田谷区)	Tokyo (Tama New Town and Setagaya special wards)	東京都	Tokyo	Tama New Town is a large residential development and largest housing development in Japan. The Celadon Department Store and Celadon Game Corner may be a reference to Tama Center's Parthenon Avenue, which contains many retail and leisure complexes, such as Sanrio Puroland. Similarly, Setagaya has the largest population of Tokyo's special wards, which may be the inspiration for the Celadon Condominiums.
Route 5	さいたま市	Saitama City	埼玉県	Saitama
Saffron City	東京都 (新宿区 and 千代田区)	Tokyo (Shinjuku and Chiyoda special ward)	東京都	Tokyo	Shinjuku is a major commercial centre of Japan known for its business and nightlife. Chiyoda is a major economical powerhouse of Japan, housing the headquarters of 19 Fortune 500 companies that contribute roughly 10% of the combined revenue of all Japanese companies. The Silph Co. headquarters being located in Saffron City may reflect this. Chiyoda is also the political center of Japan: the Imperial Palace, Prime Minister's Official Residence, the National Diet and the Supreme Court are located here.
Magnet Train station	新宿駅 or 新大阪駅	Tokyo Station and Shin-Ōsaka Station	東京都	Tokyo	The Tōkaidō Shinkansen bullet train line runs between Tokyo Station in Chiyoda special ward, Tokyo and Shin-Ōsaka Station in Yodogawa ward, Osaka.
Fuchsia City	館山市, 富津市, or 南房総市	Futtsu City, Tateyama City, or Minamibōsō City	千葉県	Chiba	All three cities are located close to the Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park. Tateyama City contains many historic buildings. The Minami Bōsō Ninja Village “Ninja no Sato” is located in Minamibōsō City, relating to Koga’s status as a ninja.
Kanto Safari Zone	富士箱根伊豆国立公園 (マザー牧場)	Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park (specifically Mother Farm)	千葉県	Chiba	Mother Farm is an animal theme park located in the Futtsu part of Quasi-National Park. Established in 1962, it's famous for its sheep shows and guests can interreact with various domesticated animals.
Route 16	鎌倉市 - 平塚市	Kamakura City - Hiratsuka City	神奈川県	Kanagawa
Cycling Road	東京湾アクアライン	Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line	神奈川県、千葉県	Kanagawa and Chiba	It connects Kawasaki City and Kisarazu City over Tokyo Bay. It was under construction when Pokémon Red and Green were released.
Seafoam Islands	江の島	Enoshima	神奈川県	Kanagawa	A small offshore island. Home to the Iwaya Caves.
Water Routes 19, 20, & 21	相模湾	Sagami Bay	神奈川県	Kanagawa	Many small islands are scattered around this bay.
Cinnabar Island	伊豆大島	Izu-Ōshima	東京都	Tokyo	Oshima is famous for Mount Mihara, an active volcano.
Route 22	富士箱根伊豆国立公園	Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park	神奈川県, 静岡県, 山梨県 and 東京都	Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Yamanashi and Tokyo
Indigo Plateau	埼玉県, 安中市 or 秩父多摩甲斐国立公園	Northwestern Saitama, Annaka City or Chichibu Tama Kai National Park	群馬県, 長野県, 山梨県 and 東京都	Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Yamanashi and Tokyo	Due to the confusing nature of Kanto's map between Gen 1/3 and Gen 2/4, it's hard to pinpoint the exact location. It's also possible the national park is the basis for Route 23 and Victory Road.
Route 28	山梨県	Yamanashi Prefecture	山梨県	Yamanashi	Mt. Fuji is located here. Could possibly also based on Fujinomiya City.
Route 26	富士市 - 静岡市	Fuji City - Shizuoka City	静岡県	Shizuoka
Route 27	駿河湾	Suruga Bay	静岡県	Shizuoka	Both Shiraito Falls and Otodome Falls, the real world Tohjo Falls, are located close to the bay. Two waterfalls separated by a mere 600 feet, located southwest of Mount Fuji.

Sevii Islands

The Sevii Islands are based on two archipelagos off the coast of Tokyo: the Izu Islands (伊豆諸島, Izu-shoto, meaning "Izu Archipelago") and the Bonin Islands (小笠原諸島, Ogasawara-shoto, meaning "Ogasawara Archipelago"), both archipelagos are administered by the Tokyo Metropolis (under Japanese law, the prefecture of Tokyo is designated as a to (都), translated as metropolis)

Pokémon world	Specific location		Subprefecture		Notes
One Island	新島、神津島、式根島、利島	Niijima, Kōzushima, Shikinejima and To-shima	大島支庁	Oshima
Kindle Road	新島	Niijima
Treasure Beach	神津島	Kozushima
Mt. Ember	利島宮塚山	Mt. Miyatsuka, Toshima Island
Two Island	三宅島、御蔵島	Miyakejima and Mikurajima	三宅支庁	Miyake
Three Island	八丈島、八丈小島	Hachijōjima and Hachijōkojima	八丈支庁	Hachijō
Berry Forest	八丈小島	Hachijōkojima
Three Isle Port	底土港	Sokodo Port
Four Island	青ヶ島	Aogashima	八丈支庁	Hachijō
Icefall Cave	丸山, 青ヶ島	Maruyama, Aogashima	八丈支庁	Hachijō
Five Island	聟島列島	Mukojima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	All are uninhabited.
Water Labyrinth	西之島	Nishinoshima
Resort Gorgeous	中ノ島	Nakanoshima
Lost Cave	笹魚島	Sasauojima
Memorial Pillar	媒島	Nakoudojima
Six Island	父島列島	Chichijima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The small islands to the north of Chichijima include Anijima (兄島) and Otōtojima (弟島), among others.
Dotted Hole	父島	Chichijima
Green Path	兄島	Anijima
Outcast Island	弟島	Otōtojima
Seven Island	母島	Hahajima	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara
Tanoby Ruins	母島列島	Hahajima Islands	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The small islands to the south of Hahajima include Anejima (姉島) and Imōtojima (妹島), among others.
Navel Rock	鳥島	Torishima	八丈支庁	Hachijō	Known as the habitat of albatross.
Birth Island	南鳥島	Minami Torishima	小笠原支庁	Ogasawara	The easternmost island belonging to Japan. It's also triangular in shape.

Johto

In Japan, the Kantō region is often contrasted with the Kansai region (関西地方, Kansai-chihō, meaning "Region West to the Tollgate", referring to the regions west to the Osaka Tollgate), also known as Kinki region (近畿地方, Kinki-chihō, meaning "Region Near the Capital", referring to the cities of Nara and Kyoto, Japan former capital cities), which like Johto is to the west. However, Johto is geographically more similar to the Kansai region and the western Chūbu region combined, as well as a small part of eastern Shikoku region (四国地方 Shikoku-chihō, meaning "Region of the Four Provinces", referring to the four historical provinces that made up the island).

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Mt. Silver	富士山	Mount Fuji	静岡県 and 山梨県	Shizuoka and Yamanashi	The encounter with Red at Mt. Silver may be a reference to Kuninotokotachi. Waiting atop Mt. Silver as the series’ highest-level Trainer opponent, Red was the player character with humble beginnings from the first Pokémon games; Kuninotokotachi is said to be the first Japanese deity, born of something resembling a reed following the creation of heaven and earth, who resides atop Mt. Fuji.
New Bark Town	浜松市	Hamamatsu City	静岡県	Shizuoka	Could also be based on Shizuoka City (capital city of the Shizuoka Prefecture), due to wind turbines added to New Bark Town in HGSS. At the same time construction was completed on a small wind-farm in Shizuoka City.
Route 29	岡崎平野	Okazaki Plain	愛知県	Aichi
Cherrygrove City	半田市 and 南知多町	Handa City and Minamichita Town	愛知県	Aichi	Both residences are located in Chita Peninsula, which is famous for flower cultivation. Could possibly be based on Nagoya City, the capital city of the Aichi Prefecture.
Route 31	濃尾平野	Nōbi Plain	愛知県	Aichi
Violet City	奈良市	Nara City	奈良県	Nara	Home to many historic buildings and monuments, Nara is where Japan was founded as a state. It was the capital of Japan from 710 CE to 794 CE as the seat of the Emperor before the capital was moved to Kyoto. Currently is the capital city of the Nara Prefecture.
Sprout Tower	興福寺 or 法隆寺	Kōfuku-ji or Hōryū-ji	奈良県	Nara	A five-story pagoda, Kōfuku-ji is the second-largest pagoda in Japan, located on northeast of Nara City. Hōryū-ji is the oldest wooden building in the world.
Ruins of Alph	明日香村	Asuka Village	奈良県	Nara	There are many archaeological sites in Nara such as Ishibutai Kofun (石舞台古墳) and Takamatsuzuka Tomb (高松塚古墳).
Route 32	松阪市, 伊勢志摩	Matsusaka City and Ise-Shima	三重県	Mie	Ise-Shima is famous for fresh seafood and pearl cultivation.
Union Cave	青の洞窟（がまの口）	Blue Grotto (Gama-no-kuchi)	三重県	Mie	The Blue Grotto of Kumano is a small sea cave in Tategasaki, the largest columnar rock formation in Nigishima Bay.
Route 33	熊野市	Kumano City	三重県	Mie
Azalea Town	みなべ町	Minabe Village	和歌山県	Wakayama	Minabe is famous for its high-quality Japanese apricots, known as ubame, and high-quality charcoal, known as Binchōtan.
Slowpoke Well	熊野本宮大社	Kumano Hongū Taisha	和歌山県	Wakayama	A Shinto Shrine that was originally located on a sandbank by Kumano River. It was relocated to the mountain after being partially destroyed in the flood. The sandbank now contains the largest torii shrine gate in the world.
Ilex Forest	熊野古道	Kumano Kodō	和歌山県	Wakayama	The Kumano Kodō is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes spread across the old-growth forest that connects various sacred shrines that have been sites for centuries of ascetic worship of natural phenomenon and natural wonders.
Route 34	有田市 - 和歌山市	Arida City - Wakayama City	和歌山県	Wakayama
Goldenrod City	大阪市	Ōsaka City	大阪府	Ōsaka	Ōsaka is the largest and most populous city in the Kansai region, serving as a major hub and financial center in the country. It is also the capital city of the Urban Prefecture of Osaka. Osaka Prefecture is one of Japan's two "urban prefectures" using the designation fu (府) rather than the standard ken for prefectures, along with Kyoto Prefecture.
Goldenrod Radio Tower	通天閣	Tsūtenkaku	大阪府	Ōsaka	Tsūtenkaku is one of the most popular landmarks in Osaka.
Goldenrod Tunnel	梅田, 心斎橋, and 難波 地下街	Umeda, Shinsaibashi, and Namba Underground Shopping Malls	大阪府	Ōsaka	Osaka’s districts of Umeda, Shinsaibashi, and Namba are famous for their large network of underground shopping malls and tunnels known as chikagai. Examples include DIAMOR Osaka Umeda (42,977 m²), CRYSTA NAGAHORI Minamisenba Shinsaibashi (81,765 m²), and Namba Walk (37,881 m²), respectively, which have approximately 100 retail stores each.
Route 35	服部緑地	Hattori Ryokuchi Park	大阪府	Ōsaka	A green space in Northern Osaka. Located close to the Expo Commemoration Park.
National Park	明治の森箕面国定公園 or 万博記念公園	Meiji no Mori Minoo Quasi-National Park or Expo Commemoration Park	大阪府	Ōsaka	In the Expo Park, there is a famous monument called the Tower of the Sun.
Pokéathlon Dome	京セラドーム大阪	Kyocera Dome Osaka	大阪府	Ōsaka	A baseball stadium located in Osaka.
Route 36	木津川市 or 京田辺市	Kizugawa City or Kyōtanabe City	京都府	Kyōto
Route 37	枚方市 or 伏見区	Hirakata City - Fushimi-ku	大阪府 - 京都府	Ōsaka - Kyōto
Ecruteak City	京都市	Kyōto City	京都府	Kyōto	Having served as the seat of the imperial court for eleven centuries, Kyōto is considered to be the cultural capital of Japan. It is the capital city of the prefecture of the same name. The towers that inspired the Burned Tower and the Bell Tower are both located in Kyōto. Kyoto Prefecture is one of Japan's two "urban prefectures" using the designation fu (府) rather than the standard ken for prefectures, along with Osaka Prefecture.
Burned Tower	西寺	Sai-ji	京都府	Kyōto	The temple was burnt down in 1233 and to this day hasn't been rebuilt.
Bell Tower	金閣 and 東寺	Kinkaku-ji and Tō-ji	京都府	Kyōto	Kinkaku-ji was set on fire by a monk in 1950 (金閣寺放火事件). The wall is covered with gold leaf. Atop the Kinkaku temple sits a golden statue of a rooster or phoenix (Ho-Oh). Tō-ji was build alongside Sai-ji and, unlike the later temple, it still stands to this day.
Olivine City	神戸市	Kōbe City	兵庫県	Hyōgo	Kōbe is the major port city in the Kansai region. The city is also well known for wagyū, or Kobe beef. Is the capital city of the Hyogo Prefecture.
Route 38 & 39	六甲山	Mount Rokkō	兵庫県	Hyōgo	Home to Rokkosan Pasture - a public pasture farm.
Olivine Lighthouse	神戸ポートタワー & 和田岬	Kobe Port Tower & Cape Wada	兵庫県	Hyōgo
Water Route 40	明石海峡	Akashi Strait	兵庫県	Hyōgo
Whirl Islands	淡路島	Awajishima	兵庫県	Hyōgo	The Naruto Strait between Awajishima and Shikoku is famous for the Naruto whirlpools. Soul Silver describes Lugia splitting one island into the Whirl Islands to end a war; Awajishima was the epicenter of the Great Hanshin earthquake, with a portion of the island's damaged fault zone preserved to this day.
Water Route 41	鳴門海峡	Naruto Strait	徳島県	Tokushima
Cianwood City	鳴門市 or 鳴門市	Naruto City or Tokushima City	徳島県	Tokushima	Naruto is where Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. began. Tokushima is the capital city of the prefecture of same name.
Route 42	大津市 - 草津市	Ōtsu City - Kusata City	滋賀県	Shiga
Mt. Mortar	比叡山	Mount Hiei	滋賀県	Shiga	“Marathon Monks” would undergo exhaustive exercises on Mount Hiei. Kiyo trains in isolation deep within Mt. Mortar.
Route 44	彦根市 - 東近江市 & 鈴鹿山脈	Hikone City - Higashiōmi City & Suzuka Mountains	滋賀県	Shiga
Mahogany Town	甲賀市	Kōka City	滋賀県	Shiga	Kōka is where the famous Kōga ninja were born and educated (Kōga-ryū, 甲賀流).
Route 43	近江八幡市	Ōmihachiman City	滋賀県	Shiga
Lake of Rage	琵琶湖	Lake Biwa	滋賀県	Shiga	Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan.
Ice Path	伊吹山 and 両白山地	Ibuki Mountains and Ryōhaku Mountains	岐阜県 and 滋賀県	Gifu and Shiga	Mount Ibuki is an easy-to-climb mountain that is famous for receiving the world's heaviest recorded snowfall. The interiors could be based on Narusawa Ice Cave, but geographically it's too far away from both mountains.
Blackthorn City	白川郷, 高山市	Shirakawa-go (near Takayama City)	岐阜県	Gifu	Shiragawa-go is a world heritage site in Shiragawa Village , which is located near Shō River. Geographically it is placed closer to Gifu City, near Nagara River.
Dragon's Den	伊吹山	Mount Ibuki	岐阜県	Gifu	Geographically, it seems to be two different mountains merged together - Ibuki and and Kinka. Mount Kinka is a symbol of Gifu City, known for Gifu Castle. Could also be based on Shōhō-ji and its Gifu Great Buddha Statue, located near said mountain.
Route 45	天竜川, near 水窪ダム	Tenryū River, near Misakubo Dam	長野県 and 静岡県	Nagano and Shizuoka
Dark Cave	美濃三河高原	Mino Mikawa Plateau	長野県, 岐阜県 and 愛知県	Nagano, Gifu and Aichi
Cliff Edge Gate	那賀町	Naka Town	徳島県	Tokushima
Routes 47 & 48	三好市	Miyoshi City	徳島県	Tokushima	Specifically based on Oboke Gorge and Yoshino River.
Embedded Tower	剣山	Mount Tsurugi	徳島県	Tokushima	An important site of Shugendō worship, a sect of mixture of Shintoism and Buddhism. On the top of the mountain, there is a small shrine called ‘Tsurugi Jinja’. There is also a theory that Yamatai, an ancient country that is argued to have settled in Kyūshū, was also located there.
Johto Safari Zone	丸亀市	Marugame City	香川県	Kagawa	NEW REOMA WORLD amusement park is based here, which contains an animal park.
Frontier Access	姫路市	Himeji City	兵庫県	Hyōgo
Battle Frontier	姫路セントラルパーク	Himeji Central Park	兵庫県	Hyōgo	Himeji Castle is located exactly on the Battle Castle position.
Sinjoh Ruins	立山	Mount Tate	富山県	Toyama	One of the Three Holy Mountains of Japan. Due to the heavy snowfalls, this mountain is famous for Yuki-no-Otani (Snow Walls), which can reach up to 20m. Inferred from the location of the callout display on the map. (Assuming that Ice Path is the Hida Mountains and Blackthorn City is Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture).

