Location from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The southernmost kingdom — a land of red deserts, fierce independence, and customs that set it apart from the rest of Westeros, where women rule and passion is not considered a weakness.
Dorne is the part of Westeros that Westeros never managed to conquer. The Martells held out against Aegon's dragons through guerrilla warfare, and that victory infuses everything about Dornish culture — the pride, the independence, the simmering contempt for northern customs. Dornish law gives women equal inheritance rights. Dornish lords take paramours openly. Dornish wine is sweeter and stronger than Arbor gold, and Dornish vengeance is patient enough to span generations. The Red Viper's fight against the Mountain was Dorne distilled into a single combat — brilliant, passionate, and willing to risk everything for justice. The desert is Dorne's greatest defense; armies that enter uninvited tend to melt before they reach Sunspear.
Red sand deserts give way to mountain passes in the north, with scattered oases and the greenery of the Greenblood river valley. The sun hammers everything flat and bleaches the bones of those who underestimate the terrain. In the deep desert, sandstorms can bury a man in minutes.
Also known as: Dorne, the Dornish Marches, the sandy kingdom