Final Fantasy VII/Locations

Final Fantasy VII features a large world map with numerous locations to explore over the course of play. Listed below are the major destinations that Cloud and the others visit during their journey.

Eastern continent
Midgar (ミッドガル): The largest and most industrialized city in the world, where both Shinra and the second incarnation of AVALANCHE are based. It sits in the middle of a large plain on the eastern continent. The area around the city has become distorted and polluted as a result of the use of mako reactors. The city is divided into eight numbered sectors. Each sector has two areas: one at ground level and one elevated section on a plate fifty meters above the ground. The upper plate is supported by a main column in the center of the city and an additional support column located in each sector. The upper city is primarily home to upper class citizens, while the lower portions consist of slums and lower class settlements. The lower class part of the city is also home to seedier establishments such as a brothel. The city is powered by eight mako reactors, one in each sector. There is also Reactor 0, which the other eight reactors get their energy from. There also appears to be a built-up ring outside the main perimeter of the city. The city's name is likely an allusion to the Midgard of Norse mythology. This hypothesis is supported by the name of the town of Nibelheim, which would correspond to the Norse Niflheim.

After the Meteor incident, Midgar was in ruins and it served as both the site of Cloud's final battle with Sephiroth, on the remains of the Shinra headquarters, and the site of Omega's awakening before Vincent destroyed it.

Edge (エッジ): This city appears in Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus, which are set two and three years after the events of Final Fantasy VII, respectively. It is a city built north of the remains of Midgar and is where most people who used to live in Midgar now live, including Cloud and Tifa. It is not mentioned in the movie itself but one of the developers says it in an interview that can be found in the extras on the bonus disc that comes with the movie.

Kalm (カーム): A germanic-style town northeast of Midgar, outside the wasteland surrounding it. It is primarily populated by former workers of the nearby Mythril Mine, which is no longer in service due to the appearance of monsters in the area. The town's residents are divided on the subject of Shinra and the use of mako. Kalm got its energy from a direct feed from the Midgar reactors.

Chocobo Farm (チョコボファーム): A rural farm that sells Chocobo equipment, such as Chocobo Lure Materia and greens, both of which are necessary to catch a Chocobo. Later, the farm can be used to breed Chocobos.

Mythril Mine (ミスリルマイン): A mine to the south of Kalm. It was once the location of Kalm's main industry, but has since been abandoned due to the appearance of monsters within and around the mine. The Midgar Zoloms in the swamp outside the mines are an example of the creatures that have taken up residence. The only way to cross these swamps quickly enough to avoid being attacked is by chocobo.

Fort Condor (コンドルフォート): A mountain-based fortress belonging to a rebel faction located on the lower east side of the eastern continent. The fort is named for the massive breed of condor that resides there. The mountain and the surrounding area have become polluted due to the use of a now-derelict mako reactor above the fortress. On top of the reactor sits a condor nest. At the time of Final Fantasy VII, Shinra is attempting to eliminate the rebels, remove the condor and seize the Huge Materia from within the reactor. While Shinra is attempting to remove the condor, the player can take part in a strategic mini-game where they hire and command troops to combat the Shinra forces from reaching the nest.

Junon (ジュノン): The second-largest city in the game, Junon sits along the west coast of the eastern continent. The surrounding terrain and ocean have become polluted due to continued operation of the city's undersea mako reactor. As a result, the fish in the adjacent sea have died out and the original village of Junon (located under the upper city's airport) is inhabited mostly by impoverished citizens. The upper city is the location of Shinra's military headquarters, featuring an airport, submarine docks, and a powerful artillery cannon known as the Junon Cannon.

Healin Lodge: Appears only in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, it is located adjacent to Midgar, Kalm, and Chocobo Farm and serves as a refuge for Rufus Shinra early on in the movie.

Western continent
Costa del Sol (コスタ・デル・ソル): A coastal resort town that also serves as the main port on the western continent. The player can purchase President Shinra's summer cottage here, though for a hefty sum. The first time the team travels through Costa del Sol, they encounter Hojo. Cloud can also kick a soccer ball at a sleeping Red XIII on the first visit. Spanish translation: Coast of the Sun.

Corel (コレル): Barret's hometown. Barret feels responsible for its destruction since he strongly supported building a mako reactor for the town. Shinra troops led by one of the company's executives, Scarlet, razed the village after an alleged terrorist attack on the reactor facility. Subsequently, Corel became the Desert Prison, and the Gold Saucer was built above it.

North Corel (北コレル): The shanty town settled by the survivors of Shinra's assault on Corel. In the latter half of the game, if the player fails to stop a speeding train carrying a Huge Materia, the town will be destroyed.

Gold Saucer (ゴールドソーサー): A towering amusement park built on Corel's ruins, financed and operated by Shinra. Cait Sith joins the party here. All of the mini-games that are in Final Fantasy VII (except the strategic one at Fort Condor) can be played here if the player has completed them in the storyline. This is also where the date between Cloud and either Aerith, Tifa, Yuffie or Barret takes place (though who it is depends on the actions of the player), and includes several well-known scenes such as the medieval play and the fireworks scene.

