Borders of the Dependent Protectorates

Dependent Protectorates:

The first of the dependent protectorates I will be covering is the Shire. The Shire is first of note as a dependent protectorate as with the return of the King of Arnor and the Kingdom of Arnor the shire joined the Reunited Kingdom. However the Shire became a Free Land and protected enclave inside the kingdom in the year 6 Fo.A. and none but the hobbits were allowed to enter. Though three of the most important offices of the Shire were on the northern council of Arnor and still under the King of the West, even though they were no longer direct Arnorian citizens. Along with being made a Free Land the Shire was also expanded westward to Emyn Beraid, making the line between Arnor and Lindon thinner with just the Tower hills themselves in the hands of Arnor. As for the rest of the Shire it was divided into the North Farthing, South Farthing, East Farthing, and West Farthing along with Buckland which was founded in Third Age 2340. From the lands west to the east, the Shire originally measured 40 leagues, reaching from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge though this would change with the addition of Westmarch (lands to Emyn Beraid) and Buckland (Just over the river) making the shire a bit larger. Then the Shire from north to south measured 50 leagues with the northern moors at the top and the marshes in the south. You can actually somewhat clearly see the shape of the Shire on this map done by Tolkien’s son Christopher. 

This map combined with a few other maps of and showing the Shire from Tolkien, one of which is shown here below, in addition to the text given on the Shape and size of the Shire, paints a nice outline. 

Following the Shire, the next of the dependent protectorates of the Reunited Kingdom is the Treegarth of Orthanc. The Treegarth is the lands around the Tower of Orthanc in the valley of Nan Curunír where the Ents had destroyed the Ring of Isengard and replaced it with orchards and trees. The reason it is made a dependant protectorate of the Reunited Kingdom is in some ways similar to the Shire, as under the rule of King Elessar much like in the case of the Shire the Ents in the Treegarth were given complete self-governance and under the protection of the King of the West.

The very last of the dependent protectorates was the Drúadan Forest, not the forest and lands in Drúwaith Iaur but rather a forest in the fief of Anórien, the same province that holds Minas Tirith. The borders of this forest are fairly well defined as the road though it is mentioned in the Lord of the Rings when the Riders of Rohan use it to avoid the orcs on the way to Pelennor Fields. In exchange for this help the Drúedain were given this forest as a protected enclave inside the Reunited Kingdom thus making it a dependent protectorate as it is inside the lands of Gondor. Its borders are, to the north of the road that connects Gondor to Rohan on the eastern end of the Ered Nimrais, to its west lies Nardol the third warning beacon of Gondor, and to the east is Amon Dîn the closest beacon to Minas Tirith. As for its south, the border is the White Mountains. There is not much else to say about this protectorate as after the Third age there is no real mention of the Drúedain. The forest and its location can be seen here on this map done by Tolkein, showing that it is not far west from Minas Tirith. 

There are no other known dependent protectorates of the Reunited Kingdom.