system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[LOTR] What is outside the maps of Middle Earth?

What is beyond the maps Tolkien has in his books? What kind of societies exist there? How well known is this knowledge in Middle Earth?

Also, do people in Middle Earth ever go to outside those maps?
gpt
During the first age Arda, the planet, was flat with an ocean sitting between middle earth and the continent called Aman. After the sinking of Numenor, Aman was lifted away from Arda and the planet was made a sphere. So there isn't anything beyond middle earth anymore. For the unmapped portions of middle earth, it was filled with men. To the immediate south and East there were evil men through Sauron's influence. Whether there were men East of the Easterlings, or south of the Southrons is not said, if they were there we dont know if they were evil or good. The Blue Wizards allegedly went East. Aragorn does travel extensively and he went south to at least Harad and Umbar.