Hoenn

Hoenn is based on the southernmost parts of Japan—Kyūshū region (九州地方, Kyūshū-chihō, meaning "Region of the Nine Provinces", referring to the nine historical provinces that made up the island, currently the region is divided in seven prefectures) and surrounding islands (including the Okinawa island), with its main island flipped counter-clockwise ninety degrees with the smaller islands pushed close together and circulating around its southern side.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Littleroot Town	伊万里市 or 佐世保市	Imari City or Sasebo City	佐賀県 or 長崎県	Nagasaki or Saga
Route 101	佐世保線	Sasebo Line	佐賀県 or 長崎県	Nagasaki or Saga	A railway line that connects Sasebo City to Saga City.
Oldale Town	佐賀市	Saga City	佐賀県	Saga	Capital city of the prefecture of same name.
Route 102	唐津線	Karatsu Line	佐賀県	Saga	A railway line that connects Saga City to Karatsu City.
Route 103	雲仙市, near 有明海	Unzen City, near Ariake Sea	佐賀県	Nagasaki
Trackless Forest	吉野ヶ里遺跡	Yoshinogari site	佐賀県	Saga
Petalburg City	唐津市	Karatsu City	佐賀県	Saga
Route 104	東松浦半島	Higashimatsūra Peninsula	佐賀県	Saga
Petalburg Woods	古窯の森公園	Koyohinomori Park	佐賀県	Saga
Rustboro City	福岡市 and 北九州市	Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City	福岡県	Fukuoka	Fukuoka is the sixth largest city in Japan and is famous for Kyushu University, a former Imperial University. Is also the capital city of the prefecture of same name. Kitakyushu's main industry is steelmaking. It is also home to Zenrin, a company specializing in navigation software.
Route 116	太宰府市 - 久留米市	Dazaifu City - Kurume City	福岡県	Fukuoka
Rusturf Tunnel	耳納山地 - 筑肥山地	Minō Mountains - Chikuhi Mountains	福岡県 - 熊本県	Fukuoka - Kumamoto
Water Routes 105 & 106	伊万里湾 - 五島列島	Imari Bay - Gotō Islands	長崎県	Nagasaki
Water Routes 107, 108 & 109	五島灘	Gotō-nada Sea	長崎県	Nagasaki
Dewford Town	対馬島	Tsushima Island	長崎県	Nagasaki
Island Cave	壱岐古墳群	Iki Kofungun	長崎県	Nagasaki	A group of tumuli and historical site of Iki Island.
Abandoned Ship / Sea Mauville	端島 (長崎県)	Hashima Island	長崎県	Nagasaki	Hashima Island is known for being walled and for being used for the extraction of coal for cars.
Slateport City	長崎市	Nagasaki City	長崎県	Nagasaki	The main industry is shipbuilding. Is the capital city of the prefecture of same name.
Route 110	熊本フェリー route & 島原鉄道線	Kumamoto Ferry route & Shimabara Railway Line	長崎県	Nagasaki
Mauville City	熊本市	Kumamoto City	熊本県	Kumamoto	The city is undergoing a large-scale redevelopment. Is the capital city of the prefecture of same name.
New Mauville	熊本港	Port of Kumamoto	熊本県	Kumamoto
Fabled Cave	天草諸島	Amakusa Islands	熊本県	Kumamoto
Route 117	合志市	Kōshi City	熊本県	Kumamoto
Verdanturf Town	菊池市	Kikuchi City	熊本県	Kumamoto
Route 111 & Desert	豊後大野市 - 南阿蘇村 + 南阿蘇村外牧	Bungo-Ōno City - Minamiaso Village + Hokamaki	大分県 - 熊本県	Ōita - Kumamoto
Desert Ruins	長目塚古墳	Nagamezuka Tomb	熊本県	Kumamoto	One of the Nakadori burial mounds, an important historical site to Kumamoto Prefecture.
Mirage Tower	阿蘇大御神御足跡石	Aso Omikami Footprint Stone	熊本県	Kumamoto	A large holy stone that is believed to be prayed by Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto, the guardian deity of the Aso Shrine.
Gnarled Den	九重山	Mount Kujū	大分県	Ōita
Route 112	南阿蘇村河陽	Kawayo, Minamiaso Village	熊本県	Kumamoto
Jagged Pass & Fiery Path	熊本県道111号阿蘇吉田線	Kumamoto Prefectural Road 111 Aso Yoshida Line	熊本県	Kumamoto	A mountaineering road that leads to Aso City and Minamiaso Village.
Mt. Chimney	阿蘇山	Mount Aso	熊本県	Kumamoto	Mt. Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan.
Lavaridge Town	阿蘇町 and 竹田市	Aso Town and Taketa City	熊本県 and 大分県	Kumamoto and Ōita	Aso and Taketa are home to Aso and Nagayu onsen, or hot springs.
Meteor Falls	羽門の滝 or 竜門の滝 (大分県)	Udo Falls or Ryumon Falls	大分県	Ōita
Route 114	別府市	Beppu City	大分県	Ōita	The rocky area near Meteor Falls is probably based on Mount Yufu, while the waterside near Fallarbor Town is based on Beppu Onsen.
Fallarbor Town	大分市	Ōita City	大分県	Ōita	Capital city of the prefecture of same name.
Route 119	高千穂峡	Takachiho Gorge	宮崎県	Miyazaki
Fortree City	日向市	Hyūga City	宮崎県	Miyazaki	Hyūga is famous for Nippō Kaigan Quasi-National Park, which contains Cape Hyūga and Myokokuji Garden. Could also be based on Kobayashi City, which literally means Small forest, and its appearance can be based on Sukimuland, an area with various bridges that overlook lush green landscapes and waterfalls. Kobayashi is famous for mountains, flower fields and parks.
Hoenn Safari Zone	宮崎市フェニックス自然動物園	Miyazaki City Phoenix Zoo	宮崎県	Miyazaki
Scorched Slab	天岩戸神社	Amanoiwato Shrine	宮崎県	Miyazaki	In Japanese mythology, Amano-Iwato is where Amaterasu hid from her brother Susanoo, who had gone on a rampage.
Ancient Tomb	高屋山上陵	Takaya Yamagami Mausoleum	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	The tomb of the mythical Hoori-no-Mikoto, one of the ancestors of the Emperors of Japan.
Route 120	霧島	Kirishima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Route 121	霧島市 - 垂水市	Kirishima City - Tarumizu City	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Water Route 122	鹿児島湾	Kagoshima Bay	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Mt. Pyre	桜島	Sakurajima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Lilycove City	鹿屋市	Kanoya City	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Route 118	宇土市 - 八代市	Uto City - Yatsushiro City	熊本県	Kumamoto
Route 123	出水市 - 南さつま市	Izumi City - Minamisatsuma City	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Shoal Cave	馬毛島	Mageshima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Water Routes 124 & 125 + Nameless Cavern	吐噶喇列島 - 奄美大島	Tokara Islands - Amami Ōshima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	While geographically don't match, these islands are very similar to the reefs and smaller islands scattered around Mossdeep City. Kikaijima is possibly an inspiration for the villain team's hideout.
Mossdeep City	種子島	Tanegashima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	Only covers Nakatane and Minamitane towns, as the Nishinoomote City part is missing in Mossdeep City geography.
Mossdeep Space Center	種子島宇宙センター	Tanegashima Space Center	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Sootopolis City	屋久島	Yakushima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	Its caldera appearance was possibly inspired by Kikai Cladera, a massive yet submerged caldera north of Yakushima, while the architecture of Sootopolis City is based on Santorini, Greece. In ORAS, a large tree was added, similar to Jōmon Sugi found on Yakushima.
Sky Pillar	口永良部島	Kuchinoerabu-jima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Water Routes 127 & 128 + Seafloor Cavern	伊平屋島, 具志川島, 伊江島, 伊是名島 & 慶良間諸島	Iheya Island, Gushikawa Island, Iejima, Izena Island & Kerama Islands	沖縄県	Okinawa	While geographically don't match, these islands found on these routes are similar in shape to their real world counterparts.
Victory Road	山原	Yambaru	沖縄県	Okinawa	The most natural region of Okinawa Island, with lot's of flowering plants growing in its hinterland, such as tiger's claw and red spider lily.
Ever Grande City	那覇市	Naha City	沖縄県	Okinawa	Could possibly be based on Amami Oshima due to being more geographically closer to Kyushu, or Nago City in Okinawa due to the waterfalls.
Hoenn Pokémon League	首里城	Shuri Castle	沖縄県	Okinawa	The appearance of the Pokémon League building in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire resembles Shuri Castle, the former official residence of the kings of the Ryukyu Kingdom, that was anexed by Japan in 1879. The Ryukyuan people inhabits the Kagoshima and Okinawa Prefectures.
Water Route 129 & Crescent Isle	渡名喜島 & 粟国島	Tonaki Island & Aguni Island	沖縄県	Okinawa
Mirage Island	八重干瀬	Yabiji	沖縄県	Okinawa	Yabiji appears above the sea on March 3 by the lunisolar calendar.
Pacifidlog Town	奄美群島	Amami Islands	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	It is designed to be located between Amami Ōshima and Kikaijima. Could also be inspired by Ishigaki Island, located in the Yaeyama Islands, which contains rare blue corals.
Water Routes 131 & 132	宇治群島 & 草垣群島	Uji Islands & Kusagaki islets	鹿児島県	Kagoshima	The reefs on these routes imitate the real life islands.
Water Routes 133 & 134	東シナ海 (久米島, 大東諸島 & 先島諸島)	East China Sea (Kume Island, Daitō Islands & Sakishima Islands)	沖縄県	Okinawa	The reefs on these routes imitate the real life Okinawan islands.
Pathless Plain	下甑島	Shimokoshiki-jima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Battle Tower & Battle Frontier	徳之島	Tokunoshima	鹿児島県	Kagoshima
Sealed Chamber	与那国島	Yonaguni	沖縄県	Okinawa	Underneath the water's surface, natural rock formations were thought to be artificially created.
Southern Island	男女群島, 五島市	Danjo Islands, Gotō City	長崎県	Nagasaki	Uninhabited islands located 70 km south-southwest of the Gotō Islands. It is administratively part of Gotō City.
Faraway Island					Faraway Island may be based on the lush tropical rain forests of Guyana, which is where Mew was discovered according to the Pokémon Mansion journals.

Sinnoh

Sinnoh has been said to be an island like Hoenn, rather than a peninsula. It is based on the northernmost major island of Japan, Hokkaido (北海道, Hokkaidō, literally "Northern Sea Circuit"), as well as parts of the Kuril Islands (Japanese: 千島列島 Chishima Rettō, meaning "Archipelago of Thousand Islands"; Russian: Кури́льские острова́, Kurilskiye ostrova, Kuril Islands). Kunashir Island (Japanese: 国後島 Kunashiri Tō; Russian: Кунаши́р, "Kunashír"), which is in dispute between Russia and Japan, is also included. The Battle Zone is based on Sakhalin (Japanese: 樺太 Karafuto; Russian: Сахали́н, "Sakhalín"), a Russian island whose southern part was controlled by Japan between 1905 and 1945.

Hisui is the historical name of Sinnoh known during its discovery and settlement. The name change could be a reference to the fact that Ezochi (蝦夷地, Ezochi, meaning "Land of the Ezo" or "Ezo-land", Ezo was the historical exonym that the Japanese used to the Ainu people, the original inhabitants of Hokkaido) was renamed Hokkaido and established as a prefecture after the Meiji Restoration. Therefore, the Hisui region is likely based on Hokkaido in the late Edo and early Meiji when large-scale development and modernization took place. The design of Hisui is heavily inspired by the physical geography of Hokkaido.

Sinnoh

Pokémon world	Specific location		Subprefecture / Raion		Notes
Twinleaf Town	From 室蘭市 to / or 登別市 to / or 白老町	Muroran City to / or Noboribetsu City to / or Shiraoi Town	胆振総合振興局	Iburi	The model appears to be based on Muroran City, but based geographically speaking around Noboribetsu City to the western part of Shiraoi Town.
Route 201	室蘭本線	Muroran Main Line	胆振総合振興局	Iburi	Around the Shiraoi Town section of the Muroran Main Line to be more specific.
Verity Lakefront	壮瞥町	Sōbetsu	胆振総合振興局	Iburi	In Pokémon Platinum, snow sometimes falls here, as many trees are partly covered in a thin layer of ice, while the ground can sometimes be seen with patches of snow. Sōbetsu is home of the Showa Shinzan Yukigassen Tournament, a major Japanese snowball fight tournament.
Lake Verity	洞爺湖	Lake Tōya	胆振総合振興局	Iburi	Lake Tōya is a caldera lake with an island located in Shikotsu-Tōya National Park. Volo's lines in Pokémon Legends: Arceus also suggest that Lake Verity was formed by volcano eruption.
Sandgem Town	苫小牧市	Tomakomai City	胆振総合振興局	Iburi
Route 219	苫小牧西港フェリーターミナル	Tomakomainishiko Ferry Terminal	胆振総合振興局	Iburi
Water Route 220	苫小牧沖	Off Tomakomai	胆振総合振興局	Iburi
Route 221	日高町	Hidaka Town	日高振興局	Hidaka
Pal Park	新ひだか町	Shinhidaka Town	日高振興局	Hidaka
Route 202	千歳市	Chitose City	石狩振興局	Ishikari
Jubilife City	札幌市	Sapporo City	石狩振興局	Ishikari	Sapporo is the capital and largest city of Hokkaido. The Jubilife TV building is a reference to the headquarters of Sapporo TV, the clock of the Pokétch Company can be partially based in the Sapporo Clock Tower, the oldest clock tower in Japan and built in American style.
Oreburgh City	夕張市	Yūbari City	空知総合振興局	Sorachi	Used to be famous for coal mines and has a coal mining museum. In recent years, the city suffers from financial problems, due to the closure of the mines in 1980s.
Oreburgh Mine	夕張炭鉱	Yūbari Coal Mine	空知総合振興局	Sorachi	In real life, the mine is not in working condition due to multiple gas explosion accidents in the past.
Oreburgh Mining Museum	夕張市石炭博物館	Yūbari Coal Mine Museum	空知総合振興局	Sorachi	The museum documents the importance of coal mining to the local economy from the Meiji period to the Shōwa period.
Route 207	夕張岳	Mount Yūbari	空知総合振興局	Sorachi
Route 204	札沼線	Sasshō Line	石狩振興局	Ishikari
Floaroma Town	富良野市, 当別町, 当別町	Furano City, Tōbetsu Town or Hokuryū Town	上川総合振興局, 石狩振興局, 空知総合振興局	Kamikawa, Ishikari or Sorachi	All of these towns are famous for flower production. However, Furano City is too close to the in-game's Cycling Road geographically.
Valley Windworks	苫前町	Tomamae Town	留萌振興局	Rumoi	Tomamae is famous for its windmills in the countryside.
Route 205	北海道道4号旭川芦別線	Hokkaido Road No. 4 Asahikawa Ashibetsu Line	上川総合振興局, 空知総合振興局	Kamikawa, Sorachi
Eterna Forest	神居村	Kamui Village	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa	A forested village located west of Asahikawa City.
Old Chateau	神居古潭	Kamui Kotan	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa	An area in the forest, west of Asahikawa City. There is a folklore that an evil kamui was killed there.
Eterna City	旭川市	Asahikawa City	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa
Cycling Road	富良野線	Furano Line	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa
Route 211	石北本線	Sekihoku Main Line	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa
Mount Coronet	蝦夷山系, 日高山脈 or 大雪山	Ezo Mountain Chain, Hidaka Mountains or Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group	上川総合振興局, 日高振興局, 十勝総合振興局	Kamikawa, Hidaka, Tokachi	The Ezo Mountain Chain consists of the Teshio Mountains (天塩山地), the Kitami Mountains (北見山地), the Ishikari Mountains (石狩山地), the Yubari Mountains (夕張山地), and the Hidaka Mountains (日高山脈).
Spear Pillar	旭岳	Asahi-dake	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa	Asahi-dake is the tallest mountain peak in Hokkaido, the region which Sinnoh is based on. Its native Ainu name is Kamui-mintara, which means "the playground of the gods".
Hearthome City	帯広市	Obihiro City	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi	Obihiro is considered a pleasant city for the Japanese, known for its festivals, shops, street restaurants and the horse track, from which the cheerful atmosphere of Hearthome and the contest hall take inspiration.
Route 208	清水町 or 新得町	Shizumu Town or Shintoku Town	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi	The river on this route is based of Tokachi River.
Pokémon Mansion	真鍋庭園	Manabe Garden	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi	Founded by the Manabe family in 1896, this botanical garden is known for rare conifer species.
Route 212	十勝川 & 六花の森	Tokachi River & Rokka Forest	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi
Route 209	幕別町 & 本別町	Makubetsu Town & Honbetsu Town	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi
Lost Tower	常紋トンネルの近くにある殉職者追悼碑	Line of Duty Death Memorial by Tsunemon Tunnel	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi	The memorial is dedicated toward enslaved workers, who died building the Tsunemon Tunnel. The bodies of the forced labourers were buried inside said tunnel.
Solaceon Town	足寄町	Ashoro Town	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi	One of Ashoro's main industries is farming.
Solaceon Ruins & Maniac Tunnel	阿寒富士	Akan Fuji	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi
Veilstone City	網走市, 斜里町	Abashiri City & Shari Town	オホーツク総合振興局	Okhotsk	Both are major port and fishing settlements in Eastern Hokkaido (Japanese: 道東).
Route 215	北海道道334号中藻興部興部線	Hokkaido Road No. 334 Nakamo Kobu Okoppe Line	オホーツク総合振興局	Okhotsk
Route 210	サロマ湖, 能取湖, 網走湖	Lake Saroma, Lake Notoro, Lake Abashiri	オホーツク総合振興局	Okhotsk	Geographically, it should be around Hokkaido Roads No. 239 Kumaushi Otofuke Line & No. 333 Engaru Stop Line
Celestic Town	遠軽町 & 湧別町	Engaru Town & Yūbetsu Town	オホーツク総合振興局	Okhotsk	Both places are notable for archaeological sites, such as Shirataki Ruins and Shibunotsunai Pit-house Remains. Celestic Ruins could also be based on Tokoro Ruins, one of the important Hokkaidō Heritage sites, located in Kitami City (former Tokoro Town area). However, it is geographically a bit further away from matching up with Sinnoh map, unlike the former two towns.
Route 214	清里町, 弟子屈町	Kiyosato Town & Teshikaga Town	オホーツク総合振興局, 釧路総合振興局	Okhotsk, Kushiro
Sendoff Spring	摩周湖	Lake Mashū	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	Lake Mashu, a crater lake, is known as a mysterious spot for the fog that covers its surface.
Turnback Cave	カムイシュ島	Kamuishu Island	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro
Valor Lakefront	標茶町	Shibecha Town	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro
Lake Valor	屈斜路湖 and/or 阿寒湖	Lake Kussharo and/or Lake Akan	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	Lake Kussharo is the largest caldera lake with the largest lake island in Japan. Volo's alternative theory of lake formation in Pokémon Legends: Arceus could be inspired by a real-life Ainu legend that Lake Kussharo is formed by the landslide during the fight between a giant whitespotted char and the kamuy and hero Okikurmi. Lake Akan's southern shore is home to several hotels.
Pastoria City	釧路市	Kushiro City	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	Kushiro is the largest city in Eastern Hokkaido.
Route 213	厚岸町	Akkeshi Town	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	Akkeshi Town is a famous tourist attraction.
Great Marsh	釧路湿原	Kushiro Wetland	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	The Kushiro Wetland is the largest marsh in Japan.
Route 218	函館本線	Hakodate Main Line	石狩振興局	Ishikari
Canalave City	小樽市	Otaru City	後志総合振興局	Shiribeshi	Otaru is a port city and has a canal
Route 216	下川町, ピヤシリ山	Shimokawa Town & Mount Piyashiri	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa	There are many ski resorts in these areas.
Route 217	宗谷本線	Sōya Main Line	上川総合振興局, 宗谷総合振興局	Kamikawa, Sōya	Somewhere around Toyotomi Town and Nayoro City.
Snowpoint City	稚内市, 浜頓別町	Wakkanai City & Hamatonbetsu Town	宗谷総合振興局	Sōya	Two of the northernmost settlements in mainland Japan. Wakkanai is famous for its maritime trade with Russia, and Hokumon Jinja, a possible inspiration for Snowpoint Temple. Geographically, it is most likely Hamatonbetsu Town as the town is located immediately to the east of Lake Kutcharo (being the model for Lake Acuity) just as Snowpoint City is immediately to the east of Lake Acuity.
Snowpoint Temple	北門神社	Hokumon Jinja	宗谷総合振興局	Sōya	A Shinto shrine located in the northern portion of the Wakkanai City.
Lake Acuity	クッチャロ湖	Lake Kutcharo	宗谷総合振興局	Sōya	Lake Kutcharo is not a caldera lake but a brackish lake formed by the Sea of Okhotsk. This is further hinted by Volo's lines in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. The lake shares its etymology with the aforementioned Lake Kussharo, Ainu kut-caro ("marsh outlet").
Route 222	浜中町	Hamanaka Town	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	Its Ainu name "ota-noske" means "centre of the sandy beach".
Sunyshore City	根室市	Nemuro City	根室振興局	Nemuro
Vista Lighthouse	納沙布岬灯台	Nosappumisaki Lighthouse	根室振興局	Nemuro	Nosappumisaki Lighthouse is located on Cape Nosappu, Japan's easternmost spot open to the public.
Iron Island	焼尻島	Yagishiri Island	留萌振興局	Rumoi
Water Route 223	歯舞群島 & 色丹	Habomai Islands & Shikotan	根室振興局	Nemuro	The largest reef on this route resembles Shikotan.
Victory Road	Головнин	Golovnin	Южно-Курильский	Yuzhno-Kurilsky	One of the location on Kunashir Island, which has been disputed between Japan and Russia since the end of WWII due to ambiguities in the Treaty of San Francisco. Though both countries claim it, the island is controlled by Russia.
Pokémon League	Менделеева	Mendeleyeva	Южно-Курильский	Yuzhno-Kurilsky	The waterfall in front of the Pokémon League is probably based on the caldera lake in the central part of Kunashir Island.
Route 224	Тятя & Маяк Ловцова	Tyatya & Cape Lovtsova	Южно-Курильский	Yuzhno-Kurilsky	The easternmost cape of Kunashir Island.
Seabreak Path	Курильские острова	Kuril Islands	Южно-Курильский, Курильский, Северо-Курильский	Yuzhno-Kurilsky, Kurilsky, Severo-Kurilsky	In real life, Kuril Islands are an archipelago, that forms a straight chain made of several smaller islands.
Flower Paradise	Остров Атласова	Atlasov Island	Северо-Курильский	Severo-Kurilsky	Both are the northernmost islands of their respective zones: the Flower Paradise is the northernmost zone in Sinnoh, much like Atlasov, the northernmost island of the Kuril Islands.
Fight Area	Невельск, Холмск	Nevelsk or Kholmsk	Невельский	Nevelsky	Nevelsk town thrived on maritime transportation under Japanese control. It now relies on salmon fishery. Kholmsk used to be a military post and is now one of the largest and important transport centre in Sakhalin.
Survival Area	Анива	Aniva	Анивский	Anivsky	The town is located in a relatively warm area with fertile land suitable for agriculture.
Water Route 230	Залив Анива	Aniva Bay	Анивский, Корсаковский	Anivsky, Korakovsky
Resort Area	Новиково	Novikovo	Корсаковский	Korakovsky	The village shared its Japanese name and etymology with a scenic peninsula in Hokkaido.
Route 229	Бирюзовые озера и леса возле Новиково	Turquoise lakes and forests near Novikovo	Корсаковский	Korakovsky	A popular tourist destination, due to unusually blue coloured quarry lakes, a leftover of coal mining.
Route 228	Озеро Буссе	Lake Busse	Корсаковский	Korakovsky
Route 227	Дачное, Южно-Сахалинск	Dachnoe & Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk	Корсаковский, Южно-Сахалинск	Korakovsky, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk	The black rocks found Route 227 could be based of red soil near Dachnoe.
Stark Mountain	Пик Чехова	Pik Chekhova	Южно-Сахалинск	Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk	This mountain near the Oblast capital Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (formerly Toyohara) is named after Anton Chekhov, who visited Sakhalin in 1890, in Russian. Unlike the game location, the real mountain is not a volcano.
Water Route 226	Залив Анива	Aniva Bay	Анивский, Корсаковский	Anivsky, Korakovsky	The island in the middle of this route could be based of Moneron Island, but it is located west of Sakhalin, not in Aniva Bay itself.
Fullmoon Island	礼文島	Rebun Island	宗谷総合振興局	Sōya	Rebun Island is famous for its flowers and mountains, reflected in the geography of Fullmoon Island. Rebun Island was a cult site for the god Rep-un-kamuy, worshiped for offering food and guiding navigators. Rep-un-kamuy is described as being generous, similar to Cresselia's peaceful demeanor, and offering help, much like Cresselia does in the form of the Lunar Feather to the player.
Newmoon Island	利尻島	Rishiri Island	宗谷総合振興局	Sōya