Gongaga (ゴンガガ): A small, desolate village ravaged by a mako reactor explosion. Aerith's first love, the SOLDIER Zack, grew up here, and his parents still await his return, unaware of his fate. The name "Gongaga" bears a strong resemblance to Ginnungagap, a place in Norse Mythology between Niflheim and Muspelheim.

Cosmo Canyon (コスモキャニオン): Red XIII's birth place. It is a pilgrimage site for those who have an interest in the Study of Planet Life. Bugenhagen's observatory is here. The settlement on the canyon powers itself without mako reactors through the use of windmills. Upon entering the surrounding area on the World Map, the horizon will become a dusky red. The red canyon walls also hide the now vacant "Cave of the Gi".

Ancient Forest (古えの森): An ancient forest near Cosmo Canyon. It is only accessible by a Green, Black, or Gold chocobo, or after destroying Ultimate WEAPON.

Nibelheim (ニブルヘイム): Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart's hometown. The Shinra Mansion located here was the research site for the Jenova Project, and, although since abandoned, still contains much of Professor Gast and Hojo's research. Its basement, accessible by a secret passageway, contains the laboratory and research library. Presumably after Gast left the Jenova Project, it was used by Hojo to conduct many of his immoral experiments. Vincent Valentine is also discovered here by the party, slumbering in a coffin hidden in a locked room within the basement. The town was burned down and its residents slaughtered by Sephiroth after he discovered his origins and went insane, although the Shinra Mansion was spared by the fire. The destroyed town was subsequently rebuilt and staffed by Shinra to cover up the incident. The town's name, is likely an allusion to the Niflheim of Norse mythology, referencing the massacre that occurred at the game's town. Alternatively, it may also refer to the German words 'nebel' (mist or fog) and 'heim' (home). This can be taken a step further, going from 'mist home' or 'fog home' to 'Cloud's home'.

Mount Nibel (ニブル山): The mountain overlooking Nibelheim, and the site of a mako reactor where Jenova was once housed along with several of Hojo's experiments.

Rocket Town (ロケット村): Cid Highwind's town of residence. This is the site of the first successful rocket launch into space.

Wutai (ウータイ): A country occupying a large island off the western-most continent, although the name is primarily used to refer to the only known settlement on the island. Yuffie Kisaragi is the princess of Wutai. Yuffie's father, Godo, led the city in a struggle for dominance against Shinra but lost. When the party first reaches the mountains that must be crossed to reach Wutai, Yuffie steals the party's collection of materia and retreats to her hometown, where both she and Elena of the Turks are kidnapped by crime boss Don Corneo. Wutai is apparently based upon pre-modern Japan and China, utilizing familiar motifs such as a pagoda (where Godo resides), and a large statue called "Da Chao," bearing the appearance of what appears to be Buddha and other related figures. Wutai is also the name of a sacred mountain in China, thereby adding to the oriental feel of the region.

Northern continent
Bone Village (ボーンビレッジ): An excavation site where lost items such as the Lunar Harp are found. One of the items being excavated is an aircraft that bears a striking resemblance to an F-14 Tomcat, the exact meaning of which continues to be a subject of debate.

Sleeping Forest (眠りの森): A forest next to the Bone Village. Without the Lunar Harp, the party will wander in the forest aimlessly. In Advent Children, Cloud is ambushed by Kadaj's group and the children, who have been completely taken over by the stigma, in the Sleeping Forest while on his way to the Forgotten Capital to rescue Denzel, Marlene, and the others. A fight ensues between Cloud and Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz in which Cloud is nearly defeated but is rescued by Vincent in the nick of time.

Forgotten City (忘られる都): Sometimes referred to as "the Ancient City," "the Forgotten Capital" or "the City of the Ancients." The city was the capital of the Cetra civilization, exhibiting such unusual structures as homes made from giant helical shells. A shrine exists hidden beneath the city, surrounded by water like a small isle. Aerith went to this shrine and attempted to call the spell known as "Holy" using the White Materia. Although successful, she was only barely so. Immediately after, she was killed upon the altar by Sephiroth. Cloud took Aerith to the nearby spring and released her into the water. Later in the game, a projection device located on the surface that uses a screen of water shows the events of Aerith's death and reveals that the White Materia was activated before she died, meaning that Holy should have been moving to destroy Meteor. It was this revelation that brought about the discovery that Sephiroth was holding Holy back. Two years later, the city would be used as the base of operations for Kadaj's group. It is here that they bring Denzel and other children afflicted with Geostigma who came under the impression that they would be cured. But instead, Kadaj tells the children that Geostigma is a gift and that it is the planet that is responsible for making them suffer as they do. He then has them drink water from the spring after turning black using his will (the will of Sephiroth); making them into JENOVA's puppets so they could lead him to JENOVA's head. Cloud arrived too late and struggled fighting until Vincent saved him. Cloud's cell phone falls into the spring during the fight.

