Panem is a sovereign state that was established sometime after a series of ecological disasters and a global conflict brought about the collapse of modern civilization. It is situated primarily in North America, consisting of a federal district, the Capitol, and thirteen outlying districts.

For presumably the majority of its existence, Panem's government operated as an authoritarian-totalitarian dictatorship and a police state, with the outlying Districts subservient to the Capitol, expected to provide economic and material services in exchange for protection provided by the Capitol's armies of Peacekeepers. Years of brutal oppression faced by the districts led to the start of civil war known as the First Rebellion, led by District 13. The failure of it, brought about the Dark Days, as well as a sadistic annual event known as the Hunger Games, established as a continual reminder of the failed past insurrection and to never make an attempt at it again. Public executions and whippings, severe restrictions on civil rights, and mass surveillance become common in Panem, if not more so, in the years that followed.

Before and during the First Rebellion and up until at least the 10th Hunger Games, Panem was lead by President Ravinstill.[1]

President Snow, the most recent and last of Panem's line of dictators, served as the country's president for over 25 years until the outbreak of the Second Rebellion following the 75th Hunger Games. After the overthrow of the Snow regime, Panem was transformed into a democratic constitutional republic, led by Commander Paylor. It is portrayed in the trilogy to be the dominant society in North America, and no other nations or civilized societies beyond Panem have been mentioned, so it is unknown if any exist at all.

The name Panem derives from the Latin phrase Panem et circenses, which literally translates into 'bread and circuses'. The phrase itself is used to describe entertainment used to distract public attention from more important matters. Furthermore, by the government providing ample food and entertainment, the citizens would give up their political rights.

According to the Capitol, Panem has a population of 4,556,778 people. However, adding up the known populations of the Capitol and 12 districts gives it a total of only 1,905,286 people.

Panem's official currency is the Panemian Dollar. (PMD)

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Location and Geography

Panem is located on the continent of North America, with its territory encompassing areas formerly controlled by the former United States, Canada, and Mexico. The administrative center of the country, the Capitol, is located in the Rocky Mountains. Each one of its thirteen outlying districts are situated across the continent.

The size of the country is known not to be as large as North America today, given that, according to Katniss, large areas of land (across the world) were flooded by rising sea level. Nevertheless, maps of Panem indicate it is about as large as the former contiguous United States, spanning from the east coast to the west coast of North America and extending north and south into areas formerly controlled by Canada and Mexico respectively.

Government

For much of its history, Panem was run by a totalitarian dictatorship, led by a president who possessed all the governing power. The only known presidents of Panem are Ravinstill, Coriolanus Snow, Alma Coin, and Paylor. Previous presidents are unknown, however, Coriolanus Snow was mentioned to have been the president during the 50th Hunger Games, meaning he held power for over 25 years. Ravinstill is described has having been in power before the First Rebellion and up to and including at least the 10th Hunger Games. Originally composed of the Capitol and 13 districts, the First Rebellion resulted in the apparent destruction (in reality, secession) of District 13.

With all major industries privately owned by wealthy Capitol families under state oversight, Panem operates as a semi-feudal fascist state. Each district is assigned a particular industry, and the citizens have little freedom to choose careers. Free markets outside of the Capitol, such as the Hob in District 12, are illegal, though some grey market exchange is tolerated. With the exception of Districts 1, 2, 4, and 5, the districts live in abject poverty. All trade and commerce between the districts is generally forbidden, as most of the districts' produced goods are sent to the Capitol.

Law enforcement is provided through a military force known as the Peacekeepers. With most soldiers coming from District 2, each District's Garrison is headed by a Head Peacekeeper, who is responsible for enforcing the laws of Panem.

Following the overthrow of the Snow regime in Mockingjay, Panem was restructured into a constitutional republic, with Commander Paylor as the first president.

History

Much of Panem's history is shrouded in mystery, though known history dates back approximately seventy-five years prior to the beginning of The Hunger Games trilogy.