Hisui

Pokémon world	Specific location		Subprefecture		Notes
Prelude Beach	石狩湾	Ishikari Bay			Both Otaru and Sapporo developed from Japanese trading posts and early settlements around Ishikari Bay.
Jubilife Village	札幌市	Sapporo City	石狩振興局	Ishikari	Many locations within Jubilife Village appear to be based on historical landmarks of Sapporo. Galaxy Hall is based on the Former Hokkaidō Government Office, an example of American Baroque Revival architecture in Japan. Floaro Main Street is based on the Odori street (now an urban park). Canala Bridge is based on Sosei Bridge, both featuring Giboshi on railings. The Farm and Pasture could correspond to the merged Yamana Village and Sapporo Village (now Higashi-ku or "east ward").
Aspiration Hill	羊ケ丘	Hitsujigaoka			The bronze statue of Dr. William S. Clark, co-founder and President of the Sapporo Agricultural College (later the Hokkaido University), stands on the hill. The name "Aspiration" could be a reference to Dr. Clark's parting words to his Japanese students, "Boys, be ambitious!"
Horseshoe Plains	野幌森林	Nopporo Forest			Now a Prefectural Natural Park.
Deertrack Heights	馬追丘陵	Maoi Hills			Eniwa and Chitose, two satellite cities of Sapporo, are situated on the west slope of the Maoi Hills.
Sandgem Flats	勇払平野	Yūfutsu Plain	胆振総合振興局	Iburi	Tomakomai City is located in the middle of the Yūfutsu Plain.
Obsidian Falls	千鳥ヶ滝	Chidori Falls	空知総合振興局	Sorachi	The Yūbari River formed various cascades on the west boundary of the Yūbari City, collectively known as "Chidori".
Grueling Grove	栗山町	Kuriyama Town			The town is named after the dense chestnut forest on the site.
Golden Lowlands and Gapejaw Bog	十勝平野	Tokachi Plain	十勝総合振興局	Tokachi	Japan's second largest plain and major crop production area is shaped by the Tokachi River. The region also saw wetland restoration and indigenous cultural revival in recent years.
Scarlet Bog	鶴居村	Tsurui Village	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	The wetland national park spans the administrative areas of Kushiro City, Tsurui Village, and Shibecha Town. The location of Scaelet Bog in Crimson Mireland is comparable to that of Tsurui in the Kushiro wetland.
Cottonsedge Prairie	弟子屈町	Teshikaga Town			The southern half of Teshikaga consists of the lower plains south of Lake Lake Kussharo and Lake Akan.
Droning Meadow	標茶町	Shibecha Town			The pond where wild Turtwig is encountered may be based on Lake Shirarutoro or Lake Tо̄ro.
Sludge Mound and Ursa's Ring	阿寒町	Akan Town			The former Yūbestu Coal Mine (雄別炭鉱) and the Kushiro City Zoo are located in Akan Town, now part of Kushiro City. Following the closure of the coal mine in 1970, forests were restored and sightings of Ussuri brown bear have become common in recent decades.
Solaceon Ruins, Bolderoll Slope, and Diamond Heath	阿寒岳	Akan Volcanic Complex			The mountain in which the Solaceon Ruins are carved resembles Mount Akan-Fuji, and the ridges on its northwest resemble Mount Meakan. The peak to the east of the settlement could be based on Mount Oakan.
Diamond Settlement	阿寒湖アイヌコタン	Lake Akan Ainu Kotan	釧路総合振興局	Kushiro	It is the largest Ainu settlement in Hokkaido with 120 inhabitants. Most of the Kotan have been converted into tourist attractions and cultural facilities.
Cloudpool Ridge	釧北峠	Senpoku Pass			This mountain pass through the watershed of the Kushiro River, the Tokachi River, and the Abashiri River is part of an Ainu road leading to seaside.
Shrouded Ruins	津別峠	Tsubetsu Pass			Known for cloud view and dense mountain fog, this mountain pass is the site of an observation deck in a European-style castle that oversees Lake Kussharo.
Crossing Slope	中標津町	Nakashibetsu Town	根室振興局	Nemuro	The player's encounter with the special Basculegion could be a reference to the predominant role of Shibetsu, Nemuro in salmon fishery.
Ginkgo Landing	標津町	Shibetsu Town
Bathers' Lagoon	風蓮湖 and 温根沼	Lake Fūren and Lake Onneto			These two adjacent brackish lakes form a large lagoon in the Nemuro Bay. Lake Fūren is a Ramsar wetland.
Deadwood Haunt	根室半島	Nemuro Peninsula			The wrecked ships in this area could be a reference to the maritime archeological sites of the Okhotsk culture.
Sand's Reach	納沙布岬	Cape Nosappu			Cape Nosappu is more similar to a palm facing upwards than one spreading its five fingers.
Hideaway Bay	落石湾	Rakuseki Bay			Rakuseki Bay refers to the water body between Cape Ochiishi and Hanamatsu, Nemuro.
Tombolo Walk	ユルリ島 and モユルリ島	Yururi Island and Moyururi Island			These two uninhabited islands off the coast of Nemuro Peninsula have been designated as nature reserve since the late 1970s.
Castaway Shore	羅臼町	Rausu Town			Named after the main peak of the Shiretoko volcanoes, the town occupies the southeastern half of the peninsula.
Aipom Hill	根釧台地	Konsen Plateau			The lattice windbreak on its windward side is a Hokkaidō Heritage site.
Tranquility Cove	野付湾 and 根室湾	Notsuke Bay and Nemuro Bay			The dry forest along the Cobalt Coastlands could be inspired by Todowara, forests of withered Sakhalin firs on the Notsuke Peninsula.
Windbreak Stand	斜里岳道立自然公園	Sharidake Prefectural Natural Park			This natural park is named after Mount Shari, whose montane forests form natural windbreaks.
Veilstone Cape	知床半島	Shiretoko Peninsula			Shiretoko derives from Ainu sir-etok (land's end). The peninsula was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the natural category in 2005.
Lunker's Lair	知床岬	Cape Shiretoko	オホーツク総合振興局	Okhotsk	The northeastern-most portion of the Shiretoko Peninsula is under the administration of Shari.
Islespy Shore	斜里町	Shari Town			The visitor center of the Shiretoko National Park belongs to Shari.
Wayward Wood	富良野岳	Mount Furano	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa	Mt. Furano is a stratovolcano in the Tokachi Volcanic Group with rich floral diversity.
Ancient Quarry	十勝岳	Mount Tokachi			Mt. Tokachi is known for its sulfur deposit and bogs, along with natural hot springs. Most sulfur quarries were destroyed by the 1962 eruption.
Temple of Sinnoh	旭岳	Mount Asahi			The Greek architecture of the Temple of Sinnoh may be inspired by the Parthenon, which was critically damaged by an explosion in 1687.
Cloudcap Pass	層雲峡	Sōunkyō			The ridges and valleys to the east and south of Mt. Asahi was named Sōunkyō (lit. "cloudcap gorges") in 1921.
Clamberclaw Cliffs	石狩岳	Mount Ishikari			Mount Ishikari is the watershed of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan.
Whiteout Valley	音威子府村	Otoineppu	上川総合振興局	Kamikawa	The village is a tourist attraction known for Mt. Otoi-Fuji (音威富士) and ski resorts.
Avalanche Slopes	中川町	Nakagawa Town			The large amount of ammonites excavated in this village in the Meiji era earned it the nickname "Fossile Village".
Avalugg's Legacy	中頓別町	Nakatonbetsu Town	宗谷総合振興局	Sōya	The large ice formation may be inspired by Mount Pinneshiri (ピンネシリ岳), whose contour line resembles a tortoise shell on maps. The underground caves in this area could be based on the Nakatonbetsu Limestone Cave (中頓別鍾乳洞), which is the northernmost Karst system of Japan and a nature park.
Pearl Settlement	浜頓別町	Hamatonbetsu Town			The land was inhabited by an Ainu tribe named Nitat-nay (仁達内 Nitachinai), whose name means "wetland river". First seen in 1670, the name "Tonbetsu" derives from Ainu to-un-pet (river running out of a lake), referring to its location at the confluence of the Tonbetsu River and Lake Kutcharo.

Unova

A comparison of Unova to New York City and parts of eastern New Jersey

Unova has been said to be significantly distant from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Instead of being based on an area of Japan, Unova is based on New York City as well as parts of northeastern New Jersey and western Long Island. Both New York and New Jersey are part of the United States.

Pokémon world	Specific location	State (New York City borough/county)	Notes
Nuvema Town	Coney Island	New York City (Brooklyn)
P2 Laboratory	Governors Island	New York City (Manhattan)	While there were no laboratories when the games were created, in 2019 city officials proposed to build a climate change research facility here.
Accumula Town	Marine Park	New York City (Brooklyn)
Striaton City	Canarsie	New York City (Brooklyn)	Striaton makes a multitude of references to the glaciers that formed Long Island, including its location compared to the central land.
Dreamyard	Floyd Bennett Field	New York City (Brooklyn)	A historic place near Marine Park and part of Naval Air Station New York. Latios and Latias, who are available for capture in B2W2, could be a reference to airplanes.
Wellspring Cave	McCarren Park	New York City (Brooklyn)	Know for McCarren Play Centre, which contains bathhouse and a pool.
Nacrene City	Boerum Hill	New York City (Brooklyn)	Used to be mostly populated by working class ironworker families, until the late 1990s gentrification, which made it popular among upper-class individiuals. The decommissioned railway and a museum in Nacrene City could be a reference to New York Transit Museum found near Boerum Hill. Also, in Pokémon Adventures, the city is called "city of art" due to its avant-garde artists, a possible reference to Boerum Hill's own artists and their art galleries.
Pinwheel Forest	Cadman Plaza park	New York City (Brooklyn)	A park near the Brooklyn Bridge.
Castelia City	Lower Manhattan	New York City (Manhattan)	Lower Manhattan is the business centre of New York City, as well as the United States. The New York City Hall is located here, this building contains the Office of the Mayor of New York City (executive branch) and the chambers of the New York City Council (legislative branch). The New York County Courthouse (judicial branch) is also located here. The central park of Castelia are partially based in Battery Park, according to Satoshi Yamamoto, the Café Sonata was based in the CBGB music club.
Join Avenue	Empire State Building or Times Square	New York City (Manhattan)
Skyarrow Bridge	Brooklyn Bridge	New York City (Brooklyn and Manhattan)	Also based on Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo, Japan
Unova Route 4	World Trade Center site	New York City (Manhattan)	In all versions of the route, it is shown that the road is being built; in some versions, the route is shown in a desolate and reconstructed form.
Desert Resort	Chelsea	New York City (Manhattan)
Relic Passage	Holland Tunnel	New York City (Manhattan) and New Jersey (Hudson County)
Nimbasa City	Midtown Manhattan	New York City (Manhattan)	Midtown Manhattan is the zone where the headquarters of the New York subway, the main skyscrapers of the city and several embassies. Nimbasa's entertainment atmosphere is based on Times Square, the main center of entertainment, food, sports, products etc, of New York.
Gear Station	59th Street–Columbus Circle station	New York City (Manhattan)	While Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal may have inspired Gear Station architecturally and serve as the primary hubs for train lines in the New York City area, they are not subways.
Big Stadium and Small Court	West Side Stadium and Madison Square Garden	New York City (Manhattan)	West Side Stadium was a proposed Olympic stadium that was cancelled in 2005. Considering American football, soccer, and baseball games are held at Big Stadium, it may also draw inspiration from Polo Grounds.
Musical Theater	Broadway	New York City (Manhattan)	Like Broadway, Pokémon Musical is often visited in the city where dances and choreography are done with their own stories just like a real musical.
Lostlorn Forest	Hallett Nature Sanctuary	New York City (Manhattan)
Driftveil City	Union City	New Jersey (Hudson County)	Union City is known for its many mining companies. The Pokémon World Tournament stadium may reference the MetLife Stadium.
Driftveil Drawbridge	George Washington Bridge	New York City (Manhattan) and New Jersey (Fort Lee)	Aesthetically, it was based of George Washington Bridge. However, geographically it is placed where the Lincoln Tunnel should be, which is not a bridge.
Clay Tunnel	Interstate 95	New York City (Manhattan) and New Jersey (Fort Lee)
Chargestone Cave	Edgewater Branch	New Jersey (Fairview, New Jersey)	Directly southeast of Teterboro, much like Chargestone Cave is southeast of Mistralton. Has tourmaline deposits (the name 'Chargestone' derives from the alternate reading of tourmaline in Japanese). Opened in 1894 (116 years before the release of Black and White) and closed in 1992 to railway traffic, but is still accessible on foot. The Hudson Project, an electrical cable connecting the Bergen Power Generating Station in Ridgefield, NJ to New York City's electrical grid through the Edgewater Tunnel was submitted in February 2009, started in May 2011 and completed by 2013.
Mistralton City	Teterboro	New Jersey (Bergen County)	The Mistralton City Airport's real-life counterpart is the Teterboro Airport.
Mistralton Cave	Laurel Hill Park	New Jersey (Hudson County)
Celestial Tower	Maple Grove Park Cemetery	New Jersey (Bergen County)
Twist Mountain	Hackensack Meadowlands Conservation and Wildlife Area	New Jersey (Bergen County)	For a long time, these wetlands where urbanized and environmentally abused, being a site of large landfills. Currently undergoing the restoration and conversation program.
Icirrus City	Ridgefield or Ridgefield Park	New Jersey (Bergen County)	A town founded by Dutch settlers, recognizable by its small classical European style buildings (similar to the rural atmosphere of Icirrus).
Moor of Icirrus	Overpeck County Park	New Jersey (Bergen County)	Known for Overpeck Creek. Could also possibly based on Teaneck Creek, which is located a bit further north.
Dragonspiral Tower	Ridgefield Park	New Jersey (Bergen County)	Despite being nowhere close to New Jersey, it is possible it took inspirations from Washington Monument, as both locations are related to the founding history and war. There is a theory it is connected to Field Station: Dinosaurs, as both locations have a reptilian theme (dragons and dinosaurs). However, the New Jersey's theme park was opened in 2012, two years after the release of the original BW.
Tubeline Bridge	Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge	Nyack (New York) and Tarrytown (New York)	Based on the original incarnation of said bridge - Tappan Zee Bridge - before it got replaced with the current one in 2017. Also resembles the Forth Bridge, which is found in Scotland.
Shopping Mall Nine	Palisades Center Mall	West Nyack, New York (New York)	Located on the opposite side of the bridge in real life. Could possibly based on Bridge Plaza in Tarrytown, which matches up with the position.
Challenger's Cave	The Blockhouse	New York City (Manhattan)	A small fort built in the northern part of Central Park in 1814.
Opelucid City	Harlem & Washington Heights	New York City (Manhattan)
Pokémon League	Hempstead House or New York Botanical Garden	Nassau County (Long Island) or New York City (The Bronx)	The cupolas of the Pokémon League are reminiscent of the domes of New York Botanical Garden's three main greenhouses. Its castle aesthetic is based of Hempstead House, while the desert environment is possibly a play on words of the real estate being located in Sands Point.
Village Bridge	Robert F. Kennedy Bridge & Wards Island bridge	New York City (Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx)	It also resembles Ponte Vecchio bridge in Italy. The 200-year-old bridge referenced was constructed on Wards Island in 1807 to encourage settlement as well as transport goods from their new cotton mill to Manhattan, following a hurricane in 1788 that was strong enough to destroy the western parts of the Battery (the park at the southern tip of Manhattan). This wooden bridge was destroyed by the Hurricane of 1821, and the island was abandoned for several decades thereafter. The Robert F. Kennedy Bridge was constructed beginning in 1929, and was completed in 1936 - geographically, it connects to Randalls and Wards Islands less than 1 km north of where the Wards Island bridge would have been located.
Lacunosa Town	Flushing	New York City (Queens)	Flushing is the fourth largest central business district in New York City, and has one of the most diverse range in demographics, which is reflected in its architecture. Could also be based on Astoria, a neighbourhood that has been home to the largest Greek-American community in the United States since 1960, due to Lacunosa's towering blue and white houses resembling Santorini in Greece.
Giant Chasm	Kissena Park	New York City (Queens)	Located in Flushing. In Chippewa language, Kissena means "cold place", a possible inspiration for Kyurem being placed here.
Route 14	Broad Channel	New York City (Queens)
Undella Town	Howard Beach & The Hamptons	Long Island (Queens)	Geographically it fits in as Jamaica, Queens, however thematically it takes heavy inspiration from The Hamptons of Long Island, in that it is largely vacant for most of the year but fills up with vacationers and celebrities during the Summertime.
Undella Bay	Jamaica Bay & Great South Bay	New York City (Nassau County)	Abyssal Ruins found here is based of Ancient Greek Pavlopetri Ruins, which sank into Mediterranean Sea due to the earthquake and tsunami 3000 years ago.
Abundant Shrine	Highland Park	New York City (Brooklyn)
Marvelous Bridge	Queensboro Bridge	New York City (Manhattan and Queens)
Black City	Long Island City	New York City (Queens)	Long Island City, it houses multiple main headquarters of companies such as Eagle Electric, Wonton Foods, Amazon etc, in addition to having luxurious lofts, all this is reflected in the corporate and commercial atmosphere of Black City.
Black Tower	Skyline Tower	New York City (Queens)	The tallest building in Queens and made entirely of blue glass.
White Forest	Queensbridge Houses	New York City (Queens)	Geographically, it fits Queensbridge, a uniquely build public housing, that manages to harmonize urban buildings and natural trees together. However, it is possible that it takes elements from two of the largest parks in Queens: Alley Pond Park (White Treehollow resembles Queens Giant. The tallest and possibly oldest tulip poplar tree in New York and it has a hollow entrance) and Forest Park (a haven for native plants and wildlife in the midst of the city's sprawl).
Poké Transfer Lab	Cornell Tech	New York City (Manhattan)
Entralink	Central Park	New York City (Manhattan)	The Entralink also draws inspiration from the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
Liberty Garden	Liberty Island	New York City (Manhattan exclave)
Unity Tower	Headquarters of the United Nations	New York City (international territory)	Geographically placed somewhere, where Ellis Island should be.
Pokéstar Studios	Lincoln Park	New Jersey (Hudson County)	Thematically, it is based of Hollywood in Los Angeles.
Anville Town	Morristown	New Jersey (Morris County)	Morristown was designated in 1999 as of one of New Jersey's first five "transit villages". In 1999, Morristown changed its zoning code to designate the area around the train station as a "Transit Village Core" for mixed-use. Could be based Binghamton, its roundhouse and turntable and is at the end of its rail line, but it's too far away.
Aspertia City	Elizabeth	New Jersey (Union County)
Floccesy Town	Newark	New Jersey (Essex County)
Floccesy Ranch	Branch Brook Park	New Jersey (Essex County)
Cave of Being	Weequahic Park	New Jersey (Essex County)	Known for its Weequahic Lake Trail.
Virbank City	Jersey City	New Jersey (Hudson County)	Virbank Complex bears some resemblance to the oil refineries and tanker area located along the New Jersey Turnpike.
Lentimas Town	Forest Hills	New York City (Queens)	Forest Hills is densely populated with red-brick buildings, similar to Lentimas Town's buildings. They also closely resemble those of Santa Fe, New Mexico's Pueblo Revival style buildings. There is a theory that it is based on three neighbourhoods with the largest communities of Mexicans in Brooklyn, but none of them match geographically.
Reversal Mountain	Forest Park	New York City (Queens)	Besides its status as a haven for wild life, Forest Park is also known for its Hiking Trails.
Strange House	Maple Grove Cemetry	New York City (Queens) (Queens County)	Maybe a reference to the The Amityville Horror House, a famous home said to be haunted, which inspired numerous horror books and movies, but it's too far away.
Humilau City	Harbor Isle - Island Park	New York (Nassau County	While visually it resembles the nautical backdrop of many Long Island villages, such as many beach communities on Fire Island, which consist almost entirely of boardwalks and stilted houses, geographically it doesn't fit.
Seaside Cave	Lawrence	New York (Nassau County)
Marine Tube	Ocean Parkway	Long Island (Nassau County and Suffolk County)	While the New York City area has no underwater tunnels akin to Marine Tube, the closest comparison both geographically and thematically is Ocean Parkway, a beachside highway which is known by locals for its beautiful views of wildlife and the ocean.
N's Castle	Metropolitan Museum of Art & The Cloisters	New York (Manhattan)	Both buildings have a European medieval look to them and specializes in medieval European art and artefacts. It also possible that Unova's Pokémon League took some inspiration from the Met, while N's Castle from The Cloisters, thus symbolizing the connection to each other.

