One of the factors that contribute to the success of the anime, Naruto, is the vividness by which Kishimoto portrays the world wherein the characters live. He is able to bring to life a world that speaks of adventure and romance and everything else that makes a good fantasy. Yet Naruto's world is not confined to that. It combines the mysterious ninja world with bits and pieces of the modern world. Naruto's world is as three-dimensional as the world we live in. The universe of Naruto has its own history, its own culture, its own geography, its own economy, even its own politics.

The Naruto Universe has five main countries namely, the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind. These countries are the most powerful and influential in the Naruto Universe.

Each of these five countries has its own hidden village. And these hidden villages are the ones that harbor the ?shinobi? or the ninjas. Each country is ruled by a feudal lord or land lord and each main village is ruled by a ?kage?. Kages are in equal standing with the feudal lords.

There are also five other minor countries which are mentioned in the anime and these are the Grass Country, Rain Country, Wave Country, Waterfall Country, and also the Sound Country.

The Land of Fire

The Land of Fire is the main setting of the anime since this is where most of the main characters live. It is said to be the strongest of the five nations. It has a strategic location, a strong economy, a large population, and a strong military (or shinobi) force. The Fire country is a peaceful and sunny place. It contains the Hidden Village of Leaf ? or simply, Konohagakure. Konoha is ruled by a ?Hokage?.

The Land of Wind

The Land of wind is a desolate country with an arid climate. It contains mostly deserts and is often subject to sandstorms. However, despite this, the Land of Wind is a strong country and it contains Sunagakure, or the Hidden Village of Sand which is led by the Kazekage.

The Land of Water

The Land of Water, as its name implies, is a land filled with seas and oceans. It is generally an archipelago. It contains the Hidden Village of Mist or the Kirigakure which is ruled by the Mizukage. Its inhabitants specialized in water-based jutsu.

The countries mentioned below have yet to be shown in the Naruto episodes. They may have been shown in the fillers but have not yet been introduced in the manga so information about them are not necessarily canon.

The Land of Lightning

Little is known about the Land of Lightning except that it houses the Hidden Village of Cloud. Presumably, the occupants of this country specialize in lightning jutsu. Their village is ruled by a Raikage.

The Land of Earth

Like the land of lightning, little is known about the land of the earth since it has yet to be featured much in Naruto. However, it does contain the Hidden Village of Rock and is led by the Tsuchikage.