Setting in Speaker for the Dead

In Speaker for the Dead, the main setting is the planet of Lusitania. The main conflict revolves around how the characters interact with the setting. The 2 main areas in the planet are the human colony and the rest of the world. The humans have fenced themselves off from the rest of the world in an attempt to keep the aliens from learning about their advanced technologies.

On the outside of the fence, there are large forests and plains. These forests are inhabited by only one kind of tree. The plains are inhabited by only one kind of grass and only one kind of grazing animal. The monotony of the landscape was caused by a disease that wiped out all of the species that could not adapt to it.