Kalos

A comparison of Kalos to France

Kalos is based on the northern half of Metropolitan France and Alderney, one of the Channel Islands which are self-governing crown dependencies of the United Kingdom.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Administrative region	Notes
Vaniville Town	Moulins	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	Moulins had various old terraced houses, in Vaniville, the houses of the town are all terraced.
Aquacorde Town	Nevers	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	The great bridge is probably based on a bridge on the river Loire in Nevers. The central square of Aquacorde is based in the Place de la République (Republic square), a square surrounded by various french-style row houses and with two separated gardens, like the square of Aquacorde.
Santalune City	Fontainebleau	Île-de-France	The fountain on the central plaza might be based on the fontaine de Diane.
Santalune Forest	Forest of Fontainebleau	Île-de-France	It is the most touristic forest in France.
Détourner Way	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	Île-de-France	The Rhyhorn race track is based in this circuit, shared for the cities of Nevers and Magny Cours. The route itself is based in the observation zones of the circuit.
Parterre Way	Seine-et-Marne and the gardens of the region	Île-de-France	The aspect of the route is modeled after the impressive Parterre gardens of the Palace of Fontainebleau, located in Fontainebleau in Seine-et-Marne. The region of Marne is famous for its palaces with parterres, also, the route can be based in the gardens of the palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte, where the parterre are in the sides of the garden, like the route 4.
Lumiose City	Paris	Île-de-France	The largest city in Kalos. The streets of Lumiose are based on the Place de l'Étoile (square of the star and current Place Charles de Gaulle), in which there is the Arc de Triomphe. The modern buildings that surround the city may be a reference to the buildings of La Défense, the most important business district in France.
Prism Tower	Eiffel Tower	Paris	Both are lattice towers. The Eiffel Tower is the most emblematic monument in all of France and a symbol of modernity in Paris. The prism tower reflects this by being a modern building made of glass.
Lumiose Museum	UNESCO Headquarters	Paris	Building shape roughly matches for the conference room, and the campus contains more than 500 works from various famous artists (including Picasso) that have been added over the years. The inside may also be based on The Louvre.
Versant Road	Sèvres	Île-de-France	A commune on the outskirts of Paris that houses a Skate Park, in addition, the commune is in an elevated area of the Seine, similar to the mountainous aspect of the route.
Camphrier Town	Blois	Centre-Val de Loire	During the Renaissance, Blois was the official residence of the King of France.
Shabboneau Castle	Château of Blois	Centre-Val de Loire	Used to be the residence for the Counts of Blois and some French Kings.
Rivière Walk	Loire Valley and its surroundings	Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire	Nicknamed the Garden of France, it is a region known for its vineyards and vegetable crops, as well as its châteaus and castles.
Palais Lane	Avenue de Paris	Île-de-France	A route located in the city of Versailles, decorated with trees and parterres that are the main road to the Palace of Versailles.
Parfum Palace	Palace of Versailles	Île-de-France	The king who ordered the construction of the palace and who is mentioned several times, is a reference to Louis XIV of France. The second floor and hallway of the Parfum Palace is based in the Galerie des Glaces.
Battle Chateau	Château de Chenonceau	Centre-Val de Loire	Nicknamed the castle of the ladies, in reference to the noble women who financed its reconstruction and for the parties they held. This is referenced in the fact that Diantha is the top trainer in the chateau. The façade of the Battle Chateau reminiscent of the high-ceilinged, round towers of Chambord.
Connecting Cave	Lac de Grand-Lieu	Pays de la Loire
Muraille Coast	La Pointe du Chay	Nouvelle-Aquitaine	An elevated maritime and rocky areaa, cloistered in the mountains and composed of prehistoric deposits and rocks.
Spikes Passage	Périgord	Nouvelle-Aquitaine	A mountainous and elevated area in south-central France. In real life, it is a fertile area.
Ambrette Town	La Rochelle	Nouvelle-Aquitaine	An aquarium lies in La Rochelle. The city is famous in France for the geologic deposits from the Jurassic, that constitute great part of the coast of the city.
Glittering Cave	Lascaux Cave	Nouvelle-Aquitaine	Lascaux is a network of caves famous for prehistoric parietal wall paintings. Junichi Masuda said in an interview that they relied on the Catacombs of Paris.[citation needed]
Cyllage City	Saint-Nazaire	Pays de la Loire	Saint-Nazaire has a major harbour and a long tradition of fishing and shipbuilding. Could possibly be also based on Saint-Brevin-les-Pins.
Menhir Trail and Geosenge Town	Carnac and the Carnac stones	Brittany	Notable for its standing stones. In the games, the ultimate weapon turned various Pokémon into stones, possibly referencing a legend which stated that the Carnac stones were pagan soldiers who were turned into stone by Pope Cornelius, or Roman soldiers turned into stone by the magician Merlin.
Reflection Cave	Armorican Massif	Brittany	The massif is composed of metamorphic and magmatic rocks that were metamorphosed and/or deformed during the Hercynian or Variscan orogeny and the earlier Cadomian orogeny. The competent old rocks of the Armorican Massif have been eroded to a plateaulike peneplain. The concept could also be based on the legends of the Britons called Miroirs aux fées (fairies mirrors). Fairy mirrors are usually caves with bright quartz veins or lakes where they are said to live fairies and like to see themselves in them like a mirror.
Shalour City	Saint-Malo	Brittany	In the anime, the city has a walled aspect; Saint-Malo is known for its fortresses and for being walled.
Tower of Mastery	Mont Saint-Michel	Normandy	A island-city in the coast, the summit of the island is crowned with a gothic abbey since the early Middle Ages. This match with the tower of mastery being a solemn site related with the megaevolution and the statue of Lucario, in reference to the statue of the angel Gabriel in the summit.
Azure Bay	The English Channel	—
Sea Spirit's Den	Channel Islands	Bailiwick of Guernsey	Specifically based on Alderney, one of the Channel Islands which are self-governing crown dependencies of the United Kingdom.
Fourrage Road	Parc naturel régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin and the Pays d'Auge region	Normandy	A natural reserve in the Cotentin peninsula in the north of France. The Pays d'Auge is a farmer region in Normandy, famous for its cheese, dairy, apples and cider production in France, this is reflexed in the Baa de Mer ranch of Kalos and the tall grass of the route.
Coumarine City	Le Havre	Normandy	The city has a monorail and several trams, in addition, like the game, the coastal part is a large tourist area and the north is residential.
Lumiose Badlands	Pays de Bray	Normandy	A fertile area near Paris, thanks to the clay soil.
Kalos Power Plant	Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant	Centre-Val de Loire	Saint-Laurent is located close to Paris and is surrounded by sunflowers (in reference to Kalos Power Plant's solar power). Could also be based on Crucey Solar Park, an actual Solar Power Plant, which is also close to Paris, although it lacks any buildings that the former has.
Laverre Nature Trail	Hortillonnages d'Amiens	Hauts-de-France	From vulgar Latin Hortellus that means little garden, are a series of swamps in the east of Amiens, built in the Gallo-Roman era of France and used as agricultural fields and are now an ecological and landscape park.
Laverre City	Calais and Amiens	Hauts-de-France	Geographically, it is closer to be based of Calais - a major port city with old part of town being surrounded by canals. Thematically, it is most likely based of Amiens, as it won awards for rich wooded heritage and being one of the greenest French cities.
Laverre Gym	Hôtel de ville de Calais or Belfry of Amiens	Calais, Hauts-de-France	Both belfries are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as part of a set of Belfries of Belgium and France. The gym's clock is based on the imposing bell towers in their respective cities.
Mélancolie Path	Canal de l'Ourcq	Île-de-France	The Canal de l'Ourcq was built to provide drinking water to Paris and is currently used as a recreational area for fishing and boating. This is reflected in the fishing club on the route and the fact that the river ends artificially.
Lost Hotel	Abbey of St. Jean des Vignes	Hauts-de-France	An old abbey in Soissons near Paris, which was destroyed during the French revolution and only the facade is left standing.
Frost Cavern	Ardennes	Grand Est	Ardennes is a zone that had a rocky landscape and various hills with forests and rough terrain, is located in the frontier with Belgium and Luxembourg, this match with the Frost Cavern located in the north of Kalos, like the Ardennes are near Belgium in the north.
Dendemille Town	Charleville-Mézières	Grand Est	Charleville's region is known for its windmills.
Terminus Cave	Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park	Grand Est
Anistar City	Strasbourg	Grand Est	The sundial may be a reference to Strasbourg astronomical clock.
Couriway Town	Molsheim	Grand Est	Molsheim is located close to several waterfalls, such as Nideck Waterfall, Casscade de la Serva and Cascade de l'Andlau. Couriway train station also somewhat resembles Molsheim station.
Grande Vallée Way	Lac de Lispach	The Vosgues in Grand Est	A boggy lake and forestal region in the mountains near the Alps.
Snowbelle City	Besançon	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	The nearby Jura Mountains are known for cold temperatures and sometimes nicknamed "Little Siberia".
Pokémon Village	Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Winding Woods and Dernière Way	Plateau des Mille Étangs	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	A extensiveforest and mountainous landscape in the west of France.
Victory Road	Mont Beuvray	Burgundy	Mont Beuvray is generally identified as ancient Bibracte, a fortified settlement. Used to be capital of the Aedui and one of the most important hillforts in Gaul. Nowadays, it is an archaeological park at the centre of a protected forest.
Pokémon League building	Château de Chambord	Centre-Val de Loire	Should be located somewhere in Burgundy, but the place itself resembles Château de Chambord more, the largest château in the Loire Valley. It was built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I and ended up being one the most influential architectures, inspiring the design of several European castles.
Kiloude City	Lyon	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	Lyon is located in the south, connected via train to Paris like Lumiose and has an open air zoo and a plateau.
Battle Maison	Hôtel de Ville de Lyon	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	The place is located south of the aforementioned plateau.

