Tatooine was a hot desert planet located in the Outer Rim, a region of the galaxy far removed from its core. It had three moons, Ghomrassen, Guermessa, and Chenini. Tatooine orbited twin suns, Tatoo I and Tatoo II. According to Jawa folklore, the desert known as the Dune Sea was once a true ocean. The whole planet was covered in harsh deserts, and only a small part of its northern hemisphere could sustain intelligent life. The landscape was covered with sand dunes, mountains, and canyons, which made traversing the planet very difficult. Due to the absence of surface water, those who lived on Tatooine had to draw moisture through the dry air.

Rain was incredibly rare on Tatooine, coming once a year, decade, or century. When the rain came, some plants were able to grow in a brief yet glorious period. Inhabiting the planet were many native species, the largest of which were the carnivorous krayt dragons. The common krayt dragon, while more plentiful, was shadowed by the greater krayt dragon, which submerged itself under the shifting sands and used its powerful limbs to traverse through the dunes. In addition, the common bantha and eopie species also found a home on the world, along with dewbacks, rontos, womp rats, massiffs, and scurriers.

The cities of Tatooine were frequently blasted by sandstorms and the inhabitants always seemed to know when one was coming. Not much distinguished the towns as the poor standard of living was common. The cities were separated from each other by large expanses of deserts. Rural life, on the other hand, was mostly small moisture farms that sold water and food for a meager living.