could any of the kingdoms at middle earth attack the southern continents?

[Belegorn]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Again, Belegorn, you cannot just assume everyone is desperate to take over the world. Evidence is required- and in the case of Gondor (which is what we're talking about now) this evidence is lacking.

I'm not assuming that this is what they WANTED to do. I'm assuming that had they had the manpower and incentive to do so they COULD. Gondor did expand during the reign of the 4 Ship-kings, but otherwise it seems there was no incentive for them to go about conquering other lands. Again, all I'm saying is that if they had chosen to do so and had not lost most of their people in the Downfall, Gondor could certainly if they chose to do so, take what they will.

The reason I keep bringing up Númenor is because it is the basis of my point that "the Dúnedain were only a small people in the midst of lesser Men" [RotK; ll. The Appendix on Languages] Their numbers were decimated. So even if there were incentive there it would not seem like a good policy. There are only so many colonies a reduced people can set up in conquered lands and add to that how they produce slowly and have few children.

So why did Gondor not take over the world, probably because they did not care to, or maybe they did, but if they did then they were severely lacking in manpower. Gondor was already waning during the reign of the 16th King. What is the motivation of the Kings and Noble High-Men? All I know was that Ar-Pharazôn, known as "the mightiest tyrant that had yet been in the world since the reign of Morgoth" [Sil., Akallabêth, p. 339] had two great motivations, to be King of Men rather than Sauron, and to take immortality.

"as he pondered long in secret, his heart was filled with the desire of power unbounded and the sole dominion of his will. And he determined without counsel of the Valar, or the aid of any wisdom but his own, that the title King of Men he would himself claim, and would compel Sauron to become his vassal and his servant" [p. 333-334]

If Gondor could they would, if they wanted to do so.