Balamb is a country in Final Fantasy VIII. It is mainly accessed by boats, although it is also connected to the Galbadian continent by underwater train, which offers a service from the town to Timber. The island's sole town, Balamb Town, itself is surrounded by Balamb Island's varied landscapes, including sandy beaches, thick forests, and mountainous regions. Balamb also hosts a town located on the country of the same name in Final Fantasy VIII. It is mostly known as a quiet fishing town, with access to boats and trains.

Dollet is the name of a small, independent duchy in Final Fantasy VIII. It is the setting for Squall, Zell, Seifer and Selphie's last test for becoming a SeeD. It is one of the few locations in the game to possess any kind of broadcasting technology, which makes it important to multiple parties.

Timber is a city in Final Fantasy VIII. It is under martial law by the Galbadian Army, and has many resistance groups struggling to regain Timber's independence.
Notable features of Timber include its many train lines and its television broadcasting studio. It is also the home of Timber Maniacs, a publishing company.

Galbadia Garden is a location in Final Fantasy VIII, located near Timber on the Galbadian continent. It is one of the three Gardens in the world which trains students (usually orphans) to become SeeDs. Martine is the Headmaster of Galbadia Garden, and Irvine trains and lives there. Quistis also spent a brief time at Galbadia Garden. Like Balamb Garden, it is built on top of an ancient Centra structure, which allows the Garden to fly.

Deling city is a city in Final Fantasy VIII. It is under martial law by the It is a cosmopolitan center located at the north of the Galbadian continent, and is the capital city of Galbadia. The Galbadian President Vinzer Deling runs his administration from here. It is also the home of General Caraway.

The prison is used to hold political prisoners. D-District Prison may be lowered into, or raised out of, the surrounding desert sands by controls located inside it. There are several Triple Triad card players imprisoned here.

Fisherman's Horizon, occasionally abbreviated FH, is a location in Final Fantasy VIII. It is located midway between the eastern and western continents aside the large intercontinental bridge. The town is filled with fishermen and skilled mechanics. Some of these mechanics helped build Balamb Garden. The town is neutral, so fighting is not allowed.

Trabia Garden is a location in Final Fantasy VIII, located on the icy northern continent of Trabia. Students (usually orphans) attend Garden in hopes of becoming SeeDs. Selphie lived and trained here before transferred to Balamb Garden shortly before the events of the game. Like other Gardens, it is built on top of an ancient Centra structure, which allows the Garden to fly.

Edea's Orphanage is a location in Final Fantasy VIII. It is located on the southernmost peninsula on the Centra continent. Many of the children that were raised here would later become SeeDs at the various Gardens around the world.

The Great Salt Lake used to be what its namesake stands for, but testing done by the nearby country of Esthar destroyed all life, leaving behind huge fossils and an Undead Boss, Abadon. Squall, carrying the unconscious Rinoa on his back, came through here accompanied by Zell, Selphie, Edea, Quistis, and Irvine on their trip to Esthar to find out why Rinoa had fallen unconscious and not woken up.

Esthar is one of the main political powers in Final Fantasy VIII, and also the name of the capital city of said nation. Located on the large continent to the east of Galbadia, Esthar is Galbadia's major rival in terms of world politics. Esthar is an extremely technologically-advanced society governed by a president, which at the time of Final Fantasy VIII, is Laguna. Esthar has, since the Sorceress War, hidden themselves from the world using a cloaking device.

Lunar Gate is a location in Final Fantasy VIII. It is the facility used by Esthar to shuttle people to the Lunar Base. To launch someone (or presumably something) into space, s/he is placed in a capsule. They then undergo a process called cold sleep, rendering them unconscious for the trip, and are shot out of a cannon-like apparatus into space. They are "thawed" upon arrival at the Lunar Base. The Queen of Cards can also be found here.

The Sorceress Memorial is a location in Final Fantasy VIII. A structure built to commemorate the Sorceress War, it also functions as a place to seal potentially dangerous Sorceresses.

Winhill is a location in Final Fantasy VIII. It is a quaint, pastoral village on the southwest end of the Galbadian continent, west of the town of Timber in the Centra region. Somewhat isolated in comparison to other towns, Winhill is only directly accessible on foot via dirt roads. The village is surrounded by open plains and rolling fields.