An unspecified time before the current date, the face of the Earth changed and modern civilization was seemingly destroyed. It is unknown precisely what caused the "end of the world," but major landmasses changed shape as the sea level rose to unknown heights around the planet, hinting that North America became smaller and presumably the only inhabited landmass on Earth. Some time after the end of the world as we knew it, a nation was established in North America that would soon come to be known as Panem. It is unknown precisely when Panem was established and how long it has existed, though it is certain that Panem has been around for more than seventy-five years, and it's entirely possible for it to be at least a century or two old. Panem eventually grew large enough that it was segmented into thirteen separate districts, each responsible for producing goods of a particular industry to serve the growing needs of the nation, and all operating under the auspices of Panem's oppressive Capitol. Its exact method of expansion is unknown; it is possible that some of the separate districts may have even once been smaller, separate nations that were eventually annexed by Panem. Main article: Dark Days Approximately seventy-four years before the events of The Hunger Games trilogy, the various districts of Panem rebelled against the Capitol, primarily due to the oppressive fashion in which the Capitol government ruled over the districts. It is unknown how long the rebellion lasted or the exact number of casualties on either side (although the Capitol claims that for every dead Capitol citizen, two rebels died), but by the end of the conflict, the Capitol had quelled the rebellion, defeating twelve of the districts and obliterating the thirteenth entirely. Main article: The Games In the wake of the rebellion, the Capitol established the Hunger Games, an annual event in which twenty-four children between the ages of twelve and eighteen, one boy and one girl from each district, are chosen from a lottery and entered into a gladiatorial competition where they must fight each other to the death until only one remains standing. The event served two purposes. The first was to demonstrate the overwhelming power the Capitol had over the districts by taking their children by force and forcing them to slay each other in a no-rules competition. It was proof that the Capitol's control over its people was so inexorable and unstoppable that they could do something so sadistic as to force the children of their conquered foes to slay each other in a battle royale. The second purpose was purely for entertainment. The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in the same vein as a reality show, its tributes practically considered celebrities and the events themselves dramatized and glorified. This section requires expansion. You can help the Hunger Games Wiki by expanding it. The second rebellion formed in the aftermath of the 74th Hunger Games. It was sparked by Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark's near double-suicide at the end of the games, which was interpreted as an act of rebellion by many residents of the districts. As a result, it caused many to rebel by the start of the 75th Hunger Games, which was also the 3rd Quarter Quell. During the Quarter Quell, in which past victors were reaped into the games, Katniss shot an arrow attached to a piece of wire, which was connected to a tree, into an imperfection in the force field surrounding the arena. The tree is then struck by lightning, which causes the force field to malfunction and stop working. She was rescued and transported to District 13, which had been rebuilt as an underground city-sized bunker before being bombed during the Dark Days. Beetee and Finnick are also rescued. Peeta, Johanna, and Enobaria are captured and held by the Capitol. In an attempt to end the rebellion, the Capitol destroyed District 12, echoing the faked destruction of District 13 during the first rebellion. Led by President Alma Coin and Plutarch Heavensbee, the resistance overthrew the Capitol. As requested, Katniss Everdeen was to kill President Snow. However, in the heat of the moment, Katniss killed Coin and Snow died from what is rumored to of been from either suffocation or because of choking on his own blood. After Coin's death at the hands of Katniss Everdeen, Commander Paylor of District 8 was elected President of Panem and the Hunger Games were ended.

Districts

Behind the Scenes

Panem and the general setting of The Hunger Games has many references to the Ancient Roman Empire. The Games themselves are reminiscent of the Roman munera, or gladiatorial games. The districts surrounding the Capitol are similar to the Roman provinces that surrounded the city of Rome. Many names, particularly of those from the Capitol are Roman names, such as Cinna, Seneca, Caesar, Coriolanus, Portia etc.

The name "Panem" itself comes from the Latin expression panem et circenses, which means "bread and circuses", a political strategy to keep the people satisfied with the current leaders by distracting them with cheap food ("bread") and entertainment ("circuses"), the two basis of Panem's control over the districts and the people within. The Hunger Games version of panem et circenses is far darker and crueler than the Roman version, as food and entertainment are also used as a means of coercion (through threats of being withheld) as well as for distraction.

Additionally, Panem may also have a secondary derivation as a corrupted form of "Pan-Am" ("Pan-America"), hinted by the fact that the name "Panem" is pronounced in the movies with both syllables stressed.