Pokémon world
- If you were looking for the opening theme to the Orange Islands arc of the anime, see Pokémon World (song).
- If you were looking for the CD, see Pokémon World (single).
- If you were looking for the world in which the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series takes place, see Pokémon World (Mystery Dungeon)
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The Pokémon world is the space and time in which all events in the Pokémon franchise occur. It bears some striking similarities with the real world, certainly deriving inspiration from it, but many factors set it apart as a different place from our own world.
Culture
Culturally, the many depictions of the world all reflect a popular fascination with Pokémon and their interactions with humans, including catching them, training them, battling them, raising them, keeping them as pets, studying them, and utilizing their varied skills. Several myths discuss the relationship between humans and Pokémon as a very close one, and one folk tale even says that there was a time when humans and Pokémon were considered one and the same.
The history of the Pokémon world is notably different from our own, and seems to be dictated primarily between the interactions between humans and Pokémon. There does not seem to be a major world religion, but some believe in the ancient myths based around Legendary Pokémon, so it plausible that the population believes in Pokémon as their religion. Shinto shrines and crosses have both been seen, however.
Geography and timeframe
Geographically, the world is split into a few large political regions, such as Kanto and Hoenn. The regions are generally thought to be part of a larger country because of the term National Dex, but they are all perhaps part of a world nation. The geography of the regions are strikingly similar to Japan, but in a much larger scale, as seen in the fifth movie (the only time when the entire planet is clearly shown).
Regardless, the games have referenced real places on Earth, such as South America, Australia, China, Antarctic and the United States and the anime and related products have referenced places such as Hollywood, California, Minnesota, England, and Paris.
However, if the Pokémon world is not Earth, it must be similar, having a similar moon, similar climates, and so on. Many different theories exist as to exactly how the Pokémon world relates to our own.
Physics and technology
Scientific achievements such as cloning and energy conversion mingle with magical elements such as spontaneous evolution and flowers that can replay a short time sequence, giving one the sense that the Pokémon world is very different from our own. The state of technology conceivably places the timeframe we see in either the present day, or perhaps in the future, but this is merely speculative.
Despite the amount of advanced technology available, comparatively few modes of transportation are seen. This may be because the world is often shown through the eyes of a Pokémon Trainer, who usually travel on foot for a variety of practical reasons such as cost and finding wild Pokémon.
There are moments where the physics of the Pokémon world are stretched to unrealistic degrees, but this is usually for dramatic or comedic purposes.