The Districts
The post-apocalyptic nation of Panem is divided into thirteen separate districts, which could be translated as the states of a country.
Whilst after the First Rebellion/Dark Days, the thirteenth district was completely annihilated and the remaining twelve all came under the single-party dictatorship of the President-run rule of the Capitol.
These twelve districts have submitted to the “governance” of the Capitol after the mass destruction witnessed 75 years ago. Willingly or unwillingly, the districts must also play part in the Hunger Games, a diabolical concept of entertainment for the Capitol.
With no authority on even their own day-to-day business, the resources of the districts are exported to support the lavish lifestyles of Capitol people. This renders most of the districts utterly poor, with the exception of District 1 and 2, both set close to the Capitol, near what in today’s United States is the Rockies region in north-west.
A few geographic details about some of the districts are sketched out in the following way:
• Districts 1 and 2 – “Rockies”
• Districts 12 and 13 – There’s a hint of “Appalachian accent.” You can walk to District 13 in a week from District 12.
• District 11 – “Deep South”
• District 4 – “Pacific”
• District 10 – “West”
District 1
A career district, the richest district among the known twelve, District 1 is considered next only to the Capitol in its stature. Its main export is luxury, and is located near the Rockies.
District 2
This district is the main home of the Capitol military, housing the Nut, and is also the main supplier of the Peacekeepers. All this renders District 2 the status of a career district and also one of the key points in the strategical rule of the Capitol. It also exports stone, weaponry (masonry).
District 3
Not considered a career district, Distrcit 3 is still an important district keeping in mind it is the supplier of electricals, firearms and automobiles to the Capitol. The people here are generally clever and understand machinery well, the main export is technology.
District 4
Another career district, the main export of District 4 is fishing. Thus the people here are known for their under-water skills and champion swimming ones. As can be seen in Finnick’s case, they are also apt with using tridents, making fish hooks, net hooks and identifying edible sea food. District 4 is located in the Pacific, which is an apt location for the “water district”.
District 5
Foxface, the only tribute who worked all alone during the 74th Hunger Games, hails from District 5. The location of district 5 isn’t immediately obvious, but the main export is power. From Foxface’s behavior, the only thing that comes to light is that the people might be clever and had excellent survival skills.
District 6
Another district of whose background, nothing is available. However, since the two morphlings come from District 6, the only important contribution they can give to the Capitol is medicine, and transportation.
District 7
District 7’s main export to the Capitol is lumber and woods. The people are generally thought to be apt with hatchets. Johanna Mason, a clever and the master of a very biting personality hails from here.
District 8
Katniss Everdeen meets Bonnie and Twil, the two escapees of District 8 in Catching Fire, which is how she first hears of the Rebellion. This and the fact that the main uniform supplier of Peacekeepers is this district signal that the first signs of Rebellion must have sparked here. The main export of this district is textiles.
District 9
Another obscure district, almost nothing is known of this district either. No major character hail from here, and no tributes mentioned specifically. The place, however, is said to have many factories and its contribution is grains.
District 10
The Capitol’s main supply of livestock comes from this district, and located somewhere in the West of the North American landmass, it is of no special consequence.
District 11
Located in the Deep South, around the presumably Louisiana / Texas region, Rue and Thresh hailed from District 11. One of the poorest districts of Panem, its main export is food. Ironically, being agriculture-centric having loads of orchards and fields within the district, it has the highest number of malnutritioned cases. All the food produced is directly sent over to the Capitol. The Peacekeeper forces are the most stringent here.
District 12
Katniss Everdeen’s hometwon, District 12 is in a state of utter mess being the poorest district of Panem. The main occupation of people here is mining, and under the hazardous conditions more often than not, there were mine accidents. Located in the Appalachian mountains, the situation of the place is out and out savage. District 12 was razed completely by the Capitol’s firebombs as the Second Rebellion began.
District 13
District 13, source of graphite mining, was completely annihilated after the First Rebellion / Dark Days, after which the twelve remaining districts were unified under the Capitol’s dictatorship. Technologically very powerful, District 13 was also responsible for the research and development of nuclear – and fission-based technology before the Dark Days – which is what triggered the war. However, this destruction was only on the surface ground as the survivors, rebels went into hiding under ground, building up a core group of rebels to take over the Capitol once the time comes.
HungerGamesNet.com 