Panem

Panem is the name of the post-American society in which The Hunger Games and its sequels are set. It is made up of twelve "districts," each of which provides an economic service to the nation. The government is housed in the Capitol, speculated to be in the approximate location of Denver, Colorado.

Social Structure
Panem is run by corrupt president Coriolanus Snow and his armed soldiers known as Peacekeepers. The government is very strict, verging on if not outright totalitarian. Originally, Panem was made up of thirteen Districts; However, District 13 was destroyed by government bombs after it housed an uprising. The remaining 12 districts are almost all impoverished, while citizens of the Capitol live in luxury.

The government also has structures in place to ensure the submission of its citizens. Each year, in penance for a past uprising, each district sends 2 "tributes," one male and one female child between the ages of 12 and 18, to the Capitol to compete in the Hunger Games. The children are then forced to fight to the death on live television (with mandatory viewings in the districts); the last survivor is proclaimed the victor and given a house and wealth as a "reward."

The Districts
Each district is home to a specific industry.

District 12
District 12 is responsible for mining, specifically for coal. It is an incredibly poor district, with citizens often relying on illicit hunting beyond the border fence and/or trades in the district's black market to survive.

Known citizens: Katniss and Primrose Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, Haymitch Abernathy

District 11
Known citizens: Rue, Thresh