Throughout the Pokemon franchise's existence, the games have taken place in many regions. From Generation 1's Kanto region to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Paldea region, each 🧸one has hosted a variety of Pokemon, memorable NPCs, and Gym Leaders.

Each region has typically been based on a particular real-world location, which often informs the aesthetic of each area's environment, as well as its region-exclusive Pokemon. Many of the games' regions are based on parts of Japan, but more recent Pokemon entries have drawn inspiration from Western countries. Here is every region featured in the mainline Pokemon games thus far, alongside their real-world inspirations.

Updated February 14, 2024, by Jon Eakin: One of the things Pokemon fans get most excited about in the run-up to a new game is discovering what the new region will be and which real-world location it's inspired by. With the Scarlet and Violet DLC released, we're all imagining what fresh locales await in the next mainline entry for the season, so we thought we would give this list some love to help you look back on all the places you've already visited on your Pokemon journey.

9 Kanto Region - Kanto Re𝓀gion, Japan

The Original Region

The region where it all started shares a name with Japan's Kanto region, a real-world area located on the island of Honshu. The real-life region houses seven prefectures, including Japan's capital of Tokyo. The game's region also bears a strong resemblance to its real-world counterpart, specifically in its layout.

Many areas within the game correspond to locations found throughout the real-life region. Some examples include Pallet Town, which is modeled after Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri's childhood home of Machida, as well as the bustling cityscape of Celadon City, which seems to resemble Tokyo.

8 Johto Region - ✤Kansai Regio🃏n, Japan

The Other Side Of Kanto

The Johto region takes after Japan's Kansai region, a highly-populated area famous for its food and historical sites. Various in-game locations, such as Olivine City and Goldenrod City, are seemingly based on the real-world cities of Kobe and Osaka, respectively. Additionally, Johto's National Park could be a reference to Kansai housing four of Japan's National Parks inside its borders.

Johto's location even matches the Kansai region's when comparing where each region is located relative to the Kanto region. In real life, Kansai is located west of Kanto; in Pokemon, Johto is also located west of Kanto.

7 Hoenn Regio🌟n - Kyushu, Japan 𓆏

A Region Of Land And Sea

The Hoenn region is based heavily on Kyushu, a Japanese island known not only for its mountainous landscape but also for housing Japan's largest active volcano, Mount Aso. This makes a lot of sense, considering Hoenn also features a large volcano named Mount Chimney.

Lavaridge Town's name could also be a reference to the volcano, but the town itself, which is well-known for its hot springs, is very likely a reference to Kyushu's abundance of hot springs. One of Hoenn's Legendary Pokemon, Groudon, could also be a nod to Kyushu's high level of tectonic activity. Groudon resides underground and also has the ability to expand continents single-handedly.

6 S👍innoh/Hisui Region - Hokkaido, Japan 🔯

A Storied History

The Sinnoh Region, formerly known as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Hisui region in the Pokemon world's history, is inspired by the Japanese island of Hokkaido, the northmost island of Japan. Sinnoh's Jubilife City seems to mirror Hokkaido's biggest city, Sapporo, in quite a few ways.

The Global Trade Station being housed in Jubilife City could be a reference to how Sapporo has frequently hosted the Olympics throughout its history. The in-game location also contains the TV Tower and the Trainers' School, both of which appear to be nods to Sapporo's own TV Tower and the Hokkaido University respectively.

5 🌠 Unova Region - New York City, Unitꦕed States

The First Region Outside Of Japan

Featured in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Black and White, as well as their sequels, Unova is the first mainline Pokemon region not based on Japan. Instead, it's based on the United States, specifically New York City. Castelia City's towering skyscrapers and crowded atmosphere are almost certainly inspired by Manhattan.

Many aspects of NYC, such as Broadwౠay, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the Brooklyn Bridge, are all replicated in the fifth-generation games through some not-so-subtle nods. An overhead view of the region even reveals that its geography is fairly similar to that of New York City, with a large park in the center and a variety of different areas around it.

4 🤡 🐻 Kalos Region - France

Euro Trip

Generation 6's setting of Kalos is heavily inspired by France. Like other regions, the general shape of the area is comparable to France's, and the buildings found throughout the region resemble various French landmarks. For example, the game's Pokemon League bears a strong resemblance to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, while Prism Tower is an overt reference to the Eiffel Tower.

Some of the game's areas, such as the Battle Chateau and Riviere Walk, also incorporate French words or terms into their titles, further cementing the link between the two.

3 Alola Region - Hawa🃏ii, United𒉰 States

The Aloha Region

In the series' seventh generation, the franchise ventured back to the States by basing the Alola region on Hawaii. The in-game region is composed of various islands separated by water, much like Hawaii is.

The state is known for its tropical climate, as is the Alola region; the warm weather also informs the design of the region's Pokemon, including its region-exclusive variants. Alola's named areas also tend to incorporate Hawaiian words into their titles. Melemele Island, Akala Island, and Ula'ula Island are just a few of the names that borrow from the Hawaiian language.

2 ♐ Galar Region - United Kingdom

A Bold New Direction

Galar is undoubtedly inspired by the United Kingdom. Its architecture resembles that of Great Britain's, with the city of Wyndon being a dead ringer for London. Additionally, the region's gyms look an awful lot like Poke-Ball-shaped soccer fields, and they feel like their real-life counterparts too, considering they're filled with hordes of fans ready to watch a competition go down.

If that's not enough, the region's inhabitants also frequently throw out all sorts of British terms. The titles of the games that take place in Galar, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Pokemon Sword and Shield, could even be seen as references to the United Kingdom, given that both titles reference ♈equipment carried by a knight — a figure commonly associated with English hi💎story.

1 🔯 Paldea Region - The Iberian Peninsula

Back To School

The Paldea region takes a lot of inspiration from Spain. Not only do many Pokemon have Spanish names and the version colors can be found on Spain's flag, but many of the towns and buildings are based on Spanish architecture. The Academy, with its tall spires and pointed buildings, is clearly based on Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia, one of the most famous cathedrals in the world. You can see modern influences as well with Levincia taking inspiration from Madrid.

However, there are also tributes to other locations on the Iberian Peninsula like Portugal and Andorra. The most notable example of this is the water-themed cities of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Cascarrafa and Porto Marinada. With their open markets and buildings ♕made of tile, they are clearly based on Portuguese coastal towns.