The Iron Islands are one of the constituent regions of Westeros. The Iron Islands were long an independent nation confined to their islands.The ironborn are independent, fierce and sometimes cruel. Theirs is a harsh land and they hold no truck with mainland or 'green land' way, which they hold to be soft and womanly. They use horses, who do not breed well on the islands, only as beasts of burden or conveyence, not in battle, and prefer the use of ships.