Icicle Lodge (アイシクルロッジ): Aerith Gainsborough's birthplace. For a time, Professor Gast and Ifalna, an Ancient, lived in the town before being hunted down and killed by Hojo and his men. The town functions as a resort because it snows year-round. The constant cold temperatures are not due to the location of the town, despite its polar position, but are actually because of the town's proximity to the Northern Crater, where the Planet channels a large amount of Spirit Energy in an effort to heal itself. The town is called "Icicle Inn" in the original English localization of the game. It is also where the famous snowboarding mini-game can be played for the first time.

Great Glacier (大氷河): A large glacier to the south of Gaea's Cliff. Few people venture that far north, and those who do, get lost and pass out in the snow.

Gaea's Cliff (ガイアの絶壁): A huge cliff that leads to the Whirlwind Maze. The explorer Holzoff makes his home at its base and regularly patrols the Great Glacier for travelers who might need aid.

Whirlwind Maze (竜巻の迷宮): A maze of small winding ledges of similar design that lead to the heart of the Northern Crater.

Northern Cave (北の大空洞): Also called "the Northern Crater." The original impact site of Jenova. The WEAPONs slept under the ice, encased in frozen mako here for thousands of years following their creation. The remaining portion of Sephiroth's body emerged here after traveling through the Lifestream and became encased in a mako crystal. The crater is also the site of the Jenova Reunion and, later, the final battles of the game. It also is where the events of Advent Children begin, as the Turks were sent by Rufus to carry out an investigation in Sephiroth's wake. However, they not only found what little remained of Jenova's head, but unexpectedly Sephiroth's Remnants as well.

Other
Materia Caves (マテリア洞窟): Caves scattered around the world where the player can find unique and extremely powerful materia; each require a different chocobo to reach them (Green, Blue, Black and Gold). The Caves are found in Wutai, Mideel, Corel and Round Island.

Mideel (ミディール): A hot springs town attacked by Ultimate WEAPON and destroyed by a Lifestream eruption. Cloud appears here in a near-catatonic state, confined to a wheel chair after falling into the Lifestream at the Northern Crater.

Temple of the Ancients (古代種の神殿): A large structure into which the Ancients transformed the Black Materia to prevent its use. Whoever wishes to turn the building back into the Black Materia must sacrifice his or her life by solving a series of puzzles that shrinks the temple back to its original size, crushing whoever is inside.

Goblin Island (ゴブリンアイランド): An island northeast of Midgar. This place and round island are the only places Goblins appear.

Promised Land (約束の地): A place sought after by the nomadic Cetra — a legacy briefly taken up by Sephiroth, who mistakenly believed himself to be an Ancient. Aerith tells Cloud that the Promised Land may not be a specific place, but the Shinra believe otherwise and are intent on using Aerith to find it. Upon reaching the Northern Crater, Rufus Shinra comes to the conclusion that it is the Promised Land due to its vast quantity of natural mako. In actuality, both the game and the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Ω guidebook (an official Square-Enix publication) suggest that the Promised Land is no one specific place or thing, but rather something unique to each individual which brings that person supreme happiness.

Cactus Island (サボテンアイランド): A tiny desert island southwest of Mideel. This island does not appear on the radar and is one of only two places in which Cactuar can be encountered in random battles, the other being the Corel desert (but the Cactuars encountered in the desert are a much weaker version giving more gil but Morphing into a much more common Hi-Potion).

Sunken Gelinka: A Shinra transport plane that was shot down by a WEAPON and is currently at the bottom of the ocean between the Eastern and Western continents. It can only be explored by using the Shinra submarine. Inside the downed plane, Cloud will encounter Turk members Reno and Rude (as long as he explores the plane before encountering the Turks for the last time in Midgar). According to them, the Gelinka was transporting Huge Materia. While it is never explained as to why it was being transported, it was probably going to be loaded into Cid's old rocket and used to destroy Meteor. The area itself is perfect for leveling up high-powered characters as the monsters offer up large amounts of AP. Its also presents a hazard as Emerald WEAPON tends to hover directly above the Sunken Gelinka, a major problem to those who are not prepared to fight it. The plane's name is most likely a reference to the Spanish town of Guernica (Gernika in the Basque language), which was destroyed by a German aerial bombing during the Spanish civil war.

Round Island: A small island in the far north-east of the world, however this is not displayed on the world map. This island can only be accessed with a golden chocobo as the conditions are unsuitable for submarine or airship landings. The cave on this island contains the Knights Of The Round Summon materia, the most powerful summon in the game.

Cloud's Psyche: The world that Tifa ends up in when she and Cloud fall into the Lifestream. Here she has to help Cloud recollect his memories to discover the truth about his past.