FF9 Places

Alexandria: A sprawling city crowned with a huge white palace. Queen Brahne rules over here. Previously a gentle woman, Kuja's presence began to slowly turn her will and transform Alexandria into a warmongering, conquering nation. Her thirst for power encompasses even using the powerful eidolons to crush anyone she meets. Besides for the castle, Alexandria has a huge theater, some slums and shops, and a lot of interesting people to meet.
Black Mage Village: Situated deep in the Dead Forest in the Outer Continent, the village is home to renegade Black Mages who have begun to think for themselves, and have become peaceful people. Later, the Genomes make their home here as well.
Bran Bal: A city of Genomes within Terra. The Genomes go about their so-called lives, learning for clinical and health reasons only, waiting to "be filled".
Burmecia: A rainy town populated by rat-people. Not much is known about it; it's in ruins when Zidane gets there, due to Alexandria's attack.
Chocobo Air Garden: Exists as a floating shadow; using the flying gold Chocobo and a Dead Pepper shoots you up into it. Besides for playing the Chocobo Hot and Cold game here, you can also fight the toughest boss in the game, Ozma, who hides in the eidolon wall.
Chocobo Dream World: Your chocobo is transported here when he finds certain chests using Chocographs; he gets his abilities upgraded here.
Chocobo Forest: A small forest on the Mist Continent, where you can play the Chocobo Hot and Cold game and find Chocographs. The red Chocobo can reach the mountains on either side.
Chocobo Lagoon: A cave in the water near the Forgotten Continent. Light and dark blue Chocobos can play the Hot and Cold game here.
Chocobo Paradise: Located on a hidden isle in the top left of the map, here's where Fat Chocobo rules over all the rest of the Chocobos, and here's where your Chocobo wants to be... supposedly.
Cleyra: An oasis in a desert, surrounded by an eternal sandstorm. A peaceful, religious place populated by Burmecians (rat-people) who, despising Burmecia's martial ways, fled here and started their own settlement. Its only entrance is a giant, hollow tree trunk. This is where the Burmecians flee when their city is attacked by Alexandria. Cleyra's sandstorm is laid waste by Brahne's eidolons and Kuja's Black Mages.
Conde Petie: This town of Scottish-accented dwarves blocks the path to the Conde Petie Mountain Path on the Outer Continent. Only married couples can get through, which leads to a hilarious scene.
Conde Petie Mountain Path: This has three ends; the first leads to Conde Petie, and the two far ends lead to Madain Sari and the Iifa Tree.
Crystal World: The origin of life. Kuja finds this place with the intention of destroying the original Crystal, and with it the universe. Zidane chases after him fervently, and eventually encounters the original destroyer of life, Necron.
Daguerreo: A hidden research town inside a cave on an island. All the best items and synth shops can be found here, as well as the Excalibur sword, a man inspired by FF4's Namingway, and... Gilgamesh, in hiding!
Dali: A small town near Lindblum. This also holds the covert factory where Kuja's Black Mages are created; the factory is powered by Chocobos. There's a machine in the inn which determines Zidane's lucky color. Dagger learns much about the lower classes here.
Desert Palace: Kuja's secret fort in the eastern desert on the Outer Continent. Fiendish puzzles await the prisoners of Kuja, including Regent Cid, recently turned into a frog.
Earth Shrine: One of the four places which unlock the Shimmering Island. It's on a shaking piece of land on the Outer Continent, and is guarded by Lich.
Esto Gaza: A snowy city on the Lost Continent. It overlooks the Shimmering Island, and is the conduit towards Mount Gulug.
Evil Forest: Between Alexandria and Lindblum, the Prima Vista crash-lands here. The forest itself is alive, and malicious. After Zidane defeats its brain, the forest petrifies itself and takes Blank with it.
Fire Shrine: One of the four places which unlock the Shimmering Island. It's in a volcano on the Lost Continent and is guarded by Maliris.
Forgotten Continent: A large continent where it's always dusk. Contains strange places such as Oeilvert, Ipsen's Heritage, and the Wind Shrine.
Fossil Roo: A gargant passage; the entrance to it is underneath the Qu's Marsh near Lindblum. Zidane and friends are chased by Lani through the first part of it, and must manipulate switches to ride gargants towards the end, out to the Outer Continent.
Gaia: The name of the world in which FF9 takes place.
Gargan Roo: The entrance to this underground passage is located below Dr. Tot's tower in Treno. There, a gargant (giant bug) can carry passengers all the way to Pinnacle Rocks, near Lindblum.
Gizamaluke's Grotto: A passage between Lindblum and Burmecia. Watched over by Gizamaluke (a giant sea creature), who's driven insane by Kuja.