Alola

A comparison of Alola to Hawaii

Alola is based on Hawaii, one of the states that is a part of the United States.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Island	Notes
Melemele Island	Oʻahu		Houses the state capital and the former monarchy of Hawaii. Its designated island color is yellow (melemele in Hawaiian) and its designated island flower is the ʻilima.
Hau'oli City	Honolulu	Oʻahu	The state capital of Hawaii.
Hau'oli City Beachfront	Waikīkī	Oʻahu	Waikiki and its beaches are a notable tourist destination in Hawaii.
Hau'oli City Shopping District	Ala Moana Center	Oʻahu	Ala Moana Center is the largest shopping mall in Hawaiʻi.
Hau'oli City Marina	Ala Wai Harbor	Oʻahu	The largest small boat and yacht harbor in Hawaii.
Hau'oli Outskirts	Hawaiʻi Kai	Oʻahu	One of the largest residential areas in O'ahu.
Trainer's School	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa	Oʻahu	Largest college in Hawaiʻi.
Iki Town	Wahiawā	Oʻahu
Berry fields	Dole Plantation	Oʻahu	The largest currently operating pineapple plantation in the state.
Hau'oli Cemetery	Nanakuli Homestead Cemetery	Oʻahu
Mahalo Trail	ʻAiea Loop Trail	Oʻahu
Verdant Cavern	Kaneana Cave (Makua Cave)	Oʻahu
Melemele Meadow	Kaipapau Forest Reserve	Oʻahu	Could also be based on National Wildlife Refuge, which is dedicated to preserving and restoring populations of endangered honeycreepers, but it doesn't match geographically.
Ten Carat Hill	Diamond Head (Lēʻahi)	Oʻahu	Necrozma's appearance here in Pokémon Sun and Moon references the historical belief by western sailors that the calcite crystals near the mountain were diamonds.
Seaward Cave	Mermaid Cave	Oʻahu
Kala'e Bay	Hanauma Bay	Oʻahu	A popular tourist attraction on Oʻahu, the bay is a nature sanctuary is well known for its efforts for preserving native marine life.
Ruins of Conflict	Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau	Oʻahu	The largest heiau on Oahu. It contains a luakini, a sacrificial altar meant to bring success during times of war.
Melemele Sea	Kaiwi Channel	Oʻahu	An ocean channel that separates Oahu from Molokaʻi.
Big Wave Beach	Turtle Bay Resort	Oʻahu
Sandy Cave	Turtle Beach	Oʻahu
Akala Island	Maui		Its designated island color is pink (ʻākala in Hawaiian).
Heahea City	Kahului	Maui
Brooklet Hill	Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary	Maui
Pikachu Valley	ʻIao Valley	Maui
Heahea Beach	Kahului Beach	Maui
Paniola Town	Makawao	Maui	A community on Maui known to be dominated by agriculture and ranch lands.
Paniola Ranch	Haleakala Ranch	Maui	Largest ranch on Maui.
Royal Avenue	The Shops at Wailea	Maui	Mall with more than 70 shops, restaurants & art galleries, with regular evening entertainment.
Diglett's Tunnel	Olowalu Tunnel	Maui	A long road tunnel that connects Lahaina to Wailuku. Located on Honoapi'ilani Highway. It could also be based on Olowalu Shaft, which is located close to Olowalu Tunnel.
Konikoni City	Lāhainā	Maui	Lahaina is one of numerous locations of Hawaii where Chinese immigrants immigrated to work on local sugar cane plantations. Lahaina houses the only two Chinese Society Halls that exist and are maintained in Hawaii.
Hano Grand Resort	Grand Wailea Resort	Maui	The most prominent hotel in the Wailea area.
Hano Beach	Makena Beach	Maui
Wela Volcano Park	Haleakalā National Park	Maui	The tallest volcano on Maui and is currently inactive. Terrain is closer to Kīlauea.
Dividing Peak Tunnel	Hana Highway	Maui	Hana Lava Tube is located around this stretch.
Lush Jungle	Hana Forest Reserve	Maui	It is the largest tropical forest on the island of Maui.
Memorial Hill	Olowalu Petroglyphs	Maui
Ruins of Life	Piʻilanihale Heiau	Maui	The largest heiau in the State of Hawaii.
Ula'ula Island	Hawaii Island		The largest island in the archipelago. Its designated island color is red (ʻulaʻula in Hawaiian).
Malie City	Hilo	Hawaii Island	Largest settlement on Hawaii Island. Noted locally for its particularly rainy climate.
Malie Garden	Liliuokalani Park and Gardens	Hawaii Island	Designed like an Edo-style Japanese garden, having numerous structures such as pagodas, torii (traditional Japanese gate), and a Japanese teahouse.
Mount Hokulani	Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea	Hawaii Island	Mauna Kea is the second highest peak in the world when measured from its base below sea level. Currently a dormant volcano. Mauna Loa is a the largest subaerial volcano in the world and it is still active.
Hokulani Observatory	Mauna Loa Observatory & Mauna Kea Observatories	Hawaii Island	A number of observatories located on the summits of Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea due to its ideal conditions for atmospheric & astronomy research.
Blush Mountain	Kīlauea	Hawaii Island	A currently active volcano. A power plant in the Puna district of Hawaii used the geothermal vents from Kilauea to generate electricity until the 2018 eruptions caused its temporary shutdown.
Geothermal Power Plant	Puna Geothermal Venture	Hawaii Island	A geothermal energy power plant that was shut down shortly after the start of the May 2018 lower Puna eruption, and resumed power generation in November 2020.
Secluded ShoreSM/Ula'ula BeachUSUM	Ahalanui Park - Isaac Hale Beach Park	Hawaii Island	Both are black sand beaches. Ahalanui Park was destroyed by lava due to 2018 Volcanic Eruption of Kīlauea.
Tapu Village - Aether House	Kau	Hawaii Island	Kau district is known for South Point (Ka Lae) and Hawaiian Ocean View Estates (HOVE).
Tapu Village	Heiau Ruins	Hawaii Island	The most closest locations would be Kalalea Heiau and Kohaikalani Heiau. Tapu Village could be based on Kalapana, a former inhabited town that was destroyed by a Kīlauea lava flow in 1986, believed to be caused by Pele, Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. However, it is located in the far east Puna district, thus not matching up geographically.
Thrifty Megamart (Abandoned Site)	Pahala	Hawaii Island	There used to be sugar cane mills in Pahala, but they were all closed by the late 90s.
Haina Desert	Kaʻū Desert	Hawaii Island	Although not a true desert, the sulfur dioxide from Kīlauea's sulfuric lava plumes creates enough acid rain that plant growth is severely inhibited.
Lake of the Sunne/Lake of the Moone	Lake Waiau	Hawaii Island	The largest lake in Hawaii, located on Mauna Kea
Ula'ula Meadow	Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park	Hawaii Island	The most notable of many locations in Hawaii where people who broke Kapu could escape to. Such sites are difficult to enter and heavily protected, but once entered, a Kahuna on site could bless the individual, pardoning their crime. Many native plants, including red plumeria grow near the location.
Po Town	Hawi	Hawaii Island	Hawi is a town in Kohala mountain, in the northwest part Hawaii Island. It once was a busy commercial centre during the operation of the Kohala Sugar plantation. However, just like with other sugar mills, it was closed down.
Mount Lanakila	Mauna Loa & Mauna Kea	Hawaii Island	Mauna Loa is the largest shield volcano on earth; it is currently active. Mauna Loa is one of two locations to annually have snow in Hawaii, the other being Mauna Kea.
Route 14	Ocean View	Hawaii Island
Routes 15 & 16	Captain Cook & Miloliʻi beaches. Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe & Johnston Atoll islands.	Hawaii Island	The small islets on Route 15 resemble the real life islands, only smaller, tighter and closer to Hawaii Island, the real life basis for Ula'ula Island.
Ruins of Abundance	Puʻukoholā Heiau	Hawaii Island	The largest heiau on Hawaii Island, and the last heiau ever built.
Poni Island	Kauaʻi		Its designated island color is purple (poni in Hawaiian).
Seafolk Village	Waimea	Kauaʻi	The site where the first western contact to the Hawaiian islands were made by James Cook
Poni Wilds	Waimea Canyon State Park	Kauaʻi	A large canyon carved by the abundant rainfall from Mount Wai'ale'ale, it is nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
Poni Beach	Polihale State Park	Kauaʻi
Poni Breaker Coast	Kawailoa Bay, Haula Bay & Nawiliwili Bay	Kauaʻi	Could also be based on Po'ipū, which is famous for the geological blowhole known locally as Spouting Horn.
Ancient Poni Path	Kalaheo & Koloa	Kauaʻi	Koloa is known for Old Koloa Town, which preserves Koloa history and traditions.
Vast Poni Canyon	Kawaikini & Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve	Kauaʻi	Kawaikini is the tallest peak of the mountain. It is hard to reach due to high annual rains and steep wet cliffs. Also not helped by the fact that on west side of it Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve is located. Its miles of dense, swampy forest limits the access to the summit.
Altar of the Sunne/Altar of the Moone	Mount Waiʻaleʻale	Kauaʻi	Mount Wai'ale'ale is the main volcano of Kauaʻi and is currently extinct.
Poni Grove	Wailua River State Park	Kauaʻi	An area of Kauaʻi containing several important heiau. Malae is the largest heiau on Kaua'i.
Poni Plains	Kawaihau	Kauaʻi
Poni Coast	Paliku Beach, Papa'a Bay Beach & Moloa'a Beach	Kauaʻi
Poni Meadow	Fern Grotto	Kauaʻi
Resolution Cave	Maniniholo Dry Cave	Kauaʻi	It was believed to once house a malicious spirit deep in the cave.
Poni Gauntlet	Kīlauea Town & Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge	Kauaʻi
Battle Tree	Princeville Resort	Kauaʻi
Ruins of Hope	Poli'ahu Heiau	Kauaʻi	Poliʻahu is the most important heiau in Kaua'i lore.
Exeggutor Island	Niʻihau & Kahoʻolawe		Geographically located as Niʻihau to Kauaʻi, though the lack of human inhabitants is similar to Kahoʻolawe. Both require boats and special permission to travel to.
Aether Paradise	Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument		Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument consists of all the islands located northwest of Niʻihau in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is a U.S. National Monument and nature preserve dedicated to preserving and protecting numerous Hawaiʻi endemic endangered species.
Poké Pelago	Northwestern Hawaiian Islands		Small, uninhabited islands and atolls northwest of the main eight Hawaiian islands. Many native endemic Hawaiian organisms inhabit these islands.

Galar

A comparison of Galar to the United Kingdom

Galar is based on the United Kingdom, with the region focusing heavily on the island of Great Britain, flipped upside-down as if being viewed from the north. The main region itself is based mostly on England and Wales, while the Crown Tundra is based on Scotland. The Isle of Armor is based on the Isle of Man, which is a self-governing crown dependency of the United Kingdom.

Pokémon world	Specific location	County/Shire	Country	Notes
Postwick	Keswick Windermere	Cumbria	England	One of the most popular tourist sites in the Lake District, located close to Bowness-on-Windermere on the shores of Lake Windermere.
Route 1	New Road/Lake Road	Cumbria	England	The main link road between Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere.
Wedgehurst	Bowness-on-Windermere	Cumbria	England	Located on the shores of Lake Windermere, it is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Lake District.
Route 2	Near and Far Sawrey	Cumbria	England	Two villages that act as one tourist attraction because of Hill Top Farm, the home of The Tale of Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter.
Slumbering Weald	Grizedale Forest	Cumbria	England	A forest area located within the Lake District. It is famous for its magic- and poetry-themed statues. The altar dedicated to Zacian and Zamazenta is similar to the Forest Fugue sculpture.
Wild Area	Lake District National Park/Peak District National Park	Cumbria/Derbyshire	England	Two of the most popular national parks in England. The Lake District, the inspiration for the southern section of the Wild Area, is known for its mountains and inland lakes, whilst the Peak District, the inspiration for the northern section of the Wild Area, is known for its peaks and rolling hills.
Motostoke	Manchester	Greater Manchester	England	The third-largest city in the United Kingdom, known for its industrial and railway past. The many structures were inspired from the Castlefield area.
Motostoke Stadium	Manchester Town Hall	Greater Manchester	England	A Victorian Neo-Gothic building situated within the city.
Route 3	Astley Green Colliery	Greater Manchester	England	A former coal mine that is now a museum.
Galar Mine	North York Moors National Park Standedge Tunnels	North Yorkshire Greater Manchester/West Yorkshire	England	Geographically, it seems to be closer to be based of North York Moors, but aesthetically it looks similar to Standedge Tunnels, a trans-Pennine route for both rail and canal.
Route 4	Yorkshire Wolds	East Riding of Yorkshire/North Yorkshire	England	Low-lying hills that are situated east from the city of York.
Turffield	York	North Yorkshire	England	Aesthetically, it was heavily inspired by Amesbury, a town located nearby the prehistoric Stonehenge. The fact that Turffield is situated within the standing stones was also inspired by Avebury. Geographically, it is closer to be based on York with the village aesthetic being a reference to York Green Belt, an environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space. The hill figure is a reference to the Kilburn White Horse, located in Kilburn, a village near York.
Route 5	Ribblehead Viaduct	North Yorkshire	England	A scenic railway viaduct that carries the Settle-Carlisle Railway over the River Ribble.
Hulbury	Liverpool	Merseyside	England	A major seaport that is known for the Albert Dock and Liver Building. It is also the birthplace of The Beatles. The houses built on a slope may have been inspired by St Ives, Cornwall.
Galar Mine No. 2	Forest of Bowland	North Yorkshire	England	From a geographical standpoint, it seems to be based on caves found in Forest of Bowland, such as Hell Hole, Whitewell Cave and Whitewell Pot. It is also located between Manchester and Liverpool, albeit much norther. It could've been inspired by Mersey Tunnels, major tunnels that cross under the River Mersey, but then it misses the mark of being located between real life Motostoke and Hulbury.
Motostoke Outskirts	Runcorn Railway Bridge	Cheshire	England	A railway bridge that crosses the River Mersey between Runcorn and Widnes. It is parallel to the Silver Jubilee Bridge.
Hammerlocke	Birmingham	West Midlands	England	The second-largest city in the United Kingdom. It is known for its vast canal network, which gives it the nickname the Venice of the North.
Hammerlocke Stadium	Warwick Castle	Warwickshire	England	A medieval castle with over a thousand years of history.
Energy Plant	Chamberlain Clock tower (Body) and BT Tower (summit)	West Midlands	England	Both are the tallest buildings in Birmingham and constitute heritage of the city.
Route 6	Cat and Fiddle Road	Cheshire/Derbyshire	England	A scenic and dangerous road in the United Kingdom that passes over the Peak District between Macclesfield and Buxton. The route is named after a pub located at its summit. The desert theme may also be based on Dungeness, which is known to be the only desert in the United Kingdom.
Stow-on-Side	Buxton/Matlock Bath	Derbyshire	England	A spa town that is described as "The Gateway to the Peak District National Park". It is home to Poole's Cavern and is also known for its spring water. Its name, as well as its potteries, may have been a reference to Stoke-on-Trent. Matlock Bath is another town described as the gateway of the Peak District, the town is famous for its thermal lake (the same that surround the Gym), and the parade street, a main street filled with shops and entertainment places, just like the shops of Stow-on-Side.
Glimwood Tangle	Sherwood Forest	Nottinghamshire	England	A well-known forest in the East Midlands that is said to be the home to the famous folklore character, Robin Hood.
Ballonlea	Nottingham or Stratford-Upon-Avon	Nottinghamshire or Warwickshire	England	Nottingham fits due to being surrounded by Sherwood Forest in the north, much like Ballonlea is surrounded by Glimwood Tangle. Stratford-Upon-Avon is a heavy aesthetical inspiration, due to Tudor architecture and being a birthplace of William Shakespeare, who wrote many plays including the one about fairies — A Midsummer Night's Dream. Another possible inspiration is a more geographically correct Lavenham, a village famous for its legends about witches and was used for filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1.
Route 7	Severn Tunnel	Gloucestershire/Monmouthshire	England/Wales	A railway tunnel that goes under the Severn Estuary.
Route 8	Shropshire	Shropshire	England	Known for The Ironbridge Gorge area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was formed by glacial overflow during last ice age. Wroxeter Roman City may have inspired the ruins on Route 8. Not only do the ruins resemble Roman architecture. Additionally the Pokémon Falinks, which takes inspiration from the Roman legion, can only be found here (apart from the wild area).
Circhester	Bath	Somerset	England	A Roman spa city famous for its Georgian style buildings, geothermal hot springs, and the rows of houses such as the Circus and Royal Crescent.
Route 9	Cardigan Bay	Dyfed/Gwynedd	Wales	A large inlet in the Irish Sea that makes up most of Wales' coastline.
Spikemuth	Llandudno	Clwyd	Wales	Llandudno is a seaside town resort, located on Creuddyn Peninsula, much like Spikemuth is located on it's own peninsula. Could also be inspired by Rhyl, as it is ranked as one of the UK's worst seaside resorts, but that title was only given long after the release of "Pokémon Sword & Shield".
Route 9 Tunnel	Conwy Tunnel	Clwyd	Wales	An underwater road tunnel that goes under the River Conwy.
Route 10	Eryri and Chiltern Hills	Clwyd/Gwynedd/Hertfordshire	Wales	A mountain range in Wales and National Park, with its highest mountain being Yr Wyddfa. Chiltern is a hill escarpment in the north of London.
Wyndon	London	Greater London	England	The largest city and the capital of the United Kingdom. Home to Big Ben, Palace of Westminster, the London Eye, and Piccadilly Circus.
Rose of the Rondelands	Palace of Westminster/Big Ben	Greater London	England	While not a hotel, it is a popular tourist destination due to its neo-Gothic looking clock tower, which inspired the Rose of the Rondelands' own clock tower. The hotel facility may be inspired by the London County Hall, a former government building now used by two hotels. It is located on the other side of the River Thames, facing the Palace of Westminster.
Wyndon Stadium	Wembley Stadium	Greater London	England	The largest and most important stadium in the British Isles.
Rose Tower/Battle Tower	ArcelorMittal Orbit/The Shard	Greater London	England	The ArcelorMittal Orbit was built for the 2012 Olympic Games and is now a slide attraction. The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom.

Isle of Armor

The Isle of Man is a crown dependency of the United Kingdom in the middle of the Irish Sea. It is one of the six Celtic Nations along with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. The island has its unique language (known as Manx Gaelic) and culture, with myths and legends that derive from Celtic mythology. It is also world-famous for its Manx Grand Prix.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Parish	Sheading	Notes
Loop Lagoon	Ramsey Bay	Ramsey	Ayre	A bay that was designated as a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) biosphere reserve.
Workout Sea	Smeale Beach	Andreas	Ayre	A coastal area that is designated as a dark-sky preserve.
Master Dojo	Jurby airfield	Jurby	Michael	Land formerly used by RAF Jurby as training ground. Following the closure of the station in 1973, the area has been used for air shows, gliding, and private aviation. The station complex is converted into an industrial park and houses several tourist attractions, including the Jurby Transport Museum and the Isle of Man Motor Museum.
Soothing Wetlands	Sulby Glen and Ballaugh Curraghs	Lezayre and Ballaugh	Ayre and Michael	The largest water reservoir on the Isle of Man is located in the Sulby valley. The Curraghs is a Ramsar wetland on the northwest of the island.
Challenge Beach	Douglas	Douglas Borough Council	Middle	The capital of the Isle of Man, which is home to many railways such as the Douglas Bay Horse Tram, the Isle of Man Railway, and the Snaefell Mountain Railway. It is the only ferry port on the island that connects to the mainland and Ireland.
Tower of Waters	Tower of Refuge	Douglas Borough Council	Middle	A shelter to wrecked mariners build on St Mary's Isle (also known as Conister Rock) in the Douglas Bay in 1832, it becomes the landmark of Douglas. Visit to the tower is restricted due to the fragility of the Conister Rock, which is a tidal reef that reamins partially submerged expect for spring tides.
Challenge Road	Peel	German	Glenfaba	A seaside town that is home to the replica of the Odin's Raven Longboat in the House of Manannan Museum; and Peel Castle. Its location up on the highest mountain of the Isle of Armor may also be a reference to Snaefell, the highest mountain on the Isle of Man.
Tower of Darkness	Peel Castle	German	Glenfaba	Peel Castle is a Viking castle built on the remnants of earlier Celtic monasteries with a notableround tower in the ruins of the Cathedral of St. German. The site is believed to be one of the possible locations of Avalon in the Arthurian legends, which may inspire the plot of Isle of Armor and the special role of the Tower of Darkness towards the endgame. Peel castle is said to be haunted by a Black Dog called Moddey Dhoo in Manx Gaelic. The presence of wandering Zorua and Zoroark in the Isle of Armor on cloudy days could be a reference to this folklore.
Forest of Focus	Fairy Bridge	Santon and Malew	Middle and Rushen	A famous parish boundary bridge where fairies named Mooinjer veggey (Manx Gaelic for 'little people') are said to dwell. People would say "Hello Fairies" when they cross and often leave wishes and notes beside the tree for good luck. Benevolent fairies are said to only appear in front of those they wish to see, and reward them with cure or blessing. The Lilligant that appears before the player character and Hop may be partly inspired by the story of fairies.
Training Lowlands	Castletown and Glen Rushen	Malew and Rushen	Rushen	Castletown was the former capital of the Isle of Man before 1869. The Isle of Man Airport is located in the suburb of the town. The hinterlands of Training Lowlands may be based on the Rushen Valley, which is a popular destination for hiking and camping.
Honeycalm Island	Calf of Man	Rushen	Rushen	A small islet located off the south coast.
Honeycalm Sea	Calf Sound			A body of water with various islets, which separate the Calf of Man.
Stepping-Stone Sea and Insular Sea	Irish Sea			Water bodies surrounding the Isle of Man was known for hazardous navigation before the age of steamboats. In modern days, the waters become ideal for viewing birds, sea mammals (particularly common seals and grey seals), and Basking sharks. The widespread presence of Galarian Slowpoke ashore and Sharpedo at sea around the Isle of Armor echoes with the real-life ecology of the Isle of Man.

