The Westerlands

Capital
Casterly Rock

Lord Paramount
Loren Lannister

Geography and Climate
The Westerlands border the Riverlands to the east and the Reach to the south. Predominantly mountainous, the Westerlands are well-defended from external attack. There is only one major pass through the mountains in the east of the Westerlands, near the headwaters of the Red Fork of the Trident River.

History
The Westerlands are ruled from the castle of Casterly Rock by House Lannister. It is one of the smaller regions of the Seven Kingdoms geographically but has one of the larger populations. It is also immensely rich in natural resources, particularly metals. Predominantly mountainous, the hills of the Westerlands are riddled with veins of gold and silver, the mining of which has made the Lannisters and their bannermen immensely rich; the abundance of iron also allows them to easily forge weapons and military equipment. While the Lannister armies are not as huge as those of the Reach, they are the best-equipped in the realm with heavily-armored soldiers and cavalry.

Bastards born in the Westerlands are given the surname Hill. People of the Westerlands are collectively known as Westermen and are referred to, colloquially, as "lions" in reference to the sigil of House Lannister.