Ice Cavern: A passage between the Evil Forest and the village of Dali, this is a frozen, crystalline dungeon. The first Black Waltz ambushes Zidane here.
Iifa Tree: A giant tree in the Outer Continent. This tree is the source of all Mist in the Mist Continent, and was placed there by Garland, to hasten the decay of the soul cycle on Gaia. Brahne makes her final attack on Kuja here.
Ipsen's Castle: A dizzying structure on the Forgotten Continent, made mostly upside-down! Not only the architecture is topsy-turvy, though - strength translates into weakness in here and vice versa. The four Mirrors which unlock the Shimmering Island are hidden here.
Lindblum: The airship capital of the world. Ruled by Regent Cid and his sidekick, Minister Artania. Lindblum is split into three sections: The Theater District (home of the Tantalus hideout), the Business District (all the shops are here) and the Industrial District. Lindblum Grand Castle boasts the airship dock, Cid's throne room, the guest room, conference room, and a balcony with a telescope. The Serpent's Gate leads to the ocean, and the Dragon's Gate leads out towards Gizamaluke's Grotto.
Lost Continent: A small, snow-covered continent containing Esto Gaza, Mount Gulug, and the Fire Shrine.
Madain Sari: A town of summoners. This place was completely wiped out by Garland's Invincible airship ten years ago. The only two survivors were Dagger (who reached Alexandria in a boat) and Eiko, who ended up living in the ruins by herself and her faithful moogle friends. The Eidolon Wall here pays homage to the summoners and their spirits. This is also the spot where Lani and Amarant catch up with Zidane.
Memoria: A very strange place, reached from within a purple ball formed above the Iifa Tree by the crazed Kuja. All of the memories of Zidane's friends are brought to fruition here. It leads to the Crystal World.
Mist Continent: The largest continent on the world is pervaded by Mist from the Iifa Tree. This continent has Alexandria, Lindblum, Burmecia, Cleyra, Treno, the Chocobo Forest, the Ice Cavern, Gizamaluke's Grotto, and the main Qu's Marsh.
Mognet Central: A place hidden away inside a crack in a mountain on an island in the northeast of the world (talk about hard to get to!). It houses the machinery that keeps the Mognet moogle mailing system going. Artemicion, the mail moogle, ends up throwing a wrench into the works by mistake when he misappropriates the Superslick grease needed to keep it going. 8-)
Mount Gulug: A volcano near Esto Gaza on the Lost Continent. This is where Kuja imprisoned Lady Hilda, Cid's wife, and where he attempts to remove the eidolons from Eiko. (This should really have been called Mount Gulg - it's spelled the same in Japanese - and the music is a remix of the Mount Gulg theme from FF1.)
Observatory Mountain: A small outpost near Dali; cargo ships use it as a beacon. Old man Morrid, a coffee connoiseur, lives here.
Oeilvert: An ancient ruin on the Forgotten Continent. Words from Terra are ingrained here, as is the Gulug Stone, which Kuja greatly desires and sends Zidane to fetch for him.
Outer Continent: A brownish continent in the northeast. Contains the town of Conde Petie, Madain Sari, the Black Mage Village, Kuja's Desert Palace, and the Earth Shrine.
Pandemonium: Garland's dangerous castle within Terra, from where he rules and plans. It's also his epitaph.
Pinnacle Rocks: A pond near Lindblum is the home of the eidolon Ramuh, who gives Dagger a test before he allows her to summon him.
Quan's Dwelling: Vivi's "grandpa" lived here, near Treno, and it's the only home he can remember.
Qu's Marsh: Four of these are situated around the world, but the main one is near Lindblum. Master Quale lives here, with his protegee Quina, who spends time catching frogs (he can do this in any of the marshes).
Shimmering Island: The entryway into Terra.
South Gate: The entrance into Lindblum. Only airships can pass through here.
Terra: A smaller, parasitic world which sleeps inside Gaia. The souls of those there wait to come out and take over Gaia, by using Genomes as their golem bodies. Garland watches over Terra and schemes for its revival. Bran Bal, city of Genomes, and Pandemonium, Garland's castle, are in here.
Treno: The city that never sleeps is situated near Alexandria. There's a lot to see and do here, including: a card tournament, monsters to battle in an item shops, an auction house, Queen Stella's house (bring your Stellazio here!), and Dr. Tot's tower (and the entrance to Gargan Roo).
Water Shrine: One of the four places which unlock the Shimmering Island. It's in a whirlpool near the Forgotten Continent, and is guarded by Kraken.
Wind Shrine: One of the four places which unlock the Shimmering Island. It's in a windy tunnel on the Forgotten Continent, and is guarded by Tiamat.