Crown Tundra

Pokémon world	Specific location	County/Shire	Country	Notes
Crown Tundra	Scottish Highlands		Scotland	A vast mountain range in the northern parts of Scotland, home to the famous Loch Ness and Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the island of Great Britain.
Slippery Slope	Dinnet	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Known to be the 'gateway to the Highlands' as well as the Cairngorms National Park. It used to have a railway station which still stands today, despite not being in use anymore.
Max Lair	Burn O'Vat	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Located near Dinnet, this giant bowl shaped pothole was formed via erosion from melted glacial ice. It can be entered though a narrow opening and is often filled with water, presenting an impression of a hidden den. Local legend states a notorious outlaw hid here once, long ago.
Freezington	Ballater	Aberdeenshire	Scotland	Ballater is a small town, famous for its connection with the royal family, as it has certified shops for the nobility, which supply the royal family when they are on vacation in the area. The town also has a train station. All this is related to the adoration of the inhabitants towards Calyrex.
Frostpoint Field	Lomond Hills	Fife	Scotland	This location features rocky terrain, despite being called a field, and so might be an invocation of this regional park. Rounded hills and mounds here called 'paps' are volcanic in origin and breast shaped, and can be found amongst ruins dating back to the Iron Age.
Path to the Peak	Ben Nevis and Schiehallion	Grampian Mountains/Breadalbane	Scotland	The tallest mountain in Scotland and tallest of the British Isles. Schiehallion is a mountain that its close to the geographic center of Scotland and has suffered from erosion by mountaineers, this is reflected in the mountain's location in the tundra and the path to the Crown Shrine.
Crown Shrine	Edinburgh Castle	Edinburgh	Scotland	An immense medieval castle that was home to kings of Scotland in the past, which is referred to by Calyrex being once worshiped in the Crown Shrine.
Frigid Sea	Firth of Clyde		Scotland	The largest island in the Frigid Sea may be based on the Isle of Arran.
Three-Point Pass	Callanish Stones	Outer Hebrides	Scotland	A ring of standing stones near the coast of Scotland, according to legend, a being of light known as the shining one, appears on the summer solstice, this in reference to the Dragapult and the Electivire of the game.
Roaring-Sea Caves	Fingal's Cave	Staffa, Inner Hebrides	Scotland	A coastal cave famous for its basalt columns and the resonant acoustics inside.
Old Cemetery	Crosbie Castle and the Fullarton estate	Troon, South Ayrshire	Scotland
Giant's Bed	Croft Moraig Stone Circle	Perth and Kinross	Scotland	A stone circle that is a protected monument. The rocks of the Giant's bed had the same layout of the Croft stones.
Ballimere Lake and Dyna Tree Hill	Loch Lomond	Stirlingshire/Dunbartonshire	Scotland	The largest Loch in Scotland. The name literally means Lake of the Elms, which may be the inspiration for the Dynamax Tree resembling an elm.

Paldea

A comparison of Paldea to the Iberian Peninsula

Paldea is based on the Iberian Peninsula — which comprises Spain, Portugal, and Andorra — and its shared culture and fauna. It draws inspiration primarily from the culture of Spain, as can be seen in its gastronomy, musical influences, Pokémon nomenclature, as well as the sporadic use of the Spanish language by the locals of Paldea; however, specific references to Portugal, its architecture and language can also be found, mainly on western locations of Paldea.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Administrative division	Country	Notes
Cabo Poco	Algeciras/Gibraltar	Andalusia/Gibraltar	Spain/United Kingdom	The player's house is based on the province of Cadiz, probably in Algeciras as is the southern tip of Iberia. Geographically, Nemona's house is in a similar position to the British territory of Gibraltar. The Rock of Gibraltar may be the hill with the Great Ball south of Nemona's House.
Poco Path	Province of Cádiz	Andalusia	Spain	In the Spanish version, this path is known as Sendero de Cahíz, a reference to the city of Cádiz.
Inlet Grotto	Caves of Nerja/La Caleta	Andalusia	Spain	A system of grottoes and caves in the south of Spain. In the Spanish version, it is called Gruta Caleta in reference to La Caleta, a popular beach located also in the city of Cádiz.
Los Platos	Ciudad Real	Castilla–La Mancha	Spain	A small city near the center of Spain, being a commuter town for people who study and work in Toledo and Madrid. Also, the name of the town in french is Plato Real.
Mesagoza	Madrid/Toledo/Barcelona/Zaragoza/Lisbon	Community of Madrid/Castile–La Mancha/Catalonia/Aragón/Lisbon Region	Spain/Portugal	Geographically, it matches Toledo and Madrid - the former and current capitals of Spain. The gate bridges resemble the Puente de Alcántara over the Tagus river, which passes through both Toledo and Lisbon. The city walls are reminiscent of the Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza, referenced in the English name. Heavy inspiration is also drawn from Barcelona's Park Güell and its Trencadís mosaics. The central plaza is based on Plaza Mayor in Madrid and possibly Praça do Comércio with its yellow coloring and open layout, as well as the streets of Chiado. The rose of winds in the plaza might be based on the one in Plaça de Catalunya in Barcelona, while the one by the south stairway resembles the one in Lisbon. The cobbled streets and buildings to the north resemble Toledo's old town, while the southeastern quadrant is reminiscent of Lisbon's colorful architecture and street layouts [1][2]. The roof walkways might also be a reference to Rua do Carmo.
Naranja AcademyS/Uva AcademyV	Barcelona/Segovia/Salamanca/Coimbra	Catalonia/Castile and León/Central Region	Spain/Portugal	This location is based on several buildings. Its external architecture is inspired by the unfinished Sagrada Família church and the Hospital de Sant Pau in Barcelona. Its panopticon layout is based on the Carcél Modelo de Barcelona, while the arched bridges resemble the Aqueduct of Segovia. The Entrance Hall seems to be inspired by the Biblioteca Joanina, famous for housing bats that protect its books from insects. Similarly, Noibat can be found here at night. The stairway leading to the Academy might be inspired by the Escadas Monumentais, a long stairway leading to the University of Coimbra. The age of the Naranja/Uva Academy is a reference to the University of Salamanca being the oldest in Iberia, with the University of Coimbra being the second oldest - at over eight and seven centuries respectively.
Paldea League stadium	Santiago Bernabéu Stadium/Estádio da Luz	Madrid/Lisbon	Spain/Portugal
South Paldean Sea	Atlantic Ocean/Strait of Gibraltar/Alboran Sea	Exclusive Economic Zones of Spain/United Kingdom/Portugal	Spain/United Kingdom/Portugal	The Atlantic Ocean and the Alboran Sea, the westernmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, are the two bodies of water directly south of Iberia, connected through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Secluded Beach	Costa del Sol	Andalusia	Spain	In real life, it is a very popular holiday area in the south of Spain and recognizable for its holiday villas. This is the only beach in all of Paldea.
South Province (Area Five)	Murcia/Doñana National Park	Region of Murcia/Andalusia	Spain	This area appears to be based on the wetlands and lagoons around Murcia, as well as the beaches of Costa Cálida. The lagoons of Campotéjar, in particular, used to be a wastewater treatment plant, which could have inspired the Paldean Wooper's typing. Doñana constitutes the only tropical wetland in continental Europe, being a migration stop for flamingos and various warm climate animals, this explains why the dominant Pokémon in the area is Flamigo.
South Province (Area Three)	Tabernas Desert	Andalusia	Spain	A semi-arid desert with the characteristic landscapes of badlands, famous for being the recording location of several Western movies.
Artazon	Cartagena	Region of Murcia	Spain	Geographically, it matches Murcia and especially Cartagena, where a similar hedge maze can be found. The windmill resembles the ones from La Mancha, popularized by Don Quixote, such as those in Consuegra. Similar windmills can also be found on costal Murcia. Its Spanish name, Pueblo Altamía, references the Cave of Altamira, though the real location of the cave is in Cantabria.
Levincia	Valencia	Valencian Community	Spain	A Mediterranean coastal city, famous for the City of Arts and Sciences, a complex of museums and institutions with a futuristic appearance. The overall design of Levnicia also takes inspiration from other locations in the Valencian Community. The skyscrapers in Levincia resemble the coastal skyline of Benidorm, which is the pioneer city of modernist architecture in Spain and precedes the Cuatro Torres of Madrid. Its colorful houses might be a reference to the ones of Villajoyosa.
East Province (Area Three)	Monegros Desert	Aragon	Spain	Considered one of the most unique landscapes in Europe, even compared to Eurasian steppes. It is a place famous for its mining, its mountains and its festivals.
East Province (Area Two)	Ademuz	Valencian Community	Spain	Ademuz is part of a mountainous region filled with excavation sites, which may have likely served as the Area's primary inspiration.
East Paldean Sea	Mallorca/Menorca/Ibiza/Formentera	Balearic Islands	Spain	The islands to the east likely represent the Balearic Islands.
Zapapico	Cuenca/Setenil de las Bodegas	Castile–La Mancha/Andalusia	Spain	Zapapico being surrounded and built upon large plateaus is similar to Cuenca. Cuenca was also originally built as a defensive city during the medieval period, and the player obtains the armour necessary to evolve Charcadet in this town. Setenil de las Bodegas is a small town built near the mountains and is famous for its historical and architectural ensemble, which includes terraced houses built on rocky walls and with white stone facades.
Tagtree Thicket	Bosque de Oma	Basque Country	Spain	Also known as the "painted forest" or “Bosque Animado”.
Glaseado Mountain	Aneto	Aragon	Spain	The Aneto is the tallest mountain in the Pyrenees range. In the Spanish version, Glaseado is called Sierra Napada, which may reference the Sierra Nevada, a long mountainous chain in the south of Spain. Both the Aneto and the Sierra Nevada have snow-covered peaks.
Fury Falls	Salto de la Novia	Valencian Community	Spain	A waterfall about which the legends tell, that when the couples were going to get married, the brides had to jump the river at this point to show that their love for the couple was true, and if they succeeded, the marriage would be happy. But once, one of them didn't make it, and she was caught along with her boyfriend, who jumped to rescue her in a river eddy, where they both died. All this can be reflected in the presence of the Pokémon Chi-Yu.
Montenevera	Ezcaray/Trasmoz and Zugarramurdi	Euskadi/Navarre	Spain	La Rioja is famed for its many mountain ranges and valleys, which dot Montenevera and its surrounding area. Not only are the buildings in Montenevera a similar style to those found in Ezcaray, but Ezcaray’s largest tourist attraction is its ski resort. Trasmoz is known as the only excommunicated of Spain because the town was one of the few that protected the victims of witchcraft. Zugarramurdi It was one of the towns most famous for the witch trials in the Basque area and is currently famous for its caves where rallies were held and for its celebrations based on witches.
North Province (Area One)	Cantabrian Mountains/Picos de Europa	Cantabria/Asturias	Spain	The looming, spire-like peaks of the Picos are well represented with the spires in this area. It also coincides with the far northern regions of Spain and has a similar feel overall. In particular, the spire-like shape can be best seen in examples such as The Naranjo de Bulnes/Picu Urriellu, one of the most famous locations in all of Spain for mountain climbers.
North Province (Area Two)	Cantabrian Mountains/Cantabrian mixed forests	Cantabria/Asturias	Spain	The distinctive look of these mixed tree forests is a pretty close match to this area and its location and casts a similar image of thin, tall stands of trees. The bamboo and the overall Chinese aesthetic may also be a reference to Northern Spain having large bamboo farms https://bambubatu.com/seeking-bamboo-in-spain-venture-in-valencia/ which focus on the Chinese Phyllostachys edulis. It may also be a reference to the native grass, Arundo donax which bears great resemblance to bamboo and grows to quite a size - both benefit more from the relatively wetter climate of the north.
North Province (Area Three)	Santander/Gozón	Cantabria/Asturias	Spain	It coincides geographically with the regions of Cantabria and Asturias. The Faro de Lastres is a green lighthouse that can be found here, matching the color of the North Province lighthouse in Paldea.
North Paldean Sea	Enclaves in Northern Spain/Atlantic Islands of Galicia/Andorra	Navarre/Basque Country/Castille and León/Galicia/Andorra	Spain/Andorra	The eastern islands might be a reference to the many enclaves within the autonomous communities of Navarre, the Basque Country and Castille and León, as well as Llívia. The largest island also has a similar shape to the microstate of Andorra. The western islands could be a reference to the Atlantic Islands of Galicia.
Ruchbah Squad's Base	Marismas de Santoña	Cantabria	Spain	A series of marshes and swamps in Cantabria.
Casseroya Lake	Sanabria Lake	Castile and León	Spain	The largest freshwater lake in the Iberian peninsula, the lake is an important source of seafood for the nearby towns, that explains the name of the lake and the population of Tatsugiri's in the lake.
Colonnade Hollow	Ciudad Encantada	Castilla–La Mancha	Spain	A park and ecological zone, famous for its strangely shaped rock formations and which has been featured in several movies. The rock formation of Paldea may be based on the formation known as "El convento".
Socarrat Trail	Monte Aloia Natural Park	Galicia	Spain	The oldest Natural Park in Galicia, popular for its hiking trails, with similar landscapes and vegetation, as can be seen here. It might also be inspired by the Fragas do Eume, a closer geographic match.
Medali	Valladolid/Mérida	Castile and León/Extremadura	Spain	It is based on Valladolid, matching its location and architecture, and Mérida, with its Roman theatre and white and yellow buildings.
Cascarrafa	Almendra Dam, Salamanca/Porto Covo	Castile and León/Alentejo	Spain/Portugal	The location of this city and its towering walls seem to be a reference to the Almendra Dam in Salamanca. Its blue and white houses seem to be inspired by Portuguese southern towns, such as Porto Covo. The floor patterns are inspired by the traditional Portuguese pavement style. The oasis theme might also be a reference to the Alqueva Dam, which provides water to the drier southern Alentejo.
Asado Desert	Cresmina Dune	Lisbon Region	Portugal	The most extensive coastal sand dune system in Portugal, where a cliff can be seen to the North. The circle of rocks where the Quaking Earth Titan is found might have been inspired by the Almendres Cromlech, the largest existing group of structured menhirs in the Iberian Peninsula.
Porto Marinada	Costa Nova do Prado/Nazaré	Central Region	Portugal	The main inspiration is the coastal town of Costa Nova, as seen in its typical striped houses and the market's facade. The layout of the town also matches Nazaré, with the lighthouse on a cliff and a beach to the north. Ponta do Sol in Madeira Island is also similar. The lighthouse might be inspired by the Lighthouse of Praia da Barra. The market's interior resembles the Mercado da Ribeira in Lisbon.
West Paldean Sea	Azores/Berlengas	Azores/Central Region	Portugal	The larger archipelago might represent the Azores, being similar in scale and located at the same latitude. The smaller one matches the location of the Berlengas, off the coast of Peniche.
Segin Squad's Base	Manteigas	Central Region	Portugal	The location matches the Zêzere Glacial Valley, the most representative of its kind in Serra da Estrela.
West Province (Area One)	Serra da Arrábida/Serra de Aire/Consuegra	Lisbon Region/Central Region/Castille-La Mancha	Portugal/Spain	This area appears to be a mix of Serra da Arrábida with its coastal mountains and low vegetation and Serra de Aire with its traditional windmills next to modern wind farms. The windmills might also be inspired by such as those in Consuegra.
Alfornada Cavern	Benagil Cave	Algarve	Portugal	One of the main landmarks of Algarve. It is also likely inspired by the Moinhos Velhos Cave ("Old Windmills Cave") in Serra de Aire, referencing its proximity to the windmills of West Province (Area One).
Alfornada	Sagres/Seville	Algarve/Andalusia	Portugal/Spain	The city's theme is inspired by the Moorish influence in southern Iberia. Its location matches the Sagres Point, with many Algarve references such as its architecture, historical chimneys, decorative dishes on walls and the square panels of Algarve Shopping. There's also an Armillary Sphere, possibly related to the Sagres school or the one in Albufeira. The ovens are based on Seville's ceramic ovens.
South Province (Area Six)	Sagres Point/Praia da Marinha/Roman Ruins of Milreu	Algarve	Portugal	This area's semi-arid plateau reflects that of the Sagres Point. The path leading to Alfornada is inspired by the cliffs, arches and caves of the western Algarve coast. The ruins match the Roman ruins of Milreu, near Faro.
South Province (Area Two)	Province of Cáceres/Badajoz/Alentejo	Extremadura/Alentejo	Spain/Portugal	These adjacent regions are characterized by hilly landscapes of dry grass and olive groves.
Cortondo	Eurociudad Badajoz-Elvas-Campo Maior/Redondo	Extremadura/Alentejo	Spain/Portugal	The Japanese and English names seem to reference Redondo, while the town itself could be based on EuroBEC, a union of the cities of Badajoz, the largest in this region, Elvas, with its prominent yellow walls and surrounding olive groves, and Campo Maior, with its "Festas do Povo" paper decorations resembling the ones under the Gym arena. The large tree holding it might be a reference to Plátano do Rossio, the largest treetop in Iberia, in the center of Portalegre.
Great Crater of Paldea	Sierra de Guadarrama	Community of Madrid/Castile and León	Spain	The Sierra de Guadarrama is the highest mountain system in central Spain. Since ancient times, it has been called "The Seven Peaks of the Dragon", which could be the inspiration for the Paradox Pokémon.
Area Zero	Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park	Aragon	Spain	The landscapes of Ordesa Valley are reminiscent of Area Zero, with its waterfalls and steep cliffs reaching above the clouds.

Kitakami

The land of Kitakami is inspired by the northeastern region of Japan, the Tōhoku region (東北地方 Tōhoku Chihō, meaning "North East"); particularly Iwate, Akita, and Aomori, the three northernmost prefectures on Honshū. Much like the real-world location, the land of Kitakami itself is well known for its countryside atmosphere as well as its mountains and rice paddles.

The name "Kitakami" may be derived from the real-world river, mountain rage, or city in Iwate. Despite this, the terrain of the explorable areas of Kitakami in The Teal Mask is more similar to that of Towada-Hachimantai National Park and neighbouring areas on the borders of the three prefectures.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Mossui Town	盛岡市	Morioka	岩手県	Iwate	Morioka is the capital and largest city of Iwate Prefecture. It is located at the confluence of the Kitakami River and its two tributaries, the Nakatsu and the Shizukuishi. It is usually considered the gateway to the Hachimantai mountain range that crosses the border of Iwate and Akita.

Real-world locations mentioned

Mewtwo overlooking a "faraway city" at the end of Mewtwo Returns

Chinese noodles

• Prior to Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Lt. Surge was known as "The Lightning American!". In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Pokémon Journal entries state that he "is rumored to have been a pilot while home in America."
• Game Freak's offices are present in the Celadon Condominiums, the equivalent location of their former real-world office in Carrot Tower. Likewise, they have a building in Castelia City, and are found on 22F, the same floor that their former offices were on in Carrot Tower.
• In the Generation I games and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Scientist Taylor in the Silph Co. building mentions an international branch of Silph Co. In English, he states that the Tiksi branch of the company is "in Russian no-man's-land". In the Japanese version, he states that the Ponaya Tunguska (Japanese: ポナヤツングスカ) branch is located "deep in Russia". Ponaya Tunguska appears to be a shortened form of the transliterated name of Podkamennaya Tunguska in Japanese (ポドカメンナヤツングースカ).
• Mew was originally discovered in the jungles of the South American country Guyana. This is mentioned in logs inside of Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Mansion.
• In Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, Webster, the guard in the gate north of Goldenrod City, will give the player a Spearow holding mail to deliver. The Spearow is nicknamed Kenya, the name of a country in Africa.
• In the original Japanese version of FireRed and LeafGreen, Blaine refers to Kyoto.
• Upon defeating Fisherman Bronson in the Sinnoh Battle Tower, he will say, "Why the emperor of fishing? It's an ancient Chinese legend...".
• A Guitarist that can be battled in Generation IV's Battle Frontier mentions that his guitar is actually a Japanese instrument.
• Among the exhibits of the Nacrene museum, there is an African mask, referring to a place in the real world, in addition to being different from other exhibitions, which are related to the history of the Pokémon.
• Articuno, Beartic, Arctozolt, and Arctovish's names are derived from a real-world location, the Arctic.
• Arcanine's Pokémon Yellow, Stadium, Gold, FireRed, and HeartGold Pokédex entries state that it is mentioned in Chinese legends.
• Parasect's Stadium and FireRed Pokédex entries mention that its spores are used in medicine in China.
• Ponyta's Stadium Pokédex entry mentions that it can clear the Eiffel Tower (Tokyo Tower in the original Japanese version) in one leap, and its FireRed entry says that it can clear Ayers Rock in one leap.
• Poliwrath's Gold, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, Black, White, Black 2, White 2 and X Pokédex entries mention its ability to swim the Pacific Ocean. Also, the direction of a Poliwrath's spirals depends on its geographical location. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it instead refers to "the ocean".
• Xatu's Silver, FireRed, and SoulSilver Pokédex entries mention that South Americans say that it can see both the future and past.
• Delibird's Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald Pokédex entries explain that a Delibird helped a famous explorer reach the top of Mt. Everest. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it instead refers to "world's highest mountain," which is what Mt. Everest is to Earth.
• Regice's Emerald Pokédex entry mentions Antarctic ice.
• Galarian Meowth are implied to have been raised by Vikings in ancient times, and share many similarities with them.

Real-world people and cultures mentioned

• Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are explicitly named after martial artists Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, respectively. In other languages where their names are different, those names are likewise derived from real people.
• Snorlax's design and Japanese name Kabigon are derived from Game Freak programmer Kōji Nishino and his nickname of "Kirby" (Japanese: カービィ Kābī), which in turn is derived from the video game character of the same name. This is referenced in Black 2 and White 2, in which Nishino appears as a battleable NPC and his highest-leveled Pokémon is Snorlax.
• The core series games have featured staff members of Game Freak that typically reward the player for completing the National Pokédex, or occasionally through alternative methods. Shigeki Morimoto can be battled in the Generation V, VII, and VIII games; in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, he is fought in a Double Battle that also features director Kazumasa Iwao.
• NPCs in the core series games are regularly named after real-world people.
  • In the Generation IV Battle Frontier, one of the potential NPC opponents is Guitarist Iggy, a reference to Iggy Pop.
  • Johto Route 35, Connecting Cave, Hau'oli Cemetery, and Viridian Forest (in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!) each contain a Trainer whose Japanese name is Ikue (in the latter two cases, this name was preserved in other languages as well) and who uses a Pikachu. Ikue Ohtani is the voice actress for Ash's Pikachu.
  • Alola Route 5 contains a Double Battle against trainers named Isa and Nico, named in honor of the daughters of Eric Medalle, a Pokémon creative director who was killed in an accident during the time Pokémon Sun and Moon were in development.
  • In Pokémon Sword and Shield, an Artist NPC named Kapoor can trade with the player, a reference to British artist Anish Kapoor.
  • In Pokémon Crystal, several Trainers in the Battle Tower are references to people involved in the creation of the game.
    • Guitarist Masuda is a reference to Junichi Masuda, Crystal's music director.
    • Bug Catcher Tajiri is a reference to Pokémon's creator, Satoshi Tajiri, and his childhood fixation with bug catching.
    • Scientist Mori is a reference to Akito Mori, who is listed under "special thanks" in Crystal.
    • Teacher Kawakami is a reference to Naoko Kawakami, who is listed under "special thanks" in Crystal.
• In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, a Team Rocket Grunt mentions the hula dance to a Kimono Girl while in the Kimono Dance Theater.
• In Pokémon Black and White, six of the Seven Sages quote proverbs from several Chinese philosophers.
  • Zinzolin quotes a proverb from Mencius and a line from Tao Te Ching at N's Castle.
  • Gorm quotes a proverb from Sun Tzu's The Art of War in Pinwheel Forest, and a line from both The Analects and Huainanzi at N's Castle.
  • Bronius quotes another line from Tao Te Ching at N's Castle.
  • Giallo quotes another line from Mencius at N's Castle.
  • In the Japanese version, Ryoku quotes a line from Zhuangzi at N's Castle. In both versions, he also quotes a proverb by Song Dynasty philosopher Hu Yin at N's Castle.
  • Rood quotes another proverb from the Analects and made a reference to a Chinese idiom at N's Castle.
• In Black, White, Black 2, and White 2, the woman in Mistralton City who normally gives a Heart Scale in exchange for ten Sweet Hearts will trade a Heart Scale for only five Sweet Hearts on Valentine's Day and White Day.
• Archeops's name is possibly derived from Cheops, the Greek name for Egyptian pharaoh Khufu.

Other references to the real world

• In all of the core series games and some side series games, there is a Nintendo gaming console in the player's bedroom. This is a reference to the real-world gaming company that owns the franchise.
• An old man at the Pewter Museum of Science says that the first manned flight to the moon was in 1969, same as in the real world.
• Raichu and Gastly's FireRed Pokédex entries mention both Pokémon being able to easily knock out an Indian Elephant, an actual animal. However, in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Raichu's entry instead mentions Copperajah.
• The Arceus event that takes place in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver includes real life pictures in the game.
• Porygon's Sun, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Pokédex entries mentions it was created "20 years ago", referencing the release of Pocket Monsters Red and Green.
• Multiple references to the geographical relations between the real world locations the in-game regions are based on have been made throughout the games; for example, a Swimmer on Galar Route 9 says people have successfully swum between Kalos and Galar.

In the side series games

Comparison of Orre in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness to Arizona and northwestern Mexico, rotated 90 degrees clockwise

Orre

Orre is based on Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Many areas in Orre bear similarities to other locations in Arizona and northern Mexico as well, though it's not confirmed if these are intentional references.

Pokémon world	Specific location	State	Notes
Phenac City	Phoenix	Arizona	Both cities were founded when a man brought water to the city and have similar names.
Pyrite Town	Aguila/Wickenburg/Sonoyta	Arizona/Sonora	Likely inspired by local smuggling routes and former mining towns such as Aguila and Wickenburg, or Sonoyta, Sonora, commonly used to illegally cross the border.
Agate Village	Flagstaff	Arizona	Agate Village is a mountainous, forested town, much like Flagstaff, which is located in the mountains north of Phoenix and has some prominent alpine forests due to its higher elevation.
Gateon Port	Lake Havasu City/San Felipe	Arizona/Baja California	Lake Havasu City and Gateon Port are towns located beside large bodies of water near Phoenix and Phenac, and are home to lighthouses and unusual bridges. Could also be based on San Felipe, Baja California, another coastal port town with square docks, which matches Gateon Port's location geographically, assuming Orre in Pokémon XD is equivalent to the area around the Gulf of California rotated 90 degrees clockwise (seen in the picture to the right).
Mt. Battle	San Francisco volcanic field	Arizona	An area of dormant volcanoes in Arizona, located near Flagstaff. May be specifically based on Humphreys Peak, the highest peak of the range, or any of the nearby cinder cones in the area.
Outskirt Stand	Black Canyon City, Arizona	Arizona	A small town north of Phoenix that was once a popular stop along the railway from Phoenix to Prescott. The home of two of its first inhabitants still stands, as a historical site, that bear a passing resemblance to the rubble behind the traincar.
Citadark Isle	Isla Ángel de la Guarda/Isla San Luis	Baja California	Isla San Luis could be the primary inspiration for the design of the island, including the large volcanic center. Isla Ángel de la Guarda is home to unique species of snake and mouse, as well as a diverse range of other animal life, which may have inspired the amount of Shadow Pokémon encountered on the island.

In the spin-off games

Comparison of Fiore to Okayama and Hyōgo Prefectures, and Shōdo Island

The map of Japan showing the speculative locations of the spin-off Japanese Pokémon regions.

The map of the Americas showing the speculative locations of the spin-off and side series American Pokémon regions.

Pokémon Ranger series

Fiore

Fiore appears to be based on Okayama and Hyōgo Prefectures, as well as Shōdo Island in Kagawa Prefecture, in Japan.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Notes
Ringtown	Kurashiki	Okayama Prefecture	Both have a nearby river on the west, forests on the opposite side, and are close to the coast. Unlike Kurashiki, however, Ringtown doesn't have a port and the river doesn't traverse the settlement.
Summerland	Fukuda Port, Shōdoshima, Shōdo Island	Kagawa Prefecture	In-game, a tourist references how the S.S. Fiore ferries to Summerland. Similarly, there is a ferry route connecting Fukuda to Himeji. A resort in Summerland is also referenced, and present in Fukuda.
Fall City	Himeji	Hyōgo Prefecture	A port city lying east from Kurashiki. Similarly to Fall City, it has water streams running through.
Wintown	Mimasaka	Okayama Prefecture
Fiore Temple	Himeji Castle	Hyōgo Prefecture	The best known of the Japanese castles
Olive Jungle	Shōdo Island	Kagawa Prefecture	A popular tourist destination, this island saw the first successful olive cultivation in Japan, hence its nickname Olive Island.
Lyra Forest	Forest areas neighboring Asakuchi	Okayama Prefecture
Sekra Range	Mount Hyōno/Hiruzen	Okayama Prefecture
Kisara Plain	Yoshiokakawakita Park, possibly also other parks.	Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture
Kalakka Desert (Unused)	Tottori Sand Dunes	Tottori Prefecture	Vast desert dunes in the north of Kurashiki and Okayama that make up the only desert badland in Japan.

Almia

Comparison of Almia to Oshima and northern Honshu

Almia appears to be based on Oshima and Hiyama Subprefectures within the Oshima Peninsula in Hokkaido and the very northern part of Honshu in Japan.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture (subprefecture)		Notes
Chicole Village	松前町	Matsumae	北海道（渡島総合振興局）	Hokkaido (Oshima)
Vientown	江差町	Esashi	北海道（檜山振興局）	Hokkaido (Hiyama)
Vien Forest	函館山	Mount Hakodate	北海道（渡島総合振興局）	Hokkaido (Oshima)	Mount Hakodate attracts tourists for its view of Hakodate.
Pueltown	函館市	Hakodate	北海道（渡島総合振興局）	Hokkaido (Oshima)	Hakodate and Pueltown are both port cities.
Altru Park	五稜郭公園	Goryōkaku Park	北海道（渡島総合振興局）	Hokkaido (Oshima)	The Goryōkaku Tower overlooks Goryōkaku Park.
Altru Building Altru Tower	五稜郭タワー	Goryōkaku Tower	北海道（渡島総合振興局）	Hokkaido (Oshima)	The observation tower, which overlooks Goryōkaku Park, was rebuilt from 2004 to 2006.
Boyleland	むつ市	Mutsu	青森県	Aomori
Boyleland Volcano	恐山	Mount Osore	青森県	Aomori
Shiver Camp	ニセコ町	Niseko	北海道（後志総合振興局）	Hokkaido (Shiribeshi)	Niseko is home to multiple ski resorts.
Haruba Village	青森市	Aomori	青森県	Aomori	The Port of Aomori operates ferries to Hakodate.
Capture Arena	渡島大島	Ōshima	北海道（渡島総合振興局）	Hokkaido (Oshima)	The uninhabited island is also a nature preserve.

Oblivia

Comparison of Oblivia to the Oki Islands

Oblivia may be based on the Oki Islands in Shimane Prefecture.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Prefecture		Notes
Dolce Island	Kamijima Island	神島	Shimane Prefecture	島根県
Renbow Island	Chiburijima	知夫里島	Shimane Prefecture	島根県
Cocona Village	Chibu Village	知夫村	Shimane Prefecture	島根県
Mitonga Island	Nakanoshima	中ノ島	Shimane Prefecture	島根県
Faldera Island	Matsushima Island	松島	Shimane Prefecture	島根県
Sophian Island	Dōgojima	島後	Shimane Prefecture	島根県	It is the largest island of the Oki archipelago and the one that contains the capital of the islands.
Aqua Resort	Okinoshima City	隠岐の島町	Shimane Prefecture	島根県	Both are the largest and most populated cities of their islands. Both are port cities.
Mt. Sorbet	Mt. Daimanji	大満寺山	Shimane Prefecture	島根県	Both are the tallest mountains in the islands.
Tilikule Island	Takeshima	竹島	Shimane Prefecture	島根県

New Pokémon Snap

Lental

Lental may be based on the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. The Galápagos Islands have a notable variety of endemic species and have been historically important to ecological research, due to the different island's distinct environment and wildlife, most famously in the Second voyage of HMS Beagle. Lental's islands seem to exaggerate this distinctiveness, presenting several very distinct environments in just a small selection of islands.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Notes
Florio Island	Floreana Island	Name sounds evocatively similar, and its shape is not unlike the real island.
Belusylva Island	Isabela Island	A similar case of being reminiscent of the real island's shape and name.
Maricopia Islands	Santa Cruz Island (Galápagos)	This bay has a preserved beach, notable for its abundance of aquatic life.
Voluca Island	Santiago Island	Similar to what appears in the map art for Voluca, this island contains two overlapping volcanoes.
Durice Island	San Cristóbal Island	Contains the freshwater lake El Junco. It is made up of several extinct volcanoes.
Aurus Island	Española Island	One of the smaller islands, the most southerly, and is thought one of the oldest geographically.

Pokkén Tournament

Ferrum

Comparison of Iriomote Island to the Ferrum region

Ferrum may be based on Iriomote Island, the largest of the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It seems to have had some of its islands brought closer into the mainland, and also submerged and merged parts of the geography. Alternatively, it may also be derived from Sardinia as some of the landscape and architecture have similar features.

Pokémon world	Specific location	Notes
Old Ferrum Town	Nuxis
Techne City	Cagliari
Tellur Town	Dolianova
Ferrum Stadium	Pineta di Musei
Selen Island	San Pietro Island
Neos City	Teulada
Haunted House	Villaggio Minerario Asproni	An old mining village outside the city of Iglesias, now an open-air museum.
Thalia Beach	Cavoli Island

In the TCG

The TCG is home to a few specific regions, which are more loosely based than the game regions seem to be, opting instead to provide an overall impression of a real world region. Nonetheless, their motifs and inspirations still seem somewhat coherent to real world geography, and like the games, use artistic licence to produce art for the sets that provides an overall story to the visuals.

Puzzle Continent

A map of the continent - showing the landscape from the bottom penninsula, pointing north

The e-card sets, such as Aquapolis and Skyridge are constituted of four Japanese sets which included promotional material revealing the Puzzle Continent as their setting. Judging by the overall appearance and several other factors, such as geographical features and certain relics and motifs, the continent could be said to be an amalgamated South America, which has either been condensed and rearranged, or not represented to scale on the map. Much of the continent seems to be centred around the Andean States, as the map points north from what looks to be a small peninsula, potentially based on the Tierra del Fuego. Material released on the topic does claim that the map is a work of imagination on the part of its creator.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Notes
The Town on No Map (TCG)	Buenos Aires	Argentina	Aside from the coastline being similar for both, the Art Deco clock tower and surrounding buildings, seen in some concept art as well as on many cards such as Growlithe (Aquapolis 80) and both Umbreon (Aquapolis 41) and Umbreon (Aquapolis H29) resemble the Torre Monumental clock tower in Buenos Aires. The red double-decker bus seen in that last card could also allude to the cities use of such buses, and the numerous canals could be a reference to Tigre, Buenos Aires, just outside the main city, or the Puerto Madero waterfront area. The power plant, which seems to be relatively close to the town's port might be an allusion to the Dr. Carlos Givogri power plant, found likewise inside the Port of Buenos Aires. Furthermore, the lighthouse from the set somewhat resembles the one on top of The Yacht Club Argentino, in Puerto Madero, but might also be loosely based on Palacio Barolo.
Undersea Ruins (Aquapolis 138)	Tulum	Mexico	The ruins are the only truly coastal Pre-Columbian ruins, and similarly to the location on the Puzzle Continent, situated on a peninsula, namely the Yucatán peninsula, which is at the top end of the real world continent. Therefore, the strongest candidate for inspiration of a real place for these ruins is probably this site; however, due to the ancient Greek style of architecture and unmatching geographical location, it could also be a nod towards theories of Atlantis being located near South America.
Giant Tree Flaaffy (Aquapolis 47)	Los Alerces National Park	Argentina	This park could be one of a number of possible inspirations. It is known for its enormous Fitzroya trees, one of which, known as Alerzal Milenario, is 57 metres (187 ft) tall, 2.2 metres (7.2 ft) in diameter, and 2,600 years old. The park is also close to the border of Chile, and the La union region, where other such massive specimens live such as El Gran Abuelo, which has an 11 m (36 ft) wide tree trunk.
Apricorn Forest (Aquapolis 118)	Bosque Andino Patagónico	Argentina	This forest full of Apricorns might be an allusion to the patagonian andean forests, based on its geography. These forests are very dominated by tree growth, and include many fruiting trees, particularly berries such as the Berberis microphylla, Aristotelia chilensis Gevuina and many more.
Crop Circles Exeggcute (Aquapolis 77)	Moray (Inca ruin)	Peru	Whilst not strictly speaking a crop circle, the Incan ruins of Moray does closely resemble the shape shown on the cards. The concentric circles were used for farming purposes, as terraced crops would be irrigated and lower crops would be out of the sunlight. Alternatively, it could be based on geoglyphs found in after deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest which are circular.
Geoglyph Ho-Oh (Skyridge 149)	Nazca Lines	Peru	These geoglyphs are the most obvious reference to a real location, and indicate this area of the continent takes inspiration from Peru. The particular reference to Ho-Oh and appearance of the geoglyph is actually a very close match to a particular formation, known as 'The Condor'.
Split Earth Pineco (Skyridge 85)	Colca Canyon	Peru	An enormous canyon in Peru, this incredibly deep formation brings to mind a tremendous split in the earth. It is 43 miles long, and is up to 2000 m (6600 ft) deep at its deepest points. The massive crack in the earth featured in this set is located at the bottom and travels down a huge canyon, which might have been an expression of the vastness of this real world canyon.
Underground Lake (Skyridge 141)	Sima Pumacocha	Peru	Underneath the great split, there is said to be an underground lake where fossil Pokémon still live. Not long before the set released, this cave, not too far from the Colca Canyon, was thought to be the world's deepest, at places reaching 638 m (2093 ft) deep. It contains an underground stream and many Ammonites were found in its various tunnels.
Crater Village Meowth (Skyridge 78)	Huacachina	Peru	A very convincing inspiration for the crater village in the set - based around an oasis in an area close to the Nazca lines. Even the simple buildings with a white square appearance are reminiscent of the real village, and the sand dune around the real location mirrors that crater of the set's village.
Stone Circle Kadabra (Skyridge 69)	Sillustani	Peru	One of the few stone circles found in South America, these jagged rocks in a circle match well with the rectangular shaped menhir on the card art. This shape was significant in determining their pre-Incan origins, as the Qulla people used rectangular edges whilst Inca tended not to. The stone circles were actually the foundations of a tower-like tomb called a chullpa.
Cave Art Ditto (Skyridge 51)	Toquepala Caves	Peru	These small caves resemble quite closely the art on the card art, even down to the caves in the card art showing the cave paintings close by the entrance; the real life caves are only around 5 m (16 ft) deep.
Geysers Machoke (Skyridge 38)	Puyehue-Cordón Caulle	Chile	This area is an active volcanic area, that features many geyser-like Fumeroles and several boiling hot springs, which experienced an eruption in 2012 (long after the set was released). In particular, a landscape that looks particularly similar to this one appears in the card Staryu (Skyridge 103). These geysers might instead be based on El Tatio, which are more correctly actual Geysers, but this doesn't relate much to their apparent geographical location on the map.
Caldera Lake Diglett (Skyridge 50)	Todos los Santos Lake	Chile	A similar landscape to the card art, this lake is the result of the nearby volcanic activity from nearby Osorno and Calbuco, similarly to which the set's promotional material claims the water landscapes from this set are all derived from volcanic activity.
Waterfall Magikarp (Skyridge 75)	Petrohué Waterfalls	Chile	This waterfall is part of a rapid river, claimed by promotional material to be volcanic in origin. If so, then this waterfall and rapids may be a depiction of the Petrohué river and waterfall. The river originates from the Todos los Santos Lake - and both are volcanic in nature, and this may match up to how the caldera lake might flow into the waterfall in the card art. The river contains andesite, a volcanic rock, and like the river in the card art, has a fast flow - torrents can become quite dangerous in the rainy season.
Mysterious Mountain	Torres del Paine National Park	Chile	Three striking granite peaks jut out, known as Torres d'Agostini, Torres Central and Torres Monzino. These closely resemble the mountains used in the set - though the set is not always consistent in how they are depicted. The promotional art tends to emphasise the spire-like formation that seems to match the Torres del Paine. In addition, the several lakes, shown on the map below the peaks, is probably a reference to the similarly located lakes in the park, such as Grey Lake, Lake Pehoé, Nordenskjöld Lake, and Sarmiento Lake. These lakes are glacial, some with small Icebergs floating in them - which further matches the promotional art.
Ancient Ruins (Skyridge 119)	Machu Picchu	Peru	The temple shown in the art for Moltres (Skyridge H20) has a stone dial shaped layout that is remincient of the Intihuatana, Urubamba, a sacred stone that may have been by the Inca as an Astronomic clock, calendar or sundial. An enigmatic site, it is associated with the Incan god of the sun, Inti which may be the inspiration for the veneration the temple has for the legendary birds.
Mystery Zone (Skyridge 137)	Diquís Spheres	Costa Rica	The 'Finca 6' site hosts these mysterious Petrospheres and has a layout closely matching the art for this card - even the sunken spheres are present. The spheres themselves, Miracle Sphere α (Skyridge 129), Miracle Sphere β (Skyridge 130) and Miracle Sphere γ (Skyridge 131) have their Japanese attack text reference Moltres, Articuno and Zapdos respectively, further pointing to these Pokémon's significance in this region.

Holon

The Delta Species based sets surrounding areas might be based in South East Asia, perhaps specifically the Philippines, as some of the motifs, backgrounds and aesthetics seem to indicate this as an inspiration. Whilst certain regions can be seen as likely allusions to real places, trying to identify specific locations is less clear cut.

Pokémon world	Specific location		Notes
Holon	Lake Holon	T'boli, South Cotabato	Similar geography; mountains surrounding a deep lake, and the card Latias δ (EX Holon Phantoms 11) even seems to show a fairly close match for the lake's shoreline and general appearance. The real lake inspires myths and legends that include a submerged advanced ancient civilisation and a great serpent beneath the depths, which might go some way to explain the Holon research tower and Gyarados ☆ δ (EX Holon Phantoms 102).
Crystal Guardians	Palawan	Philippines	Might be based on the general region of the island Palawan, the Philippine's biggest habitat of mangroves, which are featured in cards such as Gulpin (EX Crystal Guardians 33) along with sandy beaches with lush forested islets such as those found on Crystal Beach (EX Crystal Guardians 75).
Dragon Frontiers	Luzon	Philippines	With its sky island seen on cards such as Typhlosion δ (EX Dragon Frontiers 12), may be inspired by the effect the sea of clouds has on Mount Pulag in the mountainous region of Benguet, making the peak appear to be floating above the sky. The desert scenery in the set featured on cards such as Mareep δ (EX Dragon Frontiers 54) might be evocative of the desert areas of La Paz Sand Dunes, found in the region of Laoag, meaning Dragon Frontiers could be located generally on the island of Luzon.

Real-world locations mentioned

• In the TCG Secret Mission (Gym Heroes 118) card, the map in the background shows German occupied Poland during World War II: Warsaw is located right above Raichu's right ear, Białystok and Brest-Litowsk behind Lt. Surge, and the Silesian Border between Andreashütte and Festenberg right below Raichu's binoculars. The rivers Weichsel, Narew and Bug are also depicted.
• In the TCG Lucky Stadium (Neo Destiny 100) card, there is a promotional New York City print with a Pichu and a Pikachu flying on a Charizard in New York City, with the Empire State Building visible in the background.

In the anime

Landscapes

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Missing notes

While the above locations are meant to correspond to the different regions around the real-life world, great liberties were taken with the design of their landscapes. Some of the designers have admitted to drawing inspiration from real-world locations outside their stated real-world counterparts, especially with locations depicted in Pokémon movies.

Pokémon world		Inspiration		Notes
	Porta Vista	Acapulco	Guerrero, Mexico
	Neon Town	Las Vegas	Nevada, United States
	Hollywood	Hollywood, Los Angeles	California, United States
	Pummelo Island	Oban	Argyll and Bute, Scotland	Both are resort towns in an island, the houses of Pummelo had the same English architecture of Oban. The Pummelo Stadium is modeled after the McCaig's Tower, a folly colosseum in a hill of the city.
	Big Town	Boston	Massachusetts, United States
	Whitestone	Ostuni	Apulia, Italy	The white façade of Whitestone's buildings is reminiscent of the medieval town of Ostuni. Domed buildings in the background draw inspiration from Byzantine architecture, and flat-roofed structures mirror those of the city's real-world counterpart.
	Devon Corporation	Toronto City Hall	Ontario, Canada	In the anime, the Devon Corporation largely resembles the Toronto City Hall, the seats of the Toronto Municipal Government.
	Sootopolis City	Santorini	Greece	Like its name suggests, Sootopolis City was created in the wake of a volcanic eruption (per Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald). Similarly, Santorini, Greece, was formed as a result of the Minoan eruption, which left a large caldera that filled with water and became the current bay in the center of the island of Santorini (Thera). Both cities boast landscapes dotted with vivid blue domed roofs.
	Solaceon Ruins	Ziggurat of Ur	Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq
	Area 28	Area 51	Nevada, United States
	Odyssey Village	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France
	Kalos Canyon	Grand Canyon	Arizona, United States
	Fleurrh City showcase theater	Metz and the Pompidou	Grand Est, France	The modernist and undulating design of the theater could be based on that of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, which also operates as a theater and show room.
	Anistar Gym	Fusion between the Observatory of Strasbourg and the Strasbourg Mosque	Strasbourg, France
	Gloire City	Menthon-Saint-Bernard	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France	A coastal city located on Lake Annecy, famous for its medieval Château perched above on a 660-foot-tall rock.
	Eclipse Castle	Hikone Castle	Shiga Prefecture, Japan
	Mega Island	Grand Bé and Petit Bé	Brittany, France	The first island is located on the outskirts of Saint-Malo but not as far out to sea as in the anime, Petit Bé houses a fort from the year 1667, which may inspire the structures of the Mega Island.
Tetsuron Town	Tetsuron Town	Hamilton	Ontario, Canada	Like Tetsuron Town which is an industrial town that sells industrial and contruction products, industrial plants in Hamilton also produces parts like for automotive, construction, infrastructure, agriculture, appliance, manufacturing and pipe and tube industries.

In the movies

Movie	Pokémon world		Inspiration		Notes
Movie 5		Alto Mare	Venice	Italy	Venice's canals were likely an inspiration for the canals of Alto Mare.
Movie 6		Forina	Wulingyuan	Hunan, China	Wulingyuan is famed for its karst formation of quartzite sandstone pillars. Along with its ravines and gorges, the site also features a lush forest, several caves, natural bridges, and waterfalls.
Movie 7		LaRousse City	Vancouver	British Columbia, Canada	Vancouver is the city with the best quality of life in Canada and like the movie, it is a very ecological city with many scientific facilities.
Movie 8		Cameran Palace	Neuschwanstein Castle	Bavaria, Germany
Movie 9		Samiya	Atlantis
Movie 10		Alamos Town	Barcelona	Catalonia, Spain	The Space-Time Towers are based on the uncompleted church of Sagrada Familia.
Movie 11		Ten'i Village	Geiranger	Sunnmøre, Norway	A village that was nearly destroyed by a glacier. It is based on a town in Norway, which is threatened by the possibility of the mountain Åkerneset eroding into the fjord, causing a landslide-induced tsunami.
Movie 12		Michina Town	Meteora	Thessaly, Greece	Its landscape, which is filled with towering rock formations, resembles Meteora. Also, the architecture of the temples resembles that of ancient Greek temples.
Movie 13		Crown City	Amsterdam	The Netherlands	Its modern buildings are based on the many new buildings in parts of Amsterdam, and the Pokémon Baccer stadium is based on the Arena, the city's local football stadium.
Movie 14		Eindoak Town	Gourdon, Tourrettes-sur-Loup and Mont Saint-Michel	France
Movie 15		Roshan City	Shinjuku, Shinagawa, and Tennouzu Isle	Tokyo, Japan	The Roshan tower is inspired by the Tokyo Skytree.
Movie 16		New Tork City	New York City	New York, United States	A giant sprawling city with many skyscrapers, a large park in the middle of the city resembling Central Park, and a similar name. New Tork City as seen from above also resembles New York City's shape.
Movie 17		Avignon Town	Avignon and Quebec City	France and Canada	A city in the south of France. The castle of Avignon Town, however, is based on the Château Frontenac, a large hotel that overlooks Quebec City much like Avignon Town's castle overlooks the town.
Movie 17		Orsay City	Toronto	Ontario, Canada	A city in southern Ontario famous for its port and city skylines. Like Toronto, Orsay City has a large port as well. The large mall in the city is based on the Toronto Eaton Centre, a large mall in the center of city.
Movie 17		Diamond Domain	Naica crystal cave	Chihuahua, Mexico	Colossal cave of several white crystals of Selenite in Chihuahua, and many of them are the largest in the whole world.
Movie 17		Allearth Forest	Niagara Falls	Canada and United States	Like several elements of the movie based in Canada, the design of the waterfalls is quite similar to the Niagara Falls which are recognizable as vertical falls and two large walls of water.
Movie 18		Dahara City	Dubai and Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates	Dubai is located within the Arabian Desert and houses some of the world's tallest skyscrapers. The highest skyscraper is based on the Burj Khalifa.
Movie 19		Azoth Kingdom	Carcassonne	Occitanie, France	Occitanie is an ancient city famous for being the meeting point between the Mediterranean and the towns of the Massif Central (the inspiration for the Nebel Plateau). It is also recognizable by its enormous walls of the citadel.
Movie 19		Nebel Plateau	Massif Central and Chaîne des Puys	France	This area is similar to the Auvergne volcanoes in the Massif Central, which is a highland region containing large mountain ranges and vast plateaus full of greenery and rich biodiversity.
Movie 21		Fula City	San Francisco and Los Angeles	California, United States

Real-world locations mentioned

• In School of Hard Knocks, Misty fantasizes about Paris and the Eiffel Tower.
• In The Ninja Poké-Showdown, James says that the Fuchsia Gym looks like a Japanese restaurant.
• In the English dub of The March of the Exeggutor Squad, Melvin says he wanted to make it to Las Vegas. In the Japanese version, he said that he wanted to make it to Broadway.
• In The Evolution Solution, Meowth says, "Keep digging till you hit China!" to Jessie and James, who were digging for clam shells.
• In the William Shakespeare-inspired episode Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?, Misty described the town as like being in "merry old England".
• In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Team Rocket are disguised as Vikings. In the English dub, Brock says that he didn't know that Vikings still existed and Ash replies that they "mostly live in Minnesota". This is a reference to the Minnesota Vikings, a football team in the area.

• In the Swedish dub of the movie, Ash says that they come from Norway, a reference to the Norse Vikings who lived from the 8th to the 11th century.
• In the Danish dub of the movie, Ash tells Brock that the Vikings are mostly on trips in Sweden, again referring to the Norse Vikings, but may also refer to Vikingarna, a Swedish dansband.
• In the Finnish dub of the movie, Ash quips that Vikings still live in the Sipoo archipelago, referring to the fact that Sipoo was at the time mostly inhabited by Swedish-speaking Finns (another reference to Norse Vikings).

• At the end of Mewtwo Returns, Mewtwo is shown overlooking a "faraway city" that greatly resembles New York City. Buildings similar to the Chrysler Building and the MetLife Building are visible in the distance.
• In Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias, Misty makes a direct reference to the Earth, saying, "The Earth is so pretty." However, she may be referring to the landscape rather than the literal planet.
• In Can't Beat the Heat, Ash's Charizard uses Seismic Toss. Normally, a cloudy globe can be seen, but this time the Pacific Ocean and Australia are prominent. This also happens in Volcanic Panic and the introduction to Mewtwo Strikes Back.
• In the English dub of The Scheme Team, Jessie talks about Antarctica, the place where their next assignment is located.
• In Pasta La Vista!, an ad in May's food guidebook mentions "Chinese noodles".
• A map of the Pokémon world seen in The Bloom Is On Axew! centered on Unova features several landmasses resembling Europe and Scandinavia, with some of them either being rotated or flipped.
• In the Hindi dub of Oshawott's Lost Scalchop!, while Ash's Oshawott was perfecting Aqua Jet, Cilan states "जाना था जापान पर पहुंच गए चाइना" (lit. Jānā thā Japan, par pahunch gaye China), which refers to the real-world countries of Japan and China. The phrase itself can be interpreted roughly as "The aim and the result were different".
• In Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"!, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe were seen on a movie poster.
• In the Hindi dub of Mega Revelations! , Meowth says "हम सब जानते हैं कश्मीर से कन्याकुमारी तक" (lit. Ham sab jānte hain, Kashmīr se Kanyākumāri tak). This is a common Indian saying, roughly translating to "Our knowledge is supreme", which refers to the Indian subcontinent's northernmost region, Kashmir, and its southernmost city, Kanyakumari.
• Starting with the sixteenth movie, each Pokémon movie features a recurring globe texture in the intro used to represent the Pokémon world (as opposed to simply featuring randomly-shaped, nondescript landmasses below the clouds): the globe texture features altered landmasses such as one resembling Africa but featuring only the Sahara Desert and the southern half being missing, a large island to the northwest of the Sahara-like landmass, the Arabian Peninsula missing several large chunks, a landmass resembling Australia but rotated 90 degrees clockwise in the middle of a body of water resembling the Indian Ocean, and the northeastern portion of Russia being missing. However, other parts of the globe remain virtually unchanged, like those resembling most of Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Central and Southeast Asia, and Papua New Guinea.
• In Mega Evolution Special IV, a holographic globe can be seen inside Lysandre Labs. The globe features continents similar to the real Earth, implying that the planet's continents may probably look very similar to that of the real Earth, and that all of the known regions in the Pokémon world may actually in fact be smaller parts of a much larger landmass.
• In the planetarium special Celestial Debris, a map of the Pokémon world can be seen on a computer monitor. The map texture looks very similar to the one used to represent the planet in later Pokémon films, with three landmasses resembling North America, Europe, and eastern Russia all appearing upside down.

Real-world people and cultures mentioned

• In Pokémon Shipwreck, Brock directly refers to the tale of Noah who sent a dove to find dry land after a great flood, according to most Abrahamic religions.
• The Japanese version of the song Team Rocket Forever includes the lines 「ムサシ!/コジロウ!/関門海峡/門司/下関」"Musashi!/Kojirō!/Kanmon Straits.../Moji.../Shimonoseki...", referencing the famous duel that Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojirō (the name basis for Jessie and James's Japanese names, Musashi and Kojirō) fought on an island in the Kanmon Straits, which is located between Moji and Shimonoseki.
• The Japanese holiday Hinamatsuri (means Doll Festival, but sometimes referred to as Girls' Day) is featured in Princess vs. Princess (dubbed as the Princess Festival).
• The Japanese holiday Children's Day (Kodomo no Hi) is featured in The Purr-fect Hero (dubbed as Kids Day).
• Christmas is mentioned several times in the anime and manga. Santa Claus is a recurring character in the Pokémon anime who first appeared in Holiday Hi-Jynx. In the dub, Santa's home is called the North Pole.
• In The Art of Pokémon, James mentions the presence of Picasso and Rembrandt's paintings at his home.
• In Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, Meowth asks if they saw the Iron-Masked Marauder in a Mexican wrestling movie.
• In A Bite to Remember, Jessie says that Albert Einstein created the light bulb. Max corrects her, saying that Thomas Edison was the creator.

Other references to the real world

• In Beheeyem, Duosion, and the Dream Thief!, a painting within the resort created by Beheeyem bears a striking resemblance to Relativity by M. C. Escher.
• One of the hotels Ash and his group tried to stay at and ultimately failed to do so in the episode Riddle Me This! featured a painting of a tiger near grass, mirroring a similar painting found at Azuchi Castle.
• The nameless movie May describes in Lights, Camerupt, Action! is a reference to the movie Titanic.
• In Dawn's flashback in Yes In Dee Dee, It's Dawn, a teacher tells her students a tale about Buneary and Turtwig, which is similar to "The Tortoise and the Hare".
• In I Choose You!, Ash dreams about being in an alternate reality where no Pokémon exist and children attend regular school.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Red, Green & Blue arc

In A Charizard...and a Champion, a reference to Greek people was added in the English versions by Chuang Yi and VIZ, where Blue says this: "As the Greek said, 'give me a long enough lever... and I can move the Earth'!" This quote is not present in the Japanese version.

In the guidebooks

The Official Pokémon Handbook

In The Official Pokémon Handbook: Deluxe Edition, Seel's entry claims that "it lives in the freezing-